Dane reports via e-mail: “CNN has an unconfirmed report of smoke at Bourbon Street and Canal. In other words, Bourbon Street might be on fire.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Nagin is now being widely quoted as saying, “We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water. … Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands.” The BBC has translated this into “‘Thousands dead’ in New Orleans,” and even sent out a breaking-news alert announcing it.
However, after his comments last night about how the attempts to fix the levee breach had been abandoned, I am predisposed to believe that Mayor Nagin tends to talk through his hat and doesn’t necessarily have the facts to back up what he’s saying. The man doesn’t seem to have much of a “filter,” if you will, between his private thoughts and his public statements, and he doesn’t seem to fully grasp that what he says is taken as having a lot of authority, and there’s a lot of responsibility that goes with that. So while what he’s saying about the death toll may very well be true (God forbid), I hardly think his is a definitive estimate.
It’s true, of course, that death tolls in natural disasters tend to rise. But wild early estimates of death tolls, formulated when everything seems utterly bleak and based on guesswork rather than facts, are sometimes wrong. As I recall, the headline of one of the New York papers on September 13, 2001 was “10,000 FEARED DEAD.” So let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Mayor Nagin might be right — I’d even go so far as to say, based on my own guesswork, that he probably is — but I’m not yet convinced that it is pointless to hope and pray he might be wrong.
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Categories: Hurricane Katrina
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August 31st, 2005 at 4:25:54 pm
Loy,
Complete agreement on the mayor. He’s out of his depth, and really should refrain from this kind of wild speculation. After all, those bodies have families who may have evacuated and are awaiting word. Why run the risk of grossly inflating numbers and causing undue emotional distress?
I don’t think he’s very competent.
August 31st, 2005 at 4:26:29 pm
I just saw video phone footage on Wolf Blitzer’s show on cnn from that location. They sounded like it was a Footlocker store.
August 31st, 2005 at 4:29:02 pm
There is a difference between 9/11 and Katrina, though.
In 9/11, we knew how many were in those buildings, and how many people may have been trapped. That’s why we started high.
In New Orleans, we have no idea how many were still there, so we have no place to start from. Though I agree that the mayor is pulling facts out of his butt. He may have seen some bodies, but I doubt thousands in the city. Lets wait and see, and pray that it isn’t as bad as the mayor thinks.
August 31st, 2005 at 4:31:54 pm
that footlocker is right on bourbon and canal, its the same one they keep showing being looted
August 31st, 2005 at 4:32:20 pm
Lets hope that all the bodies are found before they are swept out with the water back into the sea.
August 31st, 2005 at 4:32:46 pm
i gotta get my white on white nike air force ones man!!
August 31st, 2005 at 4:34:19 pm
Just posted on WWLTV’s Katrina Blog:
“3:25 P.M. - Truong: A man said he was carjacked at gunpoint. Other residents of the Uptown-area say they are afraid to leave their homes because of the lack of security.
3:18 P.M. - WWL-TV’s Thanh Truong reports the water from the Lake is rising to meet with the River in Uptown.”
August 31st, 2005 at 4:35:29 pm
JH. the latest I heard was the level of water in the lake and in the city is the same now.
August 31st, 2005 at 4:49:35 pm
I’m just cross-posting from WWL, Mikey. Who knows exactly what time that report came in from T. Truong. I have a feeling things are so confused down there that the truth is somewhere in the middle of whatever everyone is hearing.
August 31st, 2005 at 5:09:30 pm
Yes, Army Corps of Engineers did just say that the level of the lake has
stabalized and water is now flowing out of the city. The Corps says they will continue their work to close the major breech with three bargeloads of rock, the large sand bags and the concrete highway dividers. Once they have it closed, they will work to rebuild and restart the pumps and then reopen the out flow back into the lake, and figure that the city will eventually drain out by gravity and with the aid of the pumps. Once all the pumps are going they estimate that they will be able to remove 1/2 an inch a day from the city.
August 31st, 2005 at 5:18:33 pm
Loy:
Pres. on the air now:
FEMA is working to solve the problem…ace is on the levee situation…FEMA will be moving 5.4 Million MRE’s and 13 million gallons of water to help the refugees…78000+ people in shelters… we are going to help people…lot of work to do…lotta destruction…Texas rocks…crude oil loans to alleviate shortage…nationwide waiver for fuel blends to combat price increases…gas will be expensive going forward…sorry about telling you to buy SUV’s and luxury items the last 5 years…my bad.
Overall, a great job by W. Let’s roll!
August 31st, 2005 at 5:19:59 pm
W continued:
make sure you designate any donations for hurricane relief…otherwise they will be used for something else, like chewing gum…they don’t need chewing gum right now.
August 31st, 2005 at 5:28:18 pm
Gas is only as expensive as you think it is.
August 31st, 2005 at 5:28:21 pm
Mayor Nagin has been working 20+ hour days since Friday. He’s exhausted and sees nothing but death and destruction. He is also touring areas and talking with residents; his citizens are being much less well behaved than New Yorkers were after 9/11.
All in all, Nagin is doing at LEAST as good a job as Rudy did in New York. When you’re tripping over bodies and ignoring cries for help due to a lack of resources, you’re in a much better position to make “wild guesses” than someone who is speculating from afar.
On the other hand, the moron who heads FEMA in La should be fired immediately. His overly optimistic happy talk (”most of N.O. is dry”…”we have only a few dead”…) is on par with the Iraqi Information Minister.
“The people of New Orleans are extremely fortunate to have Mayor Nagin. He is doing an outstanding job.” …. US Senator David Vitter (R), LA
He should know.
August 31st, 2005 at 5:43:55 pm
Coach -
Any donations to the Red Cross, et al. which are *not* earmarked specifically for Gulf Coast disaster relief may end up being used simply for administrative overhead. That is the point of the President’s comment.
There was significant displeasure with the Red Cross after 9/11, because it emerged that much of the donated money for the stricken in New York the Red Cross simply kept in its general fund for its discretionary use, used to buy office equipment, etc., instead of sending to relief efforts.
August 31st, 2005 at 6:05:04 pm
Compare and contrast: Mayor Giuliani; Mayor Nagin.
August 31st, 2005 at 6:08:54 pm
Admiral Halsey:
You are 100% correct. I just report the president’s words. The ambiguity is all his. Still, frivolous chewing gum consumption should not be taken lightly.
August 31st, 2005 at 6:12:59 pm
I agree that Nagin isn’t as level-headed as he should be. Stress of the circumstance is no excuse. This is what he was elected for. He goes back and forth between being artificially rosy to being reactionary and short-tempered. I don’t envy his position. Very few would be able to step up to this level and not make some less than wise comments, but I do wish he’d step back and think about what he’s saying a bit more.
August 31st, 2005 at 7:09:14 pm
This is the exact quote from the President,
“At this stage in the recovery efforts, it’s important for those who want to contribute, to contribute cash. You can contribute cash to a charity of your choice, but make sure you designate that gift for hurricane relief. You can call 1-800-HELPNOW, or you can get on the Red Cross web page, RedCross.org. The Red Cross needs our help. I urge our fellow citizens to contribute.”
Leahy is just a troublemaking idiot.
August 31st, 2005 at 7:14:55 pm
Phil,
Are you serious? Anyone who couldn’t decipher that the post was purely tongue-in-cheek is probably not smart enough to turn on a computer. I’ll take sanctimonious windbags for $200, Alex.
August 31st, 2005 at 7:28:29 pm
I thought Coach’s joke was a good un’ in the surreal style of Father Ted, and not a Bush basher. I, personally, made a harmless, lazy but funny Bush joke earlier…
Bush in Air Force One: “My God! It’s just water as far as the eye can see! Nothing else!”
Aide: “Um, we’re still over the sea, Mr Bush. That’s the city over there.”
Chuckles and then sobering after. Why? Because it’s in the vein of the classic:
Father Dougal: “Wow, Ted! We’re so high up! People look like ants from up here!”
Father Ted: “Those ARE ants Dougal. We’re still on the tarmac.”
See, it’s possible to do such japes without believing in such jokes. Prez Bush is intelligent enough to know what he’s saying.
August 31st, 2005 at 7:42:25 pm
Peter,
You’ve got a fine sense of humor, if I do say so my self. (admires navel).
September 2nd, 2005 at 11:39:12 pm
“Mayor Nagin might be right — I’d even go so far as to say, based on my own guesswork, that he probably is — but I’m not yet convinced that it is pointless to hope and pray he might be wrong.”
What a bunch of blather.