I’ve been relatively out of the loop this week and have just now been catching up (newsmap) on how bad things are down in Louisiana. It’s an unmitigated disaster out there. I just contributed some money via Amazon’s Red Cross donation page. Hopefully it’ll do some good.
- Boing Boing: Uncensored audio of NOLA mayor interview – this is a must listen. Straight poop about the chaos resulting from lack of infrastructure, preparation, communication (local mirror)
- I’ve been down on them lately, but today’s Left, Right & Center (RA) is quite worthwhile and brings up a whole bunch of interesing points on how this got to where we are
- Baghdad, Louisiana – the description of the situation at the Superdome almost defies belief:
Dead people around the edges of the building, two babies dehydrated and died….No water, no ice, no c-rations for four days, it’s unbelievable…what I saw there I’ve never seen in this country.
- Reuters: World stunned as US struggles with Katrina
- Washington Post: Planning, Response Are Faulted
“This is a national disgrace. FEMA has been here three days, yet there is no command and control,” Ebbert told the Associated Press as he watched refugees evacuate the Superdome yesterday. “We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami victims, but we can’t bail out the city of New Orleans. We have got a mayor who has been pushing and asking, but we’re not getting supplies.”
- Washington Monthly: IDEOLOGY AND REAL LIFE – also, some choice quotes where reality apparently still apparently has no hold
- CNN: The big disconnect on New Orleans