the directnic blog - live from new orleans

[basschick]

the most recent update:

"The following is the result of an interview I just conducted via cell phone with a New Orleans citizen stranded at the Convention Center. I don't know what you're hearing in the mainstream media or in the press conferences from the city and state officials, but here is the truth:

"Bigfoot" is a bar manager and DJ on Bourbon Street, and is a local personality and icon in the city. He is a lifelong resident of the city, born and raised. He rode out the storm itself in the Iberville Projects because he knew he would be above any flood waters. Here is his story as told to me moments ago. I took notes while he talked and then I asked some questions:


Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out of the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and waited for the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or Alabama or somewhere else, out of this area.

It's been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear.

Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000 people are packed into and around and outside the convention center still waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no medicine for the last three days, until today, when the National Guard drove over the bridge above them, and tossed out supplies over the side crashing down to the ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed from the drop. Many people tried to catch the supplies to protect them before they hit the ground. Some offered to walk all the way around up the bridge and bring the supplies down, but any attempt to approach the police or national guard resulted in weapons being aimed at them.

There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water and the like -- all of them in dire straights.

Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least one murder and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a freezer in the area, and 2 of these dead people are kids.

The people are so desperate that they're doing anything they can think of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that would show the people are not barbarians.

The buses never stop.

Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to break into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for their families. There was not enough. This spurred many families to break into cars to try to escape the city. There was no police response to the auto thefts until the mob reached the rich area -- Saulet Condos -- once they tried to get cars from there... well then the whole swat teams began showing up with rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and told people to get back.

He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and utter misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific."

He says it's the slowest mandatory evacuation ever, and he wants to know why they were told to go to the Convention Center area in the first place; furthermore, he reports that many of them with cell phones have contacts willing to come rescue them, but people are not being allowed through to pick them up.


I have "Bigfoot"'s phone number and will gladly give it to any city or state official who would like to tell him how everything is under control."

http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/

[SLS]

It all sounds more like The Day After than a localized emergency. I can't believe the way it's being handled.

[Bec]

You want more of what's really happening? -- this guy started blogging about the hurricane from just before it hit ... and has kept at it the whole time since ... he's in a building in the French Quarter. Looting started before the storm hit ... but wait til you get to the part about the police ...

Interdictor

[Slade]

Thanks for posting that Basschick.
I didn't think I could ever feel so sad from an event as I did 9/11
Then came the Day after Christmas Tsunami
Now comes The Gulf Coast

sigh

[basschick]

Bec, that is the directnic guy.

Slade - i know what you mean. i have never felt so affected by any disaster... i hope that finally help gets to the people there.

[SLS]

I'm reading the blog now. In today's latest post, they confirmed smoke from the dome. It was a chemical plant explosion very close by. If those people aren't gotten away from there they will be poisoned by the toxic fumes. I can't get it out of my head, knowing there is a chance that this huge group of people will never get away from that dome. I really, really hope I'm wrong, but it seems like a chemical plant explosion right by 25,000+ people spells extreme danger.

[SLS]

It's confirmed, a chemical plant exploded, and the city is on fire Looks like that "bulldoze" comment was unnecessary, at this rate, there will be nothing left to bulldoze.