Not Okay at all

For those that feel like it's time for us to "get over it" and "move on",
read what's STILL going on , complements of Cliff.

Still Not Okay

Coming up on two years post Katrina. A lot of people think everything back to being "hunky dory" down here (a phrase my from my Mother's generation). If it's not on Nightly News, it's forgotten.

The diverse group of bloggers living in New Orleans are doing a fantastic job of keeping the city on the radar, covering all aspects of their hell on earth, from runaway crime to national opinions of our local politicians and "working women "; from our undying love for the Saints to the evil, money grubbing bastardly judges who give the city a black eye ; from the state of necessary and unnecessary housing demolitions in the city to the camraderie that Katrina created among those talented people, the NOLA bloggers are truely awe inspiring.
One NOLA blogger, who writes in a style that makes you see, smell and hear his visions writes about life in Debrisville in late July 2007.

On this side of the lake, I'm beginning to construct a chronicle of what we that live here view as progress.
Here in the Bayou Liberty area, we are seeing positive progress


as well as negative progress

the construction of an I10 interchange, two years late

The depressing sight of people still living in those FEMA trailers

Debris trucks are still an every day sight SOMEWHERE in our daily commutes

In the Bayou Liberty Marina, new boat slips are being constructed.

Nope, things won't be "Okay" for a long time. To all of you who've been down here, working on helping please know that we will always be appreciative.

We love living here. We pay the price of our love.

New Orleans Levee

If you're looking for something irreverent that'll make you laugh at the state of this state, check out The New Orleans Levee
magazine.

An excerpt:

Jesus happy Louisiana's recovery complete
A joking and jovial Jesus Christ, choosing The New Orleans Levee newspaper for his first interview since the crucifixion, said issues such as courthouse religion, lame-duck politics, and other make it to him that Louisiana has, in less than two years, rebounded “beyond pre-Katrina levels.”
,

National Geographic

The most recent National Geographic online feature covers New Orleans .

With a wonderful photo gallery, a Bob Bea interview, an interactive graphic peek at the troubled rebuilt floodwalls and more, it's worth the look.

Swampwoman corrects this article on her blog the editor chose to describe this article in the front of the magazine and made a critical error stating that the flooding of New Orleans was caused by the Mississippi River. This is incorrect, the flooding came from the north, from Lake Pontchartrain as a result of the storm surge that flowed through the Rigolets and the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.

Taken from the "did you know" section of the article:

Failing levees, sinking ground, rising sea level, development on drained marsh areas, saltwater intrusion—must be New Orleans, right? Unfortunately, New Orleans is not the only part of the United States that fits this bill. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a source of drinking water for about two out of every three Californians, and has been an agricultural hub ever since settlers moving West following the Gold Rush drained the wetlands and threw up dikes. More than a thousand miles (1,600 kilometers) of levees protect 700,000 acres (280,000 hectares) of land, and some areas have dropped as much as 15 to 20 feet (five to six meters) below sea level due to the natural oxidation of marsh soils after they are drained. The levees have failed 162 times in their history, and there was a major break in 2004. To compound this serious situation, the population behind the levees is rising as developers build more and more homes in the low-lying floodplains. Where New Orleans' flood defenses are at the mercy of hurricanes, the doomsday scenario for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is an earthquake that could cause serious breaches in the levee system, allowing seawater to flood homes and farmland and foul freshwater supplies.

—Heidi Schultz




Hat Tip to Humidhaney

Vidication

Take that, Foti.

Almost a year to the day since he decided to pursue murder charges against a doctor and two nurses, a grand jury of eight women and two men refused to indict on any count, ending the criminal probe into alleged homicides during Katrina.




Retire, Chuck. You're done. Take Eddie with ya.

Hurricane Tips

Received via email.
You MUST have a sense of humor in life to get by.


To: Former Gulf Coast Residents
Current Gulf Coast Residents
Future Gulf Coast Residents; and/or
Those who know a Gulf Coast Resident

We have just entered the 6-month hurricane season. Any day now, you're going to turn on the TV and see a weather person pointing to some radar blob out in the Gulf of Mexico and making two basic meteorological points:
(1) There is no need to panic.
(2) We could all be killed.

Yes, hurricane season is an exciting time to live along the Gulf Coast.

If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one."

Based on our experiences, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan:

STEP 1. Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days.

STEP 2. Put these supplies into your car.

STEP 3. Drive to Nebraska and remain there until Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this sensible plan.
Most people will foolishly stay here in Gulf Coast area.

So we'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items:

HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE: If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements:

(1) It is reasonably well-built, and
(2) It is located in Nebraska.

Unfortunately, if your home is located along the Gulf Coast, or any other area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place.

So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss.

Since Hurricane Katrina, I have had an estimated 27 different home-insurance companies. This week, I'm covered by the Bob and Big Stan Insurance Company, under a policy which states that, in addition to my premium, Bob and Big Stan are entitled, on demand, to my kidneys.

SHUTTERS: Your house should have hurricane shutters on all the windows, all the doors, and -- if it's a major hurricane -- all the toilets. There are several types of shutters, with advantages and disadvantages. Plywood shutters: The advantage is that, because you make them yourself, they're cheap. The disadvantage is that, because you make them yourself, they will fall off. Sheet-metal shutters: The advantage is that these work well, once you get them all up. The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will be December. Roll-down shutters: The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and will definitely protect your house. The disadvantage is that you will have to sell your house to pay for them.

HURRICANE PROOF WINDOWS: These are the newest wrinkle in hurricane protection: They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand hurricane winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so. He lives in Nebraska.

HURRICANE PROOF YOUR PROPERTY: As the hurricane approaches, check your yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture, visiting relatives, etc. You should, as a precaution, throw these items into your swimming pool (if you don't have a swimming pool, you should have one built immediately). Otherwise, the hurricane winds will turn these objects into deadly missiles.

EVACUATION ROUTE: If you live in a low-lying area, you should have an evacuation route planned out. (To determine whether you live in a low-lying area, look at your driver's license; if it says "Galveston, New Orleans, Houston, or any other location close to the coast, you live in a low-lying area.) The purpose of having an evacuation route is to avoid being trapped in your home when a major storm hits. Instead, you will be trapped in a gigantic traffic jam several miles from your home, along with two hundred thousand other evacuees. So, as a bonus, you will not be lonely.

HURRICANE SUPPLIES: If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies. Do not buy them now! Hurricane tradition requires that you wait until the last possible minute, then go to the supermarket and get into vicious fights with strangers over who gets the last can of SPAM. In addition to food and water, you will need the following supplies: 23 flashlights. At least $167 worth of batteries that turn out, when the power goes out, to be the wrong size for the flashlights.

BLEACH: (No, I don't know what the bleach is for. NOBODY knows what the bleach is for. But it's traditional, so GET some!)

A 55-gallon drum of underarm deodorant.

A big knife that you can strap to your leg. (This will be useless in a hurricane, but it looks cool.)

A large quantity of raw chicken, to placate the alligators. (Ask anybody who went through Hurricane Andrew in Florida; after the hurricane, there WILL be irate alligators.)

$35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the hurricane passes, you can buy a generator from a man with no discernible teeth.

Of course these are just basic precautions. As the hurricane draws near, it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning on your television and watching TV reporters in rain slickers standing right next to the ocean and tell you over and over how vitally important it is for everybody to stay away from the ocean.

Good luck and remember: it's great living in paradise! Those of you who aren't here yet you should come. Really!

Good place to hide

The Katrina Foundation for Recovery is hoping to shock people into turning their attention back to the storm-ravaged region.


“Bin Laden would be smart to hide where the U.S. pays the least attention -- New Orleans,” reads one of five advertisements prepared for the nonprofit, which raises money to supply clothing, shelter and other services in the area.



found at adblog

Things back to "normal" yet?

For all of the folks out there who wonder if things in this area are "finally back to normal" after almost two years post Katrina, Tim has offered up a very good answer.

Read it and become educated.

A Banner Week

Perhaps it's the mid summer blues or something, but seems like the scuzzbuckets are crawling out of the woodwork.
Found over at
The Chicory, it appears that some corn fed sportswriter is voicing his opinion about the rebuilding of New Orleans and his overall opinion of its denizens.

Mr. Sportswriter Bryce Lambley

Varg's retorts are great, but it's Mr. Lambley's comments like this that make me a tad pissed off

But let's put things into perspective. If you or I are crazy enough to build much more than a ramshackle cabin on a Platte River island or shore, and a flood sweeps it away, folks here won't have much sympathy for our decision to build there in the first place. We take the risks of developing such land knowingly.


All I can say is that I'm glad I live here in Southeast Louisiana where people have heart. I can't imagine living in a place where it's so cold it makes one heartless.

I hope one day a deer gets you, Mr. Sportswriter.

PERPETUAL SCUZZBUCKETS

the hits just keep on coming…..
From ABC news, another example of FEMA's total insanity, ice that was meant for the aftermath of Katrina is now going to be melted because it can't be used:

After a slow start, FEMA trucked in more than 200 million pounds -- way too much, as it turned out.
Stuck with the unused ice, FEMA put it back on trucks and sent it to storage centers all over the country -- even to far away Portland, Maine -- and paid storage costs, hoping to use it in a future disaster.
Now, two years later, FEMA has decided it may be contaminated, and will finally dump it.
We're talking big ice here -- 85 million pounds. How many gin and tonics could you ice with that? And how many people could you cool off who are pretty steamed about the waste?
On Sunday in New Orleans, Lauren Michele Fields told ABC News, "The ice story, it's infuriating but completely believable and obvious that it happened."

It's been $12.5 million to store this ice for two years, said Beth Normile, "and I think people will be outraged and frustrated."


I experienced the aftermath of Katrina in Slidell, Louisiana. We did not see ice for almost a week. It took that
long to get it shipped to the local Wal-Mart, where they were giving it away. For weeks ice was being rationed out to people. It was
a precious commodity. To see this as yet another example of the gross negligence of the federal agency is beyond disgusting.

On another front, the former head of FEMA, James Lee Witt found a way to jump into the "screw the victims" bloodbath
by charging the state of Louisiana double the cost for subcontractor services.

from MSNBC dot com
Blanco hired Witt Associates to help Louisiana’s stricken communities work through federal red tape and to help manage storm debris removal. The governor’s move was praised as a necessary step to getting the overwhelmed state on the road to recovery.
But the state’s open-ended no-bid contract with Witt Associates also raised concerns about the financial implications of privatizing disaster relief.
In an October 2005 New York Times article, Witt was clearly sensitive to the notion that he might prosper from the Katrina disaster. “I just don’t want anyone to say that we used this as a way to profit or to try to get new business,” he said. “I just don’t want that.”
And during a taped forum at the National Press Club the following month, Witt said emphatically, “I’m not charging Louisiana anything if I’m not doing something for Louisiana.”
Nevertheless, according to information obtained by NBC News through public records, internal documents and interviews, Witt’s company has made millions of dollars from sizable markups on work performed by its subcontractors

here is a copy of a timesheet
showing markups by Witt's company for services performed by RMI debris monitors
"RMI paid one worker $18 an hour. Records show that RMI then billed Witt Associates about $50 an hour. Witt Associates subsequently billed the state $100 for that same hour of work.
"

Again from MSNBC, Witt's organization blatantly falsified timesheets

“Every week, four to five times a week, I would write, you know, ‘very slow’ or ‘nothing going on,’ ” he recalls.

Yet, he says, his supervisor told him to report 11.5-hour workdays anyway.
“I was told by the supervisor that we had to do that or they would get somebody else to do it,”

There's much more in the article. I'm too disgusted to go on.

home sweet home

Just got back from a road trip that took us through
click pictures for full-sized versions























Why does my home state insist on putting a freaking turkey
on the welcome sign?






And back again. It was great seeing family, the ocean


and mountains,


but - despite everything - it's good to be home down here in Southeast Louisiana again.