Some questions about the storm situation

[bluestateguy]

1. Will the price of oil escalate further?

2. Is gasoline price gouging taking place? Will it take place after the storm hits?

2a. Same question with regard to price gouging of other vital goods.

2b. What sort of punishment should price gougers face in this situation?

3. Do you think looting will be a problem afterward?

3a. Should police/National Guard have the right to shoot looters on sight? (This was done after the 1906 Earthquake in San Francisco).

4. Why can't the city/state/feds gather up every bus they can find (or seize privately owned ones) and transport people out of the city who cannot or will not evacuate?

5. Has Governor Blanco asked Bush to bring home the LA National Guardsmen to work on the relief and rescue effort?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. They can take buses, etc.

That was part of the emergency evacuation order.

[tjdee]

2. YES to 1 and 2. Fill up your tank TONIGHT.

It probably won't do that much good considering, but at least you'll get a headstart. We don't know how bad the prices will rise/gouging will get, but I think it's expected.

on edit, see this thread and the corresponding NYT story:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4485569

Oil refineries and such in the area have stopped work and are evacuated, I believe. The area is very important to our domestic oil production.

[Roland99]

3. No reports of gouging but authorities are taking it VERY seriously

[tjdee]

4. As to 4 and 5, Bush is a jerk.

He shouldn't *need* the governor to *ask* him.

If he was any kind of man/manager/president/anything, he'd call *her* up with a plan to help those people YESTERDAY. He is supposed to be the fucking president.

[Mr.Green93]

5. Could the Crawford Peace House Shuttle Buses

make an evacuation run to NO?

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. This is where a true leader would roll up his sleeves BEFORE

the impending disaster and take positive action to protect those in harms way.

I pray for those souls in the path of this storm.

[Ian David]

7. It doesn't look like south-bound lanes being used for north-bound traffic

Since people shouldn't be headed south anyway, should BOTH sides of the highway be used for evacuation?

The footage on CNN shows the entire southbound highway empty.

[skids]

8. 3) Only if the looters have scuba gear. n/t

[Hokie]

9. Oil and gasoline prices will be affected

Oil:

I am sure production in the gulf has already been shut down. Rigs are probably being damaged as we speak. Also, LOOP (large off shore oil platform) is where a huge part of the super tankers are off loaded.

Refineries:

There are at least 3 major refineries within 50 miles of New Orleans. They will probably lose power or shut down as a precaution. Exxon Baton Rouge is one of the largest refineries in the US at 450,000 bpd. If it is shut down the effect will even be greater. Expect gasoline supplies to take a big hit for several weeks or more.

I predict $70+ crude tomorrow. (Maybe $80 if it is really bad.) Gasoline will definitely hit $3.00 by midweek.

[charlie]

10. Looting might be a problem elsewhere

but Nawlins will likely be underwater. Think of graveyards floating up bodies, sewage reservoirs overflowing. For a while, it won't be a place looters could salvage anything worth having.

[havocmom]

11. Re #5, governors best be following MT Governor Schweitzer's lead and

be proactive about their Guard units. Make noise about deployment of State Guards before catastrophe strikes! Makes them look so much more efficient when they can call b*sh from some FEMA command center set up after a disaster and say "Hey, you stupid bastard, I told ya so! Now, where is my Guard when my population needs them? Fighting your fucking war based on lies so your pals can profit! That's where they are! Well, I will be sure and tell all the voters here about that between now and midterm elections! We're gonna turn out your rubber stamp congress, pal!"

Proactive is best. Leaves more time for rubbing neocon noses in the shit they leave in their wake. The Guard is supposed to be around to help out in emergencies AT HOME! Only sent abroad in events of catastrophic war and the Iraq invasion, based entirely on contrived excuses does not qualify for such deployment, leaving the home court without proper response resources.

Tell the soon-to-be-homeless in the hurricane's path to go to DC and camp out there to make the point about foolish wastes of manpower and resources.

National Guard units should be taking care of local problems. That is their purpose. Governors need to be shouting that from every statehouse in the nation!

[MiniMe]

12. As for Gauging, the LA Governor said at a news conference that

they declared (martial law, state of emergency, I don't remember which) so price gauging is illegal, and they will be watching for it. That sounds like the correct way to handle it. Are you paying attention Georgie Boy??????