US Media is PISSING ME OFF

[evangilder]

I was sitting in the cafeteria at lunch catching up on the news watching the media whores flying these helicopters around filming all the poor people that are waving towels, sheets and clothing to flag down the helicopters. Some holding signs that say "Help us!", many with small children. Meanwhile the media whores are just filming this as these people are helpless with no food, drinking water, electricity or sanitation!

The local authorities should commandeer all of these damn helicopters, strip them and use them for rescuing these people, not to sell the fucking news! How many of these people will have to wait more time without food or water because they couldn't get the help that the media could have provided. Jesus, they could even load up with supplies to drop to these people and tell them that help is on the way. Or drop the provisions for those that cannot be picked up and grab as many as you can.

Friggin media.

 

[Erich]

no kidding, was watching FOX, MSNBC and CNN plus the weather channel.

what a bunch of crock.

my opinion but New Orelans will take years to get it up and running again....

and what and whom they are rescuing are going to Texas and....... ? no telling. the outlook for those stuck in New Orelans is really grim and as you said Eric the copters need to haul butt in there. The useage of buses is noble to rescue folk but lets face it what do you do with water at 20 feet high ? also last heard the water is contained at ? level so no more rising or so they say

get those heli's in there asap ! time is short for many

 

[Nonskimmer]

I read that the mayor of New Orleans is fed up with rescue officials. "Too many cooks in the kitchen" he says, slowing everything down and hampering the rescue efforts. What a circus act. Enough with the bullshit already! Real lives are at stake! Get on with it!

 

[evangilder]

Agreed, get as many choppers, boats and hovercraft you can there and get these people out.

 

[The Jagdflieger Pips]

It just seems to show how popular opinion seems to lean in favour of news / entertainment rather than human life. =|

 

[Maestro]

Of corse, those choppers should be commandeered (if that word exist). But I wonder what will happen next... Will they rebuild New-Orleans on it's location or will they move the City ?

I mean, New-Orleans was built under the sea level. I heard on the news that the city was protected by a dam that was built to avoid a lake to come down in the city. The hurricane broke that dam and that's why they got 20 feet of water in the city. It could certainly happen again in that sector famous for its hurricanes.

 

[Nonskimmer]

Either way, they're looking at one mother of a mess. What a damn shame. I really feel for the many thousands who've lost everything.

By the way Maestro, have any Katrina relief funds or anything popped up around where you live? There's one on the go out here, and the response has been outstanding. Volunteer crews have even stepped forward to go down and assist in any way they're needed. This is going to take quite a long time.

 

[evangilder]

FINALLY! A good sign, they are stopping the media flights!

Of course aviation, mostly the rotary kind, is playing a huge role in the aftermath of Katrina. Commercial aircraft along with military, Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard Auxiliary units from all over the Southeast are being deployed to the storm-hit areas and there's no shortage of spectacular rescue coverage from the flock of news choppers also vying for airspace. Although the media flights were permitted initially, the skies got too crowded over New Orleans on Tuesday and Brown said they had to be stopped. She said there have been numerous calls from aviation organizations wondering how they can help. CAP crews are trained for aerial photography and damage assessment as well as helping with search and rescue. The Coast Guard Auxiliary crews are also in the air. "Our Aviators were operational, surveying and taking pictures for the Incident Command Center." said William Crouch, Vice Commodore of the Auxiliary Eighth Coast Guard District Coastal Region. Auxiliary members are not covered by the same laws that enable to National Guard and Reserve units to leave work to report for duty and must ask for time off from their employers to join the effort.

Score one for the GA operators as well!

 

[evangilder]

Tough conditions for pilots in the aftermath...VFR only in most areas!

As aircraft from the military, Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard Auxiliary, not to mention dozens of media helicopters, flocked to disaster scenes in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, the FAA had some disasters of its own to cope with. Katrina did serious damage to numerous FAA installations, leaving controllers with little to work with, and, in some cases, nowhere to work from. "In Gulfport all the navaids were destroyed and the tower is uninhabitable. There was damage to other towers, as well," FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown told AVweb Wednesday. Three major TFRs have been established over New Orleans, the Mississippi and Alabama coasts and in many areas affected by the storm, operations are limited to rescue and relief aircraft for day VFR only. Three major airports were open for public use: Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Lake Charles. Brown said Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans was down to a single runway (01/19) with day VFR operations only and is only being used by relief aircraft. The other runway was flooded. New Orleans Lakefront is flooded and closed. A major radar site was knocked out, wiping out radar coverage below 10,000 feet. Communications sites were also wrecked and there is a limited number of radio frequencies available. Military controllers are helping the FAA maintain separation but, for many aircraft, it's see and be seen. "Portions of the Houston Center area are VFR only," Brown said.

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/459-full.html

 

[Erich]

actually New Orleans was built above sea level orginally but because of dredging and all the inlets the city sunk. NO proper reecourse of city thinking and planning in my firm estimation........the typical it could never happen to us mode..........

it's so sad as countless folk if not already are going to die via disease and the unsanitary conditions, but lets face it there are those who are trying there best to save. Just heard a contingent from my home state are on there way to give aid and consolation where needed.........

guess we wait and see if the rest of the world will give a hand. Canada is already on the move

 

[evangilder]

Search and rescue teams from California have mobilized as well, including swift-water rescue crews. I was reading of dead bodies stacked outside of the superdome with nowhere else to put them. The situation gets more desperate every day. Unfortunately, this confirms for me that this country was far from prepared for a mass casualty event in a large city.

 

[Nonskimmer]

I don't think the major flooding of an entire city was really what authorities were counting on, with so much emphasis on terrorism in the last few years. I think authorities were kind of cold cocked by this one.

 

[Erich]

Eric again it is the mental attitude that it won;t happen to us but to other poor souls all over the world. also the morons with Ak 47 types are shooting at the evac heli's.

Adler were is your gunship man ? ! would love to take out some agression on some of these low-lifes

 

[evangilder]

Yeah, that's messed up, but I can imagine those people, after watching news choppers film them are little pissed off. Unfortunately, desperate people sometimes do drastic things. They definitely need to get that under control and fast, before someone gets killed.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Eric again it is the mental attitude that it won;t happen to us but to other poor souls all over the world. also the morons with Ak 47 types are shooting at the evac heli's.

Adler were is your gunship man ? ! would love to take out some agression on some of these low-lifes

That's what I say - If a relief helicopter is fired on the crew shold back off, get a fix on the hostile fire and bring in the gun ship!

I've been to New Orleans several times, spent time while in the Naval Reserve, with the exception of Burbon Street, in my opinion the whole place is a real sh*t hole, I feel sorry for the folks really in need but at the same time it's starting to show what type of scumbags live in some Amercian cities......

They need to get the same treatment as Iraqi insurgents!

 

[Erich]

hard to imagine that many have such over-warped minds. nothing to gain to shoot evac helis and only so many are up in the air. Selfish to put a halt on ones struggle for life, as Fly said I would agree some nice .50's or 20mms there way would be a swift and just reply

morons

 

[FLYBOYJ]

YUP! - Eric was also correct about the media helicopters. They are all getting fuel somewhere. If I was FEMA (With the help of the National Guard) I would confincate each one as they land and use them for evcuation. The media could film when everone is rescued....

 

[evangilder]

Agreed, as soon as one takes fire, mark the area and unleash the gunships. That should stop that shit pretty darn quick.

I saw some gas stations on the news charging as much as $6.00 per gallon for gas! People that do that should lose their business. The stupid thing for me is that I have waited to fill my tank and now I'm going to give more of my hard earned money to another oilman.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I saw some gas stations on the news charging as much as $6.00 per gallon for gas! People that do that should lose their business. The stupid thing for me is that I have waited to fill my tank and now I'm going to give more of my hard earned money to another oilman.

I paid 2.99 today. Here in Colorado it's running between 2.89 and 3.01

 

[evangilder]

Then I'm screwed. We pay more here because they use a different formula here because of the AQMD