Katrina...Kittens in affected states, please check in (8/29)

[GayNow]

Hey, everyone.

I'm sure many of us are keeping our eye on Hurricane Katrina and her path of destruction. I know I have many friends down in those states, and I'm quite worried about them. I've heard from a few, who are safe, so that makes me feel a bit better, at least.

But now it's time for Kittens to check in.

Let us know you're safe!!!

If you are a Kitten who, while not in the path of the storm, knows the condition/situation/whereabouts of other Kittens who are running for cover, please let us know what you do.

Thanks, Kittens.

Carleen

[urnofosiris]

What they showed on the news looked pretty bad, but they said so far no one was hurt. I hope it stays that way. Here in Europe large parts of Portugal has been burning for weeks in part due to incessant drought and now on the other side of the ocean there is enough water and wind in a day to last a lifetime.

[jixer]

Hello Kittens-

Listening to the various talking heads over the last few days brought out that our silent Kittens in the South may not be able to get online for weeks yet. Power, phones, and even clean water are rare right now. Eastern US and Maritime Canadian Kittens should be on the look out for heavy rains and storms from Katrina as she breaks down.

God bless and keep you all,

Jixer

[GayNow]

I'm hoping Kittens from that area were smart enough to get out well before Katrina hit their states, counties or towns. If you are aware of the status of any Kittens from those areas, please let us know what you know.

I've heard from all but 2 of my friends in those states...I'm really hoping to hear from them soon. I don't want to add worry about Kittens to my list.

Thanks.

Carleen

[dender456]

I don't really know whats happened in other states lately, but i know my state was hit by Hurricane Katrina and my city has suffered from it pretty rough. In my own front yard a tree fell over and scraped the side of our house and knocked over our fence completely. Plus a few counties over several people died from flooding. I know people are worse off than me from other states but its still disturbing to know that the hurricane hit us when were so far away from the coast line. (Tennessee)

[oneyedchicklet]

My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to anyone affected by Katrina. There are a few people I've heard from that I know are safe.

However, I don't understand what is wrong with people. There are many rescue workers doing their best to evacuate and get to those trapped. Houston has opened the Astrodome to accomadate those in the Superdome. Now, there are people shooting at the helicopters that are doing search and rescue.

As an EMT and member of a volunteer rescue squad and someone who was in NYC for the 1993 bombing of the WTC, I can't fathom how people react to those who are only trying to help. I can understand the some of the looting because there's minimal drinking water and food. But let the rescue workers at least attempt to help.

Love to All,
Barb

[FineyMcFine]

I don't understand it either.

I don't usually watch the news or read the papers, other than the Express (free version of the Washington Post) and sometimes a quick glance at www.cnn.com - but today I read the Express, and it's devastating down there. I don't think the full emotional impact can come through in news reports of any kind, but what did come through was impactful enough. I just can't imagine.

So I went to www.redcross.org and donated.

[DaddyCatALSO]

iT'S OFFICIAL;THIS IS THE WORST DISASTER IN THE uS SINCE THE sAN fRAN fIRE OF 1906 AND THE WORST HURRICANE SINCE THE 1900 ONE IN gALVESTON. (sorry, stl had my work settings up)

[maudmac]

My heart goes out to everyone affected by this. It's unbelievable, the extent of the devastation, the lack of organization down there...going from bad to worse...

I understand looting to some degree, especially for food and things like diapers. No one is helping so many of those people. They are on their own and whatever they need to do to get by, well, that's what they need to do.

But shooting at evacuation helicopters at hospitals? How can anyone possibly justify that? It's unconscionable. I can't believe what I'm seeing on television.

moveon.org is helping to connect people left homeless by this with people who can accommodate survivors:

http://www.hurricanehousing.org/

I wish I had a spare room. If you do, at least think about it.

Here in the middle of Alabama, the worst we had were trees and powerlines down and most of that's been fixed by now. Our power was out for less than a day. Of course, we're now having gas shortages, but everything we're dealing with is just a minor inconvenience compared to what's going on to the south.

New Orleans has long been one of my favorite cities. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it, one night in February about 13 years ago. Coming into the city, it was like entering another universe, a strange but enchanting and beautiful universe. Everything is just different down there. Every trip back to New Orleans reinforced my sense that it was a magical place like no other. There's something about it. It sticks with you forever.

I've been about half a dozen times over the years and had some very memorable experiences there, many of which simply could not have happened anywhere but New Orleans. It's a national treasure.

I've been to Biloxi a few times. It's difficult to imagine the destruction there is really real. And Dauphin Island, Alabama, which I understand from the pictures is largely washed away now.

God bless the Gulf coast and her people.

[Rhiannon9891]

I have heard that most my friends In New Orleans are all ok...we have not heard about one person..we are praying for the best.

Here in NorthCarolina, we were not affected badly with the weather, but now we are in a gas shortage, due to the fact that two fuel pipe lines are down. I spent 30 - 45 minutes yesterday waiting in line for gas. While waiting I witnessed two fist fights and a few verbal arguments...people are just stupid sometimes. They should just be thankful that they are not in the area of the devastion,where there isn't even food or water.

All of my hope and prayers go to those affected by this natural disaster.

Rhiannon

[oneyedchicklet]

I can't help but keep watching the reports coming from the Gulf Coast. This disaster is not as severe as the tsunami was as far as the death toll. But there was no real warnings of the tsunami. There was ample warning that Katrina was going to hit with almost pin point accuracy as to when and where. They knew people would be spending time in the Superdome and other shelters, why didn't the Government agencies send supplies in prior to the storm hitting? You see and hear all about the refugees being transported from the Superdome to the Astrodome. But I've constantly heard how that supplies were being delivered and set up prior to the busloads arriving. It just seems to me that there is a serious lack of order down there. Gotta love Dubya for this one. At least 7 countries have offered to help and he's refused it.

And can someone please explain to me like I'm a two year old what the heck someone would loot something like a television or other electronic device for? Call me crazy, but there's no electricity and won't be for quite some time. And what is the deal with the snipers? Lets piss and moan that not enough is being done to get to some but lets shoot at the ones that are making an attempt.

For the most part, I'm quite proud to be an American, but its times like these that I become ashamed.

Bless those affected.

Love to All,
Barb

[tybee317]

My heart breaks everytime I view the desperate situation in New Orleans on the news. We had a bit of tornado damage in ATL and loss of life, just from the remnants of Katrina.

The suits posted a letter today on the lounge door. This afternoon we received our 1st critical patient from NO in Atlanta, via Lifeflight.. Beginning tomorrow, most elective surgery will be postponed. This means no more breast reductions/augmentations, gastric bypasses, liposutions, most plastics and a lot of ortho until we can take care of these patients. I am in awe of the efforts of the Nurses and Doctors at Charity Hospital in NO. I heard where docs were canoeing in supplies and nurses were Ambuing (hand ventilating) patients, literally for days. That is dedication beyond compare.

Is it just me, or the govt seems awfully flatfooted in their response so far. These people are desperate, and the U.S. is just now getting around to responding.

Please don't forget about the Humane Society, they need our help too!

[vix84]

Just wanted to send good wishes to anyone directly or indirectly affected by Katrina. It's all over the news in Australia and it looks terrible. I hope that the rescue workers and organisations are able to provide help as soon as possible.

[FineyMcFine]

I don't know if this link will be on-topic, but a friend on LiveJournal linked to this other LJ entry and I thought it was illuminating.

[onyxsundrops]

Is it just me, or the govt seems awfully flatfooted in their response so far. These people are desperate, and the U.S. is just now getting around to responding.

You're not the only one, believe me. Being from New Orleans and having been to Biloxi, Gulfport, and Mobile numerous times, I know that these cities are not rich or even close to being so. I've always said that because N.O. was under sea level, if something came it would destroy the entire city but no one ever thought it would happen. Those people who stayed, in most cases, had no other choice because of lack of money, transportation, etc. Yes, people are looting and some idiots are stealing TVs, etc, and some stupid asses are shooting people, but it's not the majority. I just watched Bush smirking as he made his interview in Biloxi, and claimed that people were being helped. It's been 4 days, and I don't see much of a change... the national guard trucks, etc, are just now showing up and there's no telling how many people have died. I give my praise to those who tried to help as soon as they could, but the govt. has let thousands of others down.

I know this is not a thread to rant in but to give hope. I'm sure I've lost friends in N.O. and I've yet to hear from dozens of people that I knew in Biloxi or Gulfport. Where ever they are, I hope they're safe or at least not suffering anymore.

Yvonne

[kindagay]

Don't know if anyone is a member of the Spikeme4now_Willow_Tara yahoo group, but I received the following email & decided to post it here, 'cos I'm sure there's plenty of kittens out there who would be willing to help.

Hi there friends,

I'm working with a friend who knows someone in Shreveport
where many refugees are going. Instead of holding an
auction and giving a big fat check to the Red Cross or someone else
that might take months to get these people help, I'm hoping to do
something more immediate.

What I'd like you to do is send this email to your lists, groups,
friends, family, etc. to see if anyone is willing to send a care
package to the center.

At the moment I'm trying to get an exact address of the shelter there
but if you'd like to help let me know and I'll notify you ASAP when I
have it. They'll be needed the following items most:

canned goods (with peel back tops if possible)
bottled water
pedilyte
diapers
baby formula
tampons
other basic necessities (soap, blankets, pillows, etc.)

If you're interested in donating some items please email me directly
at cnwinters@ hotmail.com. At this point, every little care package
will help.

As I said, I should have the address shortly where you can send your
items that people need today and not months from now. So drop me a
line if you'd like to send along a package to the shelter. And if you
know someone who works at a supermarket where you can get a bigger
discount or bulk discount all the better.

Thanks,
CN

[JustSkipIt]

Hi everyone,
I hadn't really realized that people would be worried about me until I got a PM checking on me. So let me say I and the famliy are perfectly fine. Austin wasn't really hit by the storm at all. Of course, that's far from being not affected. Austin is expected to house 5000 refugees and they started arriving last week. I think everyone is in shock and horror at what we've seen and heard both on the TV and from friends and acquaintences. This weekend we are at my in-laws in East Texas and some friends from New Orleans are staying at our house for a little break. They got out ahead of the hurricane but now have nearly nothing.

I think there are many many things everyone can do to help in the situation. The Red Cross needs money, supplies, volunteers, and blood. If you want to do something but don't know what, just click a link on nearly any page and find out what you can do. We're just all going to have to come together on this one.

Thanks for worrying about us. Debra

[russ]

Several people have commented on the slow response to this disaster. The truly horrifying thing is that it has been known for years that it was coming. This article from Thursday's Toronto Globe & Mail quotes a Scientific American study from four years ago.

Experts warned of Katrina disaster

By SCOTT DEVEAU
Thursday, September 1, 2005 Updated at 2:35 PM EDT
Globe and Mail Update

Louisiana experts have long warned that without a “major reengineering” of the Gulf of Mexico coastline, the disaster that devastated New Orleans this week was nothing short of an inevitability.
Emergency workers were bracing for a similar disaster last year when Hurricane Ivan brushed up against the Mississippi Delta. Emergency workers had reportedly stockpiled 10,000 body bags, a fraction of what they anticipated needing if Ivan struck New Orleans.
According to the reports last September, emergency officials were well aware that the port-city levees were only designed to withstand a category 3 hurricane. At its strongest, Katrina ranked as a category 5, the highest standard for hurricanes, with winds exceeding 249 km/h.
“New Orleans is a disaster waiting to happen,” Mark Fischetti, a contributing editor at Scientific America, wrote nearly four years before hurricane Katrina hit the southern shores of Louisiana. “Only a massive reengineering of southeastern Louisiana can save the city.”

Mr. Fischetti's article, “Drowning New Orleans,” is hauntingly prophetic about what actually transpired this past week.
“If a big, slow moving hurricane crossed the Gulf of Mexico on the right track, it would drive a sea surge that would drown New Orleans under 20 feet of water,” he wrote nearly four years ago. The article also predicted that surging water could fill Lake Pontchartrain, which would cause a flood of epic proportions in the city.
Citing several experts in Louisiana, most of whom are now out of reach due to massive telecommunication breakdown, Mr. Fischetti detailed how marshlands of the Mississippi Delta, which acted as a buffer dividing the city from the sea, have receded as a cost of human development.
The thrust of Mr. Fischetti's article is that levee building, draining wetlands, dredging channels, and cutting canals through marshlands to accommodate human settlement has dropped the city far below sea-level, creating a gigantic city-sized bowl that could easily be filled by a storm of a much smaller scale than Katrina.
The levees have also prevented the muddy Mississippi River from spreading sediment around the Louisiana barrier island, which brace the city from the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana has been losing about 44 square kilometres of coastal marshes and barrier islands every year.
The average beach recedes about 60 centimetres a year, according to the report. Some areas of the Delta recede by up to 15 metres a year, the fastest in the country.
The salt water from the Gulf has been seeping into the marshlands and killing the vegetation, which acts as a buffer to the city against coastal storms.
Throughout the 1990s Louisiana was only receiving $40,000 a year to combat their receding wetlands.
In 1998, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources drafted a coastal restoration plan to combat the receding marshlands, in an attempt to mitigate any damage that may be caused by a strong coastal storm.
The plan called for a $14-billion (U.S.) investment to restore the region, which handles nearly a third of U.S.'s oil supply and acts as wintering ground for 70 per cent of migratory birds in the U.S., according Mr. Fischetti's article.
The plan called for the Mississippi River to be diverted in order to restore wetlands and rebuild the southern barrier islands, among other necessary measures to prevent a disaster.
Despite the desperate pleas for funding, the plan was slashed by the Bush administration in 2003 by $200-million. A senate committee then authorized only $375-million in spending.
The funding, let alone the plan, were nowhere near complete when Katrina hit last week.
The nightmare that so many emergency officials feared nearly a decade ago, was realized when Katrina took a direct hit on New Orleans leaving hundreds, if not thousands dead.

Also, National Geographic in the October 2004 issue has an article on "The Vanishing Bayou" which is worth reading.

Act of God? No, act of human greed & folly.

Russ

[Tarababy77]

Just to let you kittens now, my base (Eglin AFB, Florida) and Fort Walton Beach officials, will be building a refugee center and several of the fairgrounds around here. I got to see first hand of the damage in LA and MS and it is nothing that any word could describe. We have a good portion of my squadron deployed in direct support of these two places. For those who are going throw this first-hand or indirectly, I am crying right along side with you. My heart and my prayers go out to you all. =)

[Shadowcat]

For any of the old folks hanging around, just an FYI. I will be heading down to Mississippi next week. I'm just finishing up my current assignment in NY right now. They have yet to find a building safe enough for us to work out of, however, so we may be living in tents. While I am not looking forward to the camping environment, I am happy to be able to continue with expanding my current skillset. I make maps now, and it can be so much more fun than writing reports ever was. Whatever capacity I fulfill down there, I am relieved to be able to help, if only in a technical way.

[FineyMcFine]

Of all the tragic stories coming out of this hurricane - the devastation as well as the relief efforts, and the political squabbling, this news article about some children who were saved and then reunited with their families is very touching and a welcome respite from that other stuff.

From the LA Times

[tybee317]

We have seen a few reunions here in Atlanta. There is a nurse from New Orleans here with her husband, who is a former paramedic with a liver transplant,. They were forced to leave their pets in a local New Orleans hospital, where the nurse was working. An Anesthesiologist agreed to take care of them. A couple from Texas saw the story on the news, drove to LA, rescued the pets(2 dogs ,a cat, and a guinea pig) and drove them to Atlanta.
Our community passed an emergency resolution last night to have more than 3 pets, "temporarily" to take care of the anticipated need from the Gulf. Sometimes, people do the right things!
My co-worker left for LA today, she had clothes, gift cards, cash, and food. Lynn's, parents, 3 sisters and their families got out of New Orleans but have been left homeless, 13 people in all. Her family is living with a brother outside of New Orleans.. Two weeks ago, Lynn, Kristen, and I were having margaritas, chips and dip. It has been amazing and devastating all at the same time, what comprisies the human spirit. The good, the bad, and the downright ugly, but enough about the the fedaralis and the local bureaucrats.
BTW, my 1st pt. this am was a 87 yo male from New Orleans, an evacuee. The front of the chart said "Operation Katrina", he was evacuated from a Nursing Home, the doc told us that his wife is missing, she was at the same Nursing Home. This man was so kind, he thanked me for what we did, which is highly unusual. Anesthesia, usually has them so sedated or under conscious sedation, they do not remember seeing us. Anyway, he made it a point to thank me in the post recovery unit, and I have never heard that until today. He liked our hats! We wear hats similar to chef hats while in the OR, and we all have our hats made to reflect our personality. He loved that! The one I wore today had birds, usually the rainbow theme plays heavily with me, the scrub had checks!

[RoseWitch]

hey everyone,
I thought i'd report in for one N.O. kitten.... or who used to live there...Lex or Artemis85 or StableGirl as some know her is fine...she moved to here to Orlando just a two or three weeks before Katrina hit. She was only 10 minutes outside of N.O. I'm helping her along the way..being the good friend. Her family got out in time, but both her houses ironically, one in N.O. area and the other in Buluxi both got hit. Her family didn't have home insurance...so she's not sure what they're going to do. She's slowly recovering from the wake, it hit her pretty hard since she grew up there. But I thought I'd report in that she's all safe and doing fine at school here in Orlando. If anyone would like to message her... her e-mail is Artemis85@gmail.com i believe. She is also on yahoo messanger alot.
Thanks for all the kind thoughts. America won't be the same anymore...i think N.O. had many memories for many Americans. I know it did for me too. Thanks for all the thoughts Kittens.
-Muse aka RoseWitch