Bury Me Broken

My Last Hurricane Blogging then off to bed

The last articles and blogs I am reading on Katrina then off to bed.

• From AP,"Experts Expect Katrina to Turn New Orleans Into Atlantis, Leaving Up to 1 Million Homeless"

  When Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans on Monday, it could turn one of America's most charming cities into a vast cesspool tainted with toxic chemicals, human waste and even coffins released by floodwaters from the city's legendary cemeteries.
  
  Experts have warned for years that the levees and pumps that usually keep New Orleans dry have no chance against a direct hit by a Category 5 storm.That's exactly what Katrina was as it churned toward the city. With top winds of 160 mph and the power to lift sea level by as much as 28 feet above normal, the storm threatened an environmental disaster of biblical proportions, one that could leave more than 1 million people homeless.




• From AP, "New Orleans Flees, Braces, Prays as Monstrous Hurricane Katrina Bears Down"

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A monstrous Hurricane Katrina barreled toward New Orleans on Sunday with 160-mph wind and a threat of a 28-foot storm surge, forcing a mandatory evacuation of the below-sea-level city and prayers for those who remained to face a doomsday scenario.
  
  "Have God on your side, definitely have God on your side," Nancy Noble said as she sat with her puppy and three friends in six lanes of one-way traffic on gridlocked Interstate 10. "It's very frightening."



• From DHinMI at Daily Kos, "Give Money Only, and Give to the Red Cross"

  We had dozens of good diaries on this subject after the tsunami, and Markos and others did frontpage posts on this subject: the best way to help the folks destined to lose everything is to give to the Red Cross, and to give cash.
  
  Unlike the tsunami, there's no question as to what organization is best suited to deal with this catastrophe in this locale: it's the Red Cross. They've already mobilized people from around the country to head to the Gulf region, and they're the best at dispensing aid, assessing needs and getting reconstruction going. They know what they're doing, and while not infalible, they're quite good. There's no need to reinvent the wheel.
  
  And they don't need clothing, or canned goods or anything else. While your impulse to provide such items is admirable, they are experts at logistics, and working with FEMA and whatever other federal and state agencies are involved, they will get what's needed there in bulk much faster. It's actually very expensive for them to deal with contributions that aren't cash.

posted by niteskolar @ 11:46 PM