LEVEE ON LAKE PONCHARTRAIN BREACHED

[steve2470]

per cnn tv 17th street road and canal.... Tulane Hospital in danger...having to evac patients......hospitals nearby will have to be evacuated.....water pouring into new orleans from the lake

[Bobbie47]

1. been breached 2 blocks long nt

[doublethink]

5. CNN just reported that . n/t

[Hissyspit]

2. CNN reporting it has been breached. 17th Street levee about two blocks

long. Tulane Hospital spokesperson said police confirmed to her, she told Rick Sanchez.

[fooj]

3. Oh shit!

:cry:

[Kenroy]

4. oh god...

I thought we'd managed to avoid this outcome. This is scary.

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

6. If this is what I just heard about on CNN...

It's in the 17th St. area, and the breach is (edit) 2 blocks in size. They're planning evacs of Charity Hospital and several other facilities in the area. This is truly frightening...

[earth mom]

7. This is horrific!

:cry:

[Roxy66]

8. They have to warn all those people walking around!!!

in the "French Quarter", and Bourbon Street....and so on

[Media_Lies_Daily]

9. Rising faster than one inch every 5 minutes.

[Gemini Cat]

10. OMG! no not that!

this is horrible!
:cry:

[drm604]

11. 2 block breach in Lake Ponchatrain Levee: On CNN now.

I thought the worst was over. :cry:

[CottonBear]

12. 17th St. Canal St Levee has broken-Tulane Hospital surrounded-breaking CNN

Calm woman is decribing rising water (from the lake) is overtaking Tulane and Charity hospitals. CRITICAL. PAtients must be evacuated by air. The levee has broken. The lake is flooding the city.
:scared:

[enigmatic]

13. Shit!

I'm watching CNN now; this is horrible.

[VolcanoJen]

14. Just watched. She said that the water is rising so quickly...

... that it's beyond imagination.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

17. She estimated that the rate of rise was one inch every 5 minutes, and...

....accelerating.

I saw another CNN report that indicated that every street in downtown New Orleans has some level of water from a little to almost 10 feet.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

15. This is scary..nothing like a little insult to injury

I hoep they get everyone out... does this mean they'll have to evacuate the dome?

[enigmatic]

16. I don't even want to think about that

I don't see how it can be done quickly; hopefully it won't reach that point..

[geomon666]

20. I thought the dome was the highest point in the whole city n/t

[CottonBear]

22. This is the worst possible scenario. Nothing can stop the lake now.

Mr. CototnBear's family is in St. Tammany PArrish (Slidell/Lacombe) on the north side of the lake. Total devastation. I-10 twin-span bridges OUT.
Hwy. 90 NO - Gulfport is GONE. Hardly any communication w/ St Tammany.

The lake levels are rising due to rainfall runoff. The disaster is getting worse. This is very, very bad.

[Horse with no Name]

27. Hugsssss Cottonbear

I will keep your family in my prayers.
:hug:

[CottonBear]

35. Thank you. We are so worried. I just hope that they are safe.

We are watching and waiting and trying to call and text message them from GA.
Hopefully, tomorrow there will be news from St. Tammany Parrish. It is cut off from the world right now. NO is under water and the rain runoff is causing more flooding in the city now.

:hug:

[ninkasi]

52. Praying for your family

and all the others who are in danger. This is unbelievable. You must be going out of your mind with worry; I would be. Please keep us posted.

[CottonBear]

78. Thank you. They are stubborn and wouldn't evac & now we wait. n/t

[Media_Lies_Daily]

37. Wishing your family the best...hang in there!

[CottonBear]

42. Thank you and God bless all of us. n/t

[newswolf56]

54. Just read this part of the thread. Prayerful best wishes for your family.

[CottonBear]

80. Thank you. Pray for everyone in AL,MS & LA and their families. n/t

[tedoll78]

18. My god..

I hope the people still in their attics have room for a few more feet of water. :cry:

[southlandshari]

19. No. No. No.

I am watching CNN now - nothing on. Please tell me you are joking, darlin'....

[geomon666]

23. Unfortunately it's no joke

I saw it myself.

[newswolf56]

21. Anyone know what became of the family who tried to ride out the storm...

in a shrimp-boat because they had no where else to go? (Lots of comment about this on several threads last night.)

[CottonBear]

30. They are OK. The woman lost her house (again) but they and child are OK.

I am so worried about my loved ones in Lacombe (no communication with them so far since this am) I am so glad that family is OK.

[pitohui]

189. i cannot figure out how to communicate w. lacombe or w. st. tammany

i suspect they came off much better than slidell & e. st. tammany but there is no cell phone service

try not to worry

we are not used to not being able to communicate in this era, it is scary

[crispini]

31. They were OK.

saw it on MSNBC earlier.

[newswolf56]

38. Thanks to both of you for that info. Glad to hear they made it.

[Technowitch]

24. Folks -- I combined a few threads here, to keep this in one place...

...for the moment anyway. Saw several duplicate topics.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those in the hurricane zone, especially those in imminent danger.

-Technowitch

[maddezmom]

25. thanks

:thumbsup:

[tedoll78]

26. My worry, aside from Tulane..

is with those poor souls trapped in their attics. Do they have room for a few more feet of water?

[Horse with no Name]

28. I don't think you want to know the answer to that question.

:cry:

[newswolf56]

36. My reaction too -- figured a levee was going when CNN reported...

a couple of hours ago the water had started to rise again. I don't know the topography of New Orleans, so can't project how the rising water might spread. Mostly though it's increasingly painful to be so far away and thus unable to help.

[Swamp Rat]

29. FUCK!

[me b zola]

48. Oh, dear Swampy

Your mom is in a hotel, yes? True enough water is rising, but she will have high enough ground. She must be one smart & tough woman if she is your mother. I'm sending more positive energy her way. :grouphug:

Stay with us, we will help you through :grouphug:

[Swamp Rat]

62. thanks... i'm sick

i cant take this. everything is drowning, my dogs... animals in kennels... people in their attics. :cry:

[steve2470]

88. are you going to be ok swampy ? nt

[Swamp Rat]

people in attics and water rising

jesus!

[freeplessinseattle]

155. oh, honey I can't imagine what you are going through

all I can do is send hope and concern

[anarchy1999]

71. Oh there you are and I'm scared to death for youl.

My very best friend lives in Pass Christian and works in Gulf Port. He was born and raised in Metairie and he and his family left for Birmingham yesterday. My heart is breaking. Please tell me you are safe.

Oh damn and damn again. This is not supposed to be happening. NO, NO, NO!!!

[Swamp Rat]

76. I'm in Memphis, looking at the remains of my city on a motel TV.

levee breach at 17th st canal (CNN).... water rising... people in attics, my dogs, animals in kennels... oh god, i cant take this. :cry:

[anarchy1999]

185. Dearest, I am in a panic. I'm so sorry. My eternal optomist friend and

mentor was born and raised in Metarie. I know they all left for Birmingham on Sunday. I can't find them.

I'm so glad you are safe and far away, but jesus, damn. This is what I warned him about.

Love you lots.
S

[pitohui]

188. don't panic, be cool, there is communication issues

you can't find them because cell phone service has been devastated

inland mississippi & alabama were not prepared for a storm of this magnitude

it is not a question of lives lost

it is a question of, right now, ppl can't communicate, no cell phone service, NO ELECTRICITY, no drinking water even far inland Mississippi and Alabama

i could not make calls from birmingham

have faith, yr friend will be ok, he just can't get thru right now

in a funny way, we were spoiled by 9-11 "the cell phone war" because our cell phones have let us down

but if yr friend is in birmingham i just went thru that city & it's fine, cell phone service iffy, but otherwise OK

please don't stress it

[anarchy1999]

192. I'm so sorry, My heart is with you one million times and then some.

MR A is forcing me to bed, I just got a message from my friend. They are all okay but everything is gone.

They are a very well known family in NO, Pass Christian and GulfPort are gone. Hurricane Camille came back and then some.

I'll know more tomorrow.

Thank you all DU'ers for caring.

[anarchy1999]

77. Where is our favorite hurricane correspondent? Where is Anderson?

Baton ROuge? Why isn't he in New Orleans? Cheap, lying, POS and then some!

Hey Anderson, go really get in the eye of a real hurricane, please. I'd love to see your coverage. Asshole.

[tridim]

32. So this lake might be draining into this city?

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=30.124937,-90.102997&spn=0.660112,1.078926&hl=en

Please be a false rumor. Please.

[Roxy66]

33. If it all goes...god help us

[Media_Lies_Daily]

34. No "might"....it is.

[crispini]

39. This is so bad.

Dear God.

[shraby]

41. This will be a disaster of immense proportions.

I think the lady from the hospital accidentally let the cat out of the bag because there have been no reports otherwise about a 2 block breach, just that the levee had been breached. The breach must be getting bigger since it was first reported today.

[Drewskie]

64. ...

The mayor of New Orleans said it was a 1 to 2 block breach as well...

[loudsue]

40. Oh. My. God. This is the worst thing that could have happened.

Where in the hell is our republican GOVERNMENT?? Do any of them ever do any WORK??

What in the hell are they good for?

:kick::kick::kick:

[steve2470]

43. streaming am radio from chicago, hope this will help....

http://wgnradio.com/listen/index.htm

[steve2470]

44. for past 2 hours the water has been rising, completely surrounded by water

the hospital is surrounded. The water has been rising one inch per 5 minutes.

[jsamuel]

45. I don't get it...

CNN reports that the levee broke... NO is flooding... thousands of lives are in immediate danger... and they are talking about this as if it is a minor part of the story...

WTF?

This could be (and please, I am not trying to freak anyone out) the worst disaster on US soil in a very long time or ever in terms of lives in danger.

Why don't they treat this story with the concern those people deserve?

Am I just freaking out? Is it just me? Am I overreacting?

[steve2470]

46. no, that anchor guy is..........not very good to say the least

[Scurrilous]

56. He's a peach!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4503864

[tedoll78]

49. I'm also very annoyed.

At this point, they're coasting on the flooding films they've took earlier this evening. It's driving me up the walls.

[crispini]

51. They probably don't have enough news reports yet to run.

I mean, they ARE idiots, but they are probably filling time waiting for additional reports.

[tridim]

57. It's probably very difficult to get news from the area

It was a miracle the lady in the hospital got a cell connection. I'm kind of freaking out here too, this is so awful that it's hard to process.

[pitohui]

190. yeah i'm with tridim

i'm mad there is no coverage from my parish but initial reports were so bad & so dangerous that it is unrealistic to ask ppl to risk their lives for a news story

we'll find out when we find out

[lvx35]

63. No, its wierd.

They front page says 54 dead, when the interview with the mayor here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4503782&mesg_id=4503782
says that bodies are floating everywhere, and the rescuers are just ignoring them to focus on the living.

[Garbo 2004]

83. 54 known dead in Mississippi so far. LA is another matter. n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

118. CNN has consistently under-reported the severity of the on-site

conditions. They had some videos from experts BEFORE the hurricane struck, describing what would likely happen, and now some of these things ARE happening but CNN is underreporting them.

I'm very afraid of the death toll - this could ultimately rival the 9/11 attacks in fatalities, and like those attacks, with all the confusion it may be a long tme before some deaths are confirmed and some feared dead are located in a safe place.

[lostnfound]

180. I feel EXACTLY the same way. nt

[steve2470]

47. cnn needs a friggin chopper to go check this out nt

[CottonBear]

50. CNN reporting on hospital evac @ 2:58 am EST (1:58 am CST)

They are totally underplaying the danger. In fact, they are not mentioning the levee breech consequences. Is FEMA asking them not to report the actual danger? They continue to shoe the stadium roof. :wtf:

Did anyone see the interview within the last half hour with the man who had just lost his wife in the floodwaters? He was w/ his two boys. He was crying and the reporter was crying. He was totally disraught. He said that their house fell apart and she floated away from his grasp. :cry:

[Horse with no Name]

55. I had to turn the TV off and quit streaming

I'm only getting my news here at DU.
It's too overwhelming.

[justabob]

58. Heart wrenching

That man with the kids..... pushed me over the edge. I sobbed after all day trying to hold it back.

[Not_Giving_Up]

60. I saw that

He said that his house split in half. She asked him his wife's name and his name, and where he was going. He was crying, saying that he has nowhere to go.

[AgadorSparticus]

140. OMG!!! that poor man! my heart is breaking. i can't imagine losing

my SO like that. :cry:

[Qibing Zero]

169. I almost broke down myself, and still am thinking about it

You just feel like taking that videotape (or one of the many many folks in Iraq who have lost loved ones) anytime someone such as bush tries to repeat the same old lies to your face and say 'THIS is reality. You should be ashamed of yourself.'

[geomon666]

53. Pic from CNN feed

[steve2470]

59. come on cnn.......people could be friggin drowning !!! nt

[Crazy Guggenheim]

61. CNN is bullshit! They're not saying anything about anything.

[Swamp Rat]

65. water rising

:cry:

you're right, get this guy off the air and fuck commercial! i need info now!

edgewood... oh god! people in attics!

[CottonBear]

70. They are calling off rescues due to darkness, live power and gas liness.

The reporter said there will probably be hundreds of deaths. They showed a video of a man sitting on his roof barely above the rising waters. :cry:

[Swamp Rat]

74. levee breach

water rising... people in attics. :cry:

[CottonBear]

84. Tragedy. I am so sorry. I know that you love NO so. :hug: n/t

[lostnfound]

181. If it was a MILITARY op, they'd be prepared for operating in darkness

So good at destroying but not at protecting or saving.

These priorities are so anti-human, anti-life, so evil. :grr:

[CottonBear]

75. The NOAA rep, Mike Musher, is saying nothing alarming-on purpose.

My lord. The entire city of NO is submereged in water to some degree.

[Catherine Vincent]

66. This is nerve wrecking. No more updates?

:cry:

[shraby]

68. The interviews they are doing with the people

covering the rescue boats are saying the water keeps rising but don't seem to have a clue why. Apparently they either don't know or have been told not to say anything to avoid panic.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

67. I'm watching a rerun of Tweety's show and it's better than CNN.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

69. I think I'll turn the channel now.

[Maru Kitteh]

72. I never go there....... but is Pox news live or canned right now?

Has anyone checked them for updates?

[steve2470]

73. NO UPDATES YET, looking for some streaming news online nt

[steve2470]

79. FINALLY...AN EYEWITNESS UP IN A FEW MINUTES...nt

[geomon666]

82. It's probably just a replay of the hospital VP.

Hopefully it's a real source though.

[steve2470]

86. you were right...damn nt

[Not_Giving_Up]

87. Yep, it's a rerun interview

He said UPDATE, did he not?

[geomon666]

89. Never listen to slick Rick

He is the sensation master.

[Not_Giving_Up]

91. I'm not usually watching CNN at this hour

This is the first time that I'm aware of him at all. He is a bumbling gooberhead, to put it nicely.

[daleo]

81. I think breaches just keep getting bigger, if there is water behind them

That's the nature of it. If it has been breached in this way, I can't see it stopping until the water levels have equalized.

[ngGale]

85. OMG - a natural disaster of the highest magnitude and...

the NO Guard is in Iraq along with their equipment. FGS - these people need help and there doesn't seem to be enough.:mad: :scared:

[dchill]

90. Breaking news on cnn.com now:

"A levee holding back water sustains a two-block wide breach in New Orleans. Details soon."

[faithnotgreed]

98. finally confirmed

its like a 1970s disaster movie

there are no words right now

[steve2470]

92. hospital was surrounded by 6 feet of water when she initially called nt

[steve2470]

93. army corps of engineers meeting and decision to be made soon nt

[geomon666]

95. quick fingers :) n/t

[geomon666]

94. Army Corps of Engineers will be making a statement in an hour.

Per CNN.

[Swamp Rat]

107. i wish they'd hurry! i need sleep but cant

my mom is in the Quarter and i need to know about the rising water. :cry:

[newswolf56]

96. I get the sense CNN doesn't know what it means...

when a levee goes -- much less understands what happens when a huge lake like Ponchartrain pours into a lower elevation that happens to contain a city. Most video types used science classes to sleep off their hangovers -- or avoided all such classes entirely.

Trying to remember the topographic profile I saw here last night: seems to me the normal lake surface is at sea level, the lowest parts of New Orleans 30 feet below. One of the basic laws of physics is that water seeks its own level. Worst case scenario (based on general principles, memory of the topo chart and not any specific knowledge of N.O.) is that the lake expands into the city and then undercuts the river levees to join with the river, stabilizing the water level but leaving most if not all of the city permanently underwater.

The poster who speculated Homeland Security (FEMA) is trying to suppress the story is probably correct: note how the National Weather Service guy just interviewed on CNN weaseled out of answering all questions about the levee failure. Depending upon the depth to which the lake drains, this could destroy the city, something that would reflect very badly on Bush given (1) his seeming indifference, (2) his slashing of N.O.'s relief and levee-maintenance budgets and (3) severe depletion of the National Guard by Iraq.

Mostly though it's very frustrating to have such incomplete information about the levee.

[crispini]

104. Exactly - they need to have little charts up now

showing elevations in the city -- they need to be talking to engineers -- they need to wake some people up!

I don't think the NOAA guy was being a weasel, FWIW -- he's a weather guy, he doesn't know anything about levees and stuff.

[steve2470]

106. amen, i'd be waking up my boss and ringing the alarm nt

[newswolf56]

120. I thought CNN identified the weather guy as a levee expert, but...

the TV is in the next room -- I can hear it but not see it -- so you may very well be right.

[justabob]

105. You're right

That anchor called the news about the breach "troubling". That's an understatement if I ever heard one.

[dchill]

121. The "dumbing down" of national media...

is now complete. Synchronicity: stupidity, like water, seeks its own level. Personally, I don't think the CNN guy, Rick Sanchez, quite gets it even yet.

BTW, in one of his first "stories" for CNN, this MSNBC recycle voluntarily took a hit from a taser. He found out "that hurts." Olbermann has used that footage a couple of times to good effect...

[Nothing Without Hope]

183. Yes, you've summed it up perfectly. CNN is sounding cheery about

how much better things are than they could have been, and it's such a theme now, it's smelling of active suppression. You put it well:

{i]"The poster who speculated Homeland Security (FEMA) is trying to suppress the story is probably correct: note how the National Weather Service guy just interviewed on CNN weaseled out of answering all questions about the levee failure. Depending upon the depth to which the lake drains, this could destroy the city, something that would reflect very badly on Bush given (1) his seeming indifference, (2) his slashing of N.O.'s relief and levee-maintenance budgets and (3) severe depletion of the National Guard by Iraq. "

[Not_Giving_Up]

97. They have a call in to the Army Corps of Engineers

Expecting an answer within an hour.

[greyl]

99. The levee breach is like the second Tsunami wave.

People thought they'd reached a safe equilibrium, but...

[steve2470]

100. SWAMPRAT....can you get the f out of town again ??? nt

[Lars39]

101. He's in Memphis.

[steve2470]

102. oh thank god nt

[Catherine Vincent]

114. But his mom is still in NOLA holed up in a hotel.

He is very upset right now.:-(

[tedoll78]

103. Before this breach, hope was there for less water pumping time..

but now, I'm expecting an announcement that it'll take weeks, perhaps more than a month. The pumping system is going to be inundated, if it isn't already. New Orleans will be underwater for weeks. I can't believe this. :cry:

[jsamuel]

108. This is why you BUS THE PEOPLE OUT!!!

[steve2470]

109. I wish he would just shut up and do something RELEVANT nt

[crispini]

111. And he has awful hair too!

And he's wearing a fugly tie! Who is this dipshit nimrod?

[steve2470]

113. lol there is another thread which....is not real nice nt

[geomon666]

115. lol

He's the dipshit nimrod from Miami. Somehow me weasled his way into MSNBC and then when they fired his ass he crawled onto CNN.

[steve2470]

116. go here for fun details about nimrod

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4503864

[steve2470]

110. Engineers: is there ANY way of stopping this water ??????? nt

[geomon666]

112. Moses?

:shrug:

[DRoseDARs]

124. Don't try to plug the break, plug the spillway into the lake...

Not an engineer, but the water will eat away at the break fast than it can be dealt with. Closing off the canal at the point where it meets the lake serves to prevent the lake from flowing into the canal and into the streets.

[newswolf56]

141. Not an engineer but have covered several floods and have some science...

background too. Generally when a levee goes, "that's all she wrote" -- how they describe irreparable disaster in Appalachia. Sometimes with a small break it's possible a good cat-skinner can bulldoze it temporarily shut, maybe permanently if the cat-work is instantly backed up by sandbagging: lots of National Guard and civilian volunteers. But a break two blocks long is generally impossible to repair without divine intervention.

The pivotal question -- the question the press should be asking relentlessly and aggressively -- is how the break got two blocks long before anybody started talking about it. Another result of slashed disaster budgets and too many National Guard in Iraq?

[DRoseDARs]

151. Well, like I said: Forget the gap, go for the canal's throat on the lake.

There's no way to compete with a 2-block break that will widen looong before help can arrive. You can only stop MORE water from getting into the canal from the lake in the first place.

[juajen]

156. Put two large ships from the port in the breach

ala the Dutch in WWII when the Nazis breached their dike. Then it should slow down the leak until something permanent can be done. Should have large ships in the port or not too far away.

Honestly, this is the last time I will post this. Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, or something like that. Additionally, make hay while the sun shines; definitely not haste makes waste. The survival of a precious American landmark is at stake.

[DRoseDARs]

165. This isn't a shipping canal, it's a drainage ditch. They wouldn't fit. nt

[Xithras]

178. It depends on the speed of the water.

We had a levee breach here in Northern California last year which thankfully only flooded a few thousand acres of farmland. Like New Orleans, the groundlevel of the dry area was 6-10 feet below the surrounding water level, and the rupture quickly expanded to 150 feet or so in length.

Here's the bad news...they couldn't plug it. The water was rushing in so quickly that it just swept away any repairs they tried to make <i>and</i> they had the advantage of heavy equipment and barges to assist. In the end, they had to wait more than a week for the water levels to equalize, and then plugged the breach. It took several months to pump the water back out afterwards.

[tedoll78]

117. Where are the rest of CNN's reporters?

Did they all quit all of a sudden? Did someone drug them all to sleep?

[steve2470]

119. probably drunk from bourbon street lol nt

[shraby]

139. Just heard they aren't going to evac the hospitals

corp of engineers don't think it's that bad...1 inch every 5 minutes isn't bad. :mad:

Don't they know the corp of engineers have always screwed up about 100% of their projects? Looks like they don't want to break their record.

[jbnow]

163. Isn't that crazy?

Their generator is on the 2nd floor. All of their patients (1,000) are critical and many need ventilators to stay alive. They will have to be flown out from their heliport (?)

The 2nd floor can't be that high and evacuating out 1,000 critical patients by helicopter can't be that fast.

The levee is breached. WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR?

I yelled so they would hear me.

I do not understand.

[crispini]

122. "Whitecaps running down Canal street"

the hospital VP said that and I can't forget it. :scared:

[steve2470]

123. I missed that, wow nt

[Maru Kitteh]

129. Hey Steve, any news on when the ACOE will have that statement?

Any word on any live feeds yet?

[steve2470]

138. no, I haven't heard anything beyond one hour...no live feeds yet nt

[ECH1969]

125. CNN finally updated somewhat

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- As the death toll from Hurricane Katrina reaches at least 56, a levee holding back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain has reportedly sustained a breach two blocks long in the Lakefront area of New Orleans.

The breach has triggered rapidly rising floodwaters in the city's downtown and prompted at least one hospital to evacuate patients by air.

A second hospital is contemplating a similar plan.

"We now are completely surrounded by 6 feet of water, and are about to get on the phone with Federal Emergency Management Agency to start talking about evacuation plans," Caraway said. "The water is rising so fast, I can't even begin to describe how fast it is rising."

She did not know whether any pumps had been turned on to pump the water, but said, "they're not going to be able to compete with Lake Pontchartrain."

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/30/katrina/index.html

[Crazy Guggenheim]

126. 80% of the city is underwater.

[jsamuel]

130. CNN finally reports something we have known for hours and hours

along with the bridge being totally destroyed

called it "Breaking"

[Crazy Guggenheim]

133. Yeah I just got that.

[steve2470]

127. Sanchez is BEHIND US.........geez...this is pathetic nt

[crispini]

131. He's totally pathetic.

we knew about the Twin Span, what, two or three hours ago?

CNN should be ashamed of themselves. This is pitiful.

[geomon666]

134. If it's this bad on CNN

It's terminal everywhere else, because nobody is saying a damn thing. At least CNN is getting it. Better late than never I guess.

[geomon666]

132. lol

I love it but hate it at the same time. He is such a jackass.

[lonestarnot]

128. Oh I am so disturbed by all of this I can't sleep! Up at 1 a.m. washed

dishes, and thought of all that water. Am going to post some pics to take my mind of something I can't help do anything about... I feel so helpless in this mess! So discouraged.:cry:

[steve2470]

135. tulane hospital not going to be evac'ed yet...water not rising that fast

geez........only a foot an hour....la di dah

[Nothing Without Hope]

136. THIS IS WHERE THE NATIONAL GUARD SHOULD BE - THIS should be their

mission: using all possible means to shore up those levees BEFORE they failed and helping the people get out. A few hundred troops are supposed to cover the entire area????

Instead of unarmored cannon fodder for Bush's chosen wars of empire, these troops should be stateside defending our people from death from flooding, building collapse, and all the other horrors of the aftermath, dispensing clean water and food, helping in every way.

THIS should be the mission of the National Guard - but they are off being cannon fodder for an immoral war in Iraq for a President who does not give a flying damn either for the troops or for the desperate people in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and other hurricane-ravaged areas.

Remember, Bush SLASHED the funding for hurricane and disaster relief. No profit in it for him and his corrupt cronies.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4482567
Thread title: Bush has slashed Clinton's Disaster Mitigation Program. (unbelievable)
Posted by barbaraann GD Forum Sun Aug-28-05 12:23 PM

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2042880
Thread title: New Orleans district, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cut by Bush
Posted by usregimechange GD-P Mon Aug-29-05 12:25 AM

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4490119
Thread title: Bush Cut Hurricane, Flood Protection Funding to New Orleans
Posted by Lori Price CLG GD Forum Sun Aug-28-05 09:59 PM

Let the country know about this outrage;

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2042922
Thread title: DU media Blast Bush's cuts to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
sregimechange GD-P Mon Aug-29-05 12:54 AM

[newswolf56]

143. Absolutely. This is another of the outrages that should...

drive the Republicans from office forever.

[Garbo 2004]

152. Olbermann mentioned Bush's funding cuts at the beginning of his show. n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

158. I'm very glad to hear that. Bush is relaxing in comfort and the National

Guard units that should be helping in the hurricane-ravaged areas and saving lives are stuck in his war of choice in Iraq.

No wonder the major media are mostly underreporting the real level of damage - makes Bush look bad, and they can't have that.

[theHandpuppet]

172. This should be distributed to every media outlet

Including newspapers (both American and European), radio and TV stations, etc. A slew of LttE's wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

[steve2470]

137. WAKE UP FUCKING BUSH ! geez....make him suffer too nt

[theHandpuppet]

He'd rather be riding his bike

Or throwing back some Jim Beam at a posh San Diego resort.

Now you know little Chimpy likes to go to bed at ten and hates to have his beauty sleep interrupted. Any man who can sleep like a baby at night having committed the kind of war crimes he has in Iraq isn't going to lose a wink over what's happening to folks victimized by Katrina.

[steve2470]

142. dire situation in no = sanchez seems to get it now nt

[Maru Kitteh]

149. They must have spelled it out for him on a

neon teleprompter.

[steve2470]

150. LOL yeah....used an Etch a Sketch Also :-) nt

[geomon666]

144. 200 ft break in the Levee Confirmed by Fire Dept.

CNN

[steve2470]

145. 200 foot break confirmed by nofd, holy shit nt

[crispini]

146. confirmed by NOFD - 200 ft. break.

[steve2470]

147. is it just me or does this seem like rearranging the deck chairs on the

Titanic ????????

[newswolf56]

148. CNN just reported N.O. fire department confirms levee break.

Fire official says it's 200 feet long.

[newswolf56]

153. New DU thread with useful information:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4504956&mesg_id=4504982

[steve2470]

154. If I was running CNN, I'd be busting my ass to charter a chopper ASAP

otherwise, what the hell, they can just use a boat later on today

:sarcasm: :nuke:

[Drewskie]

157. restricted air

I'm thinking only coast guard choppers can go over the city now. And both the airports are flooded, so they would have to travel some distance to get a chopper.

[steve2470]

160. WDSU had a chopper flying around earlier today

:shrug:

[Nothing Without Hope]

161. The National Guard and its resources should be deployed throughout

the area - THEY have helicopters and other resources that are needed now.

But they're serving as cannon fodder in a meaningless, immoral war of choice on the other side of the world from where they're needed. Thousands of Guards from LA, MS, AL...but only a few hundred are being deployed stateside in the hurricane areas near their homes.

This is deeply wrong on so many levels.

Could massive effort by the Guard have prevented or lessened the impact of the levee breaches? I'm betting they could have.

And 2 of the 7 pumping stations in Jefferson parrish were knocked out when their buildings collapsed on them. Couldn't they have been reinforced and leveed?

Of course, Bush not only stole away the Guard and their resources, he slashed funding for disaster relief and hurricane planning, as Olbermann (bless him!!! :loveya: pointed out:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4482567
Thread title: Bush has slashed Clinton's Disaster Mitigation Program. (unbelievable)
Posted by barbaraann GD Forum Sun Aug-28-05 12:23 PM

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2042880
Thread title: New Orleans district, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cut by Bush
Posted by usregimechange GD-P Mon Aug-29-05 12:25 AM

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4490119
Thread title: Bush Cut Hurricane, Flood Protection Funding to New Orleans
Posted by Lori Price CLG GD Forum Sun Aug-28-05 09:59 PM

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2042922
Thread title: DU media Blast Bush's cuts to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
sregimechange GD-P Mon Aug-29-05 12:54 AM

[steve2470]

159. is this the location of the levee breach ?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

162. Camille again.

[steve2470]

164. maybe this is an answer ?

Officials of the Army Corps of Engineers have contingencies for levee breaches such as the one that happened Monday, but it will take time and effort to get the heavy equipment into place to make the repair. Breach repair is part of the Corps’ planning for recovery from catastrophic storms, but nobody Monday was able to say how long it would take to plug the hole, or how much water would get through it before that happened.

http://www.nola.com/weblogs/print.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/print074994.html

[spuddonna]

166. Dear God! When did this breach happen?

I just decided to check in here before I went to bed... My prayers go out to everyone with family in the path of Katrina and especially the people of NO... This is just heartbreaking...

[steve2470]

167. yesterday morning actually

Times-Picayune


Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Levee breach floods Lakeview, Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City Park
By Doug MacCash
and James O’Byrne
Staff writers

A large section of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new ‘hurricane proof’ Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina’s fiercest winds were well north. The breach sent a churning sea of water coursing across Lakeview and into Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City Park and neighborhoods farther south and east.

http://www.nola.com/weblogs/print.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/print074994.html

[spuddonna]

170. The reason I asked...

was because I had been following the coverage till about 3pm today, and had not heard about it...

[DistressedAmerican]

168. New Updates From CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/30/katrina/index.html

-SNIP-
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin confirmed the breach in a local TV interview. City fire officials said the break was about 200 feet long in the levee surrounding the 17th Street Canal.

"My heart is heavy tonight," Nagin said in the interview on WWL-TV. "I don't have any good news to share.

"The city of New Orleans is in a state of devastation. We probably have 80 percent of our city underwater. With some sections of our city, the water is as deep as 20 feet."

The state Department of Emergency Preparedness said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was holding a meeting on the breach.

[slor]

171. This is a national tragedy...

my prayers go out to the people devastated by the hurricane.

[ohio_liberal]

173. On CNN right now

Largest ambulance service in LA says that federal government will have to provide amphibious vehicles to help get patients out of the hospitals

[mountainvue]

182. Why the hell aren't they there already? n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

184. Because the troops who should be on the scene are fighting Bush's war

of choice and because Bush really doesn't give a damn. The CNN coverage definitely seems to be understating the devastation and the need, I'm guessing to cover Bush's ass. A poster upthread (newswolf56, Reply #96) put it very well:

The poster who speculated Homeland Security (FEMA) is trying to suppress the story is probably correct: note how the National Weather Service guy just interviewed on CNN weaseled out of answering all questions about the levee failure. Depending upon the depth to which the lake drains, this could destroy the city, something that would reflect very badly on Bush given (1) his seeming indifference, (2) his slashing of N.O.'s relief and levee-maintenance budgets and (3) severe depletion of the National Guard by Iraq.

[annabanana]

186. amphibious vehicles in Iraq..

(from a thread from Saturday)

[steve2470]

174. kick nt

[geomon666]

175. Any new info on this?

Had to sleep sometime. :)

[geomon666]

176. WDSU reporting at least 2 breaches now

AP is reporting it also.

[geomon666]

177. screen shot

[Just Me]

179. Oh, dear Lord. The city may become the poisoned well, after all.

The dead are buried close to the surface,...caskets may begin to be unearthed. There are chemical plants, sewage, all kinds of toxic stuff that will now be unleashed.

This is truly horrific! :cry:

[earth mom]

187. Any updates for those of us who don't have cable or satellite?

TIA.

edited to add that from the sounds of the coverage so far, it's all about not making *ie look bad. I saw some news this morning on the local channel and they did NOT mention the levee!

Bastards! Bastards! Bastards! :puke:

[steve2470]

191. go here for the latest information on NOLA

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4517900&mesg_id=4517900