THEY ARE SENDING EMERGENCY SUPPLIES BY BOAT INSTEAD OF BY PLANE.

[barbaraann]

Can someone please explain this to me? I could get food and water to the area faster by UPS than this.

ON EDIT - THEY CAN FLY SUPPLIES INTO THE OPEN AIRPORTS THAT ARE NEAREST TO THE DISASTER AREAS AND THEN TRUCK THEM FROM THERE. I REALIZE THAT THE AIRPORTS IN THE DISASTER AREAS ARE CLOSED BUT THERE ARE NUMEROUS AIRPORTS CLOSE TO THE DISASTER AREAS THAT ARE OPEN.

I'M SURE THERE'S A WEBSITE SOMEWHERE THAT LISTS AIRPORTS AND I AM CERTAIN THAT THERE ARE AIRPORTS THAN CAN GET SUPPLIES QUICKER THAN BY BOAT.

[Mass]

1. Are the airports and the roads open?

[tedzbear]

4. NO International is now open for emergency relief flights...

But the only gov't flight I've heard of is a C-5A flying in from California (?).

[xultar]

11. I heard that there were C430's filled with relief and ready to go when

the runway was open.

[barbaraann]

14. THEY COULD GO TO A NEARBY AIRPORT.

n/t

[xultar]

24. What nearby airport??? MS, LA, AL are all down. Baton Rouge

is having issues too. Lack of power. I'm not sure if they are even up yet. It is a REGIONAL disaster, not localized.

LA, MS, AL, FL, and GA were affected.

[barbaraann]

27. Baton Rouge is open and fully operational.

n/t

[xultar]

30. Kewl then they can fly in to there and drive it over. That does take

time. What you suggest may already be in motion.

[xultar]

2. The NOLA runway can't be used, flooded and has debris. The ships

have hospital facilities. Can't get from the airport into town easily due to flooding.

[Tin Man]

5. yes, at some point (now?) NOLA runway will be covered by floodwater

[xultar]

8. I heard on the news that it was flooded and filled with debris. they are

working to clear and inspect it now.

There are no terminal operations due to lack of electricity.

[Stewie]

3. There's only one runway

Louis Armstrong Airport only has one runway, and considering that the city's fucking flooded a boat is the logical choice.

I'm getting sick of these asshats who read the Internet all day and think they know what's going on better than the people actually dealing with the situation. I'm from hurricane country, I've been to New Orleans for years and considering what happened things could have been a lot worse.

[crispini]

7. "things could have been a lot worse."

Um. Welcome to DU. But did you notice that they're evacuating the entire city, which is about to be 15 feet under water? Bad enough if you ask me.

[PunkPop]

21. Really? How? Sounds pretty damn bad right now.

I think she's speaking of getting supplies TO New Orleans from places pretty far away. Not necessarily from right outside the flooded areas into the flooded areas.

If you're so sick of asshats reading the internet all day maybe you should take a break from the internet yourself.

[seemslikeadream]

6. My family got generators and pumps down there from Illinois

in a day, they've all gone and my son is on his way back home.

[crispini]

9. THANK YOU!

your son rocks!

[barbaraann]

10. It's called logistics and it's not rocket science.

and THANK YOU.

[xultar]

15. Easier to bring a couple of things than it is 2 bring an entire hospital

planes filled with water cleaning and filtering capabilities and food to feed thousands.

The runway just opened today.

Come on.

Instead of typing hop in your car and drive over and help out.

I am joining the red cross and going down soon.

It is a lot easier to armchair it than it is to realize the magnitude of the situation.

[barbaraann]

19. I cannot go. Don't you dare attack me for not going.

I have volunteered for disasters and many other things but I cannot go now for Katrina.

[xultar]

22. I'm not attacking you. I'm just being realistic. I was complaining

yesterday myself until I sat back and realized the magnitude of the situation.

They need an entire infrastructure. There isn't anyplace to build it cuz everything is under water.

They can't just drop stuff from the sky. There aren't enough people on the ground to manage the relief effort.

The key is to get hospitals, water purification, food and an evac plan. You can't just drop that from the sky.

[barbaraann]

25. They have to take desperate measures. There is no choice.

And that is because THERE WAS NO PLAN. THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION DESTROYED THE PLAN AND FEMA. Please read the posts about this.

[xultar]

28. I think you can blame NOLA and LA for part of the lack of plan issue.

Unfortunately NOLA is a Democratic city.

They didn't plan for the poor or sick. There wasn't even the dialysis services and diabetic medication they promised in the superdome. The basics weren't even prepared for. I don't think they believed this was the big one.

I agree that Bush and Fema played a role but corruption and politics in NOLA did play a role as well.

I lived in NOLA. In Bywater close to lower 9th ward. So my heart is broken. Those are my people, friends and family down there.
Hell I left my 2 cats with my EX. I don't know if my pets are a live.
So, take my posts from the point of view as a resident. Not an outsider.

[barbaraann]

33. Please read throught the relevant threads.

Here's one

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x151655

[xultar]

35. I've already read them. You forget. I lived it. I've been to council

meetings in NOLA. I know about the lack of $$ for increasing the height of the levee. I know about the lack of funding the canal down in the lower 9th ward.

What are you informing me of where I lived and Bush's impact to it.

I still have family and friends there. You think I don't know. WTF?

I even considered running for office in NOLA until I was almost killed in a vietnamese restaurant during a vietnamese gang shooting and decided to get the HELL OUT.

What you're going to inform me of my community?

[barbaraann]

40. Let's stop arguing.

I believe that something more can be done if the will is there and you don't. Let's leave it at that.

[xultar]

44. Where in my statements did I say more couldn't be done. Don't lie

about my posts.

You think things are black and white. They aren't so black and white right now. Every action has a reaction and you need to consider that when making decisions.

You think I don't want my family and friends to be ok. You think I want this to happen to them.

I need to think of their safety when it comes down to the efforts the relief workers make.

If you can't understand complex situations and the implications of the actions in those situations it isn't my fault.

[seemslikeadream]

38. And read this one also

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4519574



I guess I'll tell my son our family didn't do enough :shrug:

[SoCalDem]

12. Water water everywhere

S.T.Coleridge

[TheDebbieDee]

13. I don't understand why they don't drop pallets of water

and foodstuffs by parachute from planes and helicopters. To me, it would seem to be the quickest way to get supplies into the area in this situation.

After all, this method was used to get supplies into Berlin during the blockade in the 60s.

[barbaraann]

16. excellent idea.

I haven't heard of one pallet being dropped.

[spuddonna]

17. Yeah, that's what my hubby and I were saying last night...

They could be dropping supplies around the Superdome - they're running out of water. Same for some of the outlying shelters...

[Mass]

20. Around the superdrome is water....

What dont you get here? 80 % of LA is underwater at this point. So they would drop supplies in contaminated water.

[barbaraann]

23. This is a desperate situation and anything that can be done

will be a desperate measure. What don't you get about that?

[xultar]

26. Hey at least they care even though they can't get the scope of the

problem.

[Mass]

56. You're right they care, this is already good.

I am sorry for your family. I hope there are safe.

[TheDebbieDee]

29. The items would be packaged to be air-tight and the

pallets would float on the water. Officials would only need to partially "beach" the pallets on dry ground and then unload them.

Also, they could pack decontamination kits or cleaning kits on each pallet.

[xultar]

31. Right. There aren't enough people in the city to provide for basic

safety or to bring those on roofs over.

There aren't enough people.

They are using all the Helicopters for rescue. They need more and it is coming.

[barbaraann]

34. Logistics is not rocket science.

My father served in Logistics in the Military. It is not an exact science but it is a possible science. IF WE CAN PUT A MAN ON THE MOON, WE CAN PUT FOOD AND WATER INTO NEW ORLEANS.

[TheDebbieDee]

37. Negative attitudes like that are part of the problem.......

Instead of thinking of reasons why they shouldn't do something, think of ways that they could do something!

Don't mean to be Pollyanna, but a situation like this requires people to think outside the box, not be limited to the box!

[xultar]

46. WTF I have friends and family down there. I have more @ stake

than you do in this situation.

I have real hopefully alive people to be concerned about.

I don't want the relief efforts to cause loss of life. I don't want my relatives to get killed in a crush of people trying to all get acccess to a pallet of relief cuz there aren't enough police or guard to manage the process.

I love people with nothing at stake. They always talk the loudest.

If it were your family and friends I think you'd be concerned about things like that.

[TheDebbieDee]

48. Shooting down ideas to help and being prepared to find

reasons why something won't work doesn't do anybody any good!

I'm through with this thread - moving on!

[Mass]

55. Being negative on everything that is done on the ground is not helping

either.

Currently, what NO needs is that people are being evacuated ASAP, and, thanks god, their governor is working on that.

Writing ideas in a DU thread is not helping anybody.

[TheDebbieDee]

60. THWY, Mass.....This is a forum for the exchange

of thoughts and ideas. How do you know that someone in the afflicted area isn't reading this site and taking some of the ideas to heart?

Maybe you should find something more productive to do with your time then waste time working on hard feelings with me on DU?

[spuddonna]

36. I'm sorry, I misspoke... I meant INSIDE the Superdome...

You could use a helicopter to even drop pallets or boxes high up into the stands, if the inside floor of the stadium has filled.

The same could be done for these outlying shelters... Many are not flooded, but have no access to water or food.

[xultar]

18. There's no way to manage it. Imagine looters @ a drop off.

IT would be war!

The point is there aren't enough people, police, troops etc.

[TheDebbieDee]

32. They could easily limit the areas that pallets would be

dropped into - small areas where aid officials be able to snag the pallets quickly and tow them to distribution points.

[xultar]

42. Yup and take them a way from the hospitals and other locations that

are being attacked and where people are being robbed @ gun point.

There aren't enough people. That is the issue.

[TheDebbieDee]

45. Every idea we've had to get...................

food and water into the area has been pooh-poohed.

Well, I say we should just throw up our hands.....and do nothing to save the people of NO.

[xultar]

47. No, there are considerations. What about complex situations don't

you get.

It isn't your family and friends down there fighting for their lives.

OR is it. YOu ever live in NOLA. You got people down there?

[TheDebbieDee]

50. I understand that you're under duress but your attitude

leaves a lot to be desired. I don't have family or friends in NO but I don't have know someone who lives there to come up with ideas.

Have you ever considered the New Orleaners may be too close to the forest to see the trees? Maybe your family ties and sentimental memories are affecting your thought processes. Anyway, I've had my say and now I'm done with this thread!

Anyway, good luck!

[spuddonna]

39. There are about 150 NG at the Superdome...

That would be a good coordination center to start from...

[xultar]

43. Yup and pull the troops from keeping the peace @ the dome for a few

hours to mange unpacking which they could be overun by the 15 to 20 thousand people.

Those guys would get torn up.

[spuddonna]

49. Actually, I wasn't suggesting they leave at all...

There are at least 2 large holes in the roof of the dome... 15ft x 4ft approx. size

Why couldn't they drop the supplies through these holes into the 'dome? My dad was a warehouseman. I remember seeing them bundle stuff for the military into 3ft x 3ft blocks for supply drops via helipcopter.

From my understanding, there is nothing blocking these holes. People in the stadium said that they could look straight up and see light.

[Mass]

58. And hopefully, very soon, they will be busy helping evacuating the people

in the superdome.

[CottonBear]

41. BREAKING NEWS: Airport to allow humanitarian flights

Airport to allow humanitarian flights

Wednesday 11:10 a.m.

KENNER (AP) - The New Orleans International Airport has reopened
to allow humanitarian flights in and out, officials said Wednesday.

The flights at Louis Armstrong International Airport will take place only during daylight hours. The airport gave no indication of when commercial flights might resume.

Officials said the airport has no significant airfield damage and had
no standing water in aircraft movement areas. The airport sustained
damage to its roofs, hangars and fencing, officials said.

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08.html#075161

[barbaraann]

51. There is NO EXCUSE for not flying relief supplies in instead of

shipping them by boat. NONE.

[xultar]

52. The boats are HOSPITALS!!!!! They have WATER TREATMENT facilities

[xultar]

53. They can't FLY a hopital in with 120 beds.

[xultar]

54. They can't FLY in a WATER TREATMENT PLANT that can do

millions of gallons a day.

[barbaraann]

57. Please read this:

Pallets of bottled water, food, medical supplies, tents and water purifiers were being loaded throughout the night aboard the Navy ships. It will take up to four days for them to reach the areas off Louisiana and Mississippi where the need is greatest, Harris said.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=91450&ran=88200&tref=po

[Mass]

59. And read that as well. I dont know if they are also flying planes

but the ships are useful.

"The amphibious ships are bringing a variety of landing craft and amphibious vehicles to reach shore. They also are prepared to treat injured aboard ship, or inland where tents will be set up for medical personnel.

"We will do search and rescue, I am sure, and provide water, whatever we can," Harris said".