[Jim]

New Orleans' fare has been a topic on ChefTalk time and time again. And given that the unimaginable is about happen, I think it is only appropriate that we all take a moment to keep those folks in our thoughts.


Hang in there, New Orleans and all of the coastal towns who are about to face some serious adversity.

[cape chef]

I echo Jim's sentiments.

I was in the big easy last February and fell in love with New Orleans.

You all are in my thoughts.

[Headless Chicken]

I love the city of N'Orleans.

I pray and hope for the best.

[shroomgirl]

I was there in Feb. also....it'll be rough not only on the city but the surrounding farms. It's hard to fathum what a class 5 hurricane can do...we lived through Daniel 12 years ago, houses blew down, electricity was out for days, kids went without homes for monthes...building repairs took time....it was a major trauma for the little kids.

Our prayers are with you.

[Mezzaluna]

I read on CNN.com that some buildings have collapsed. You know what's happening to the cemeteries, too. This is a disaster happening before our eyes, on a scale with last December's tsunami so far as property destruction is concerned. Thank goodness we have weather satellites, or millions would die.

[panini]

We're next door to Louisiana. NO is a great town. I've done a lot of traveling. One of the things that sticks in my mind is the poor persons of NO seem to be really poor. Some to poor to evacuate. So when all is said and done, please be generous in helping them get back on their feet.
They're all on our prayer list.
Pan

[mudbug]

I'm not sure the hurricane can be compared to the scale December's tsunami. I also highly doubt that casualties would be anywhere near as great as the tsunami even without technology but I guess we'll never really know. Personally, if I had to choose between the two, I'd much prefer to be caught in the hurricane.

New Orleans has skirted the brunt of the storm. You know it's not that bad when 40-50 people are inside a Winn-Dixie looting the store. It's the towns to the east of the hurricane that suffer the most severe effects of the storm, such as Gulf Port, MI, Biloxi, Mobile Alabama, and especially the city of Slidell, LA.

It's difficult to compare the storms for many reasons. Even if you removed all forms of life out of the equation, the destruction of the tsunami would be far greater considering entire communities were literally washed away with an enormous amount of water in a very short period of time resulting in little to no evidence of previous structures. Compare this to structures in the south which may cost more but are better built and a majority will still be standing. High rises are still in tact despite surface damage. The problem with the tsunami was not only the force and volume of the water but the debris collected on it's way including vehicles, houses, and rooftops which exponentially increased damage of all forms. Water levels rise slowly over a long period of time first to rain, then breached levees - wind adds another dimension of destruction. Introduce life back into the equation, The hurricane is slow moving, with inherent warning even without technology. At least you'd have a chance. And yes, it is fortunate this type of weather system has technology that provides for plenty of warning. There will certainly be an enormous amount of destruction, only time will reveal the details.

Godspeed to those involved.

[jenni belle]

The environmental issues that they will have to be dealt with alone after the storm has passed are just so incredibly frightening.

My thoughts and prayers to all whose lives will be changed from this one storm.

[mudbug]

Yes. Most people probably think of Bourbon St by default and it's ironic that it is dry and for the most part, spared from major devestation. At least with the tsunami, the water receded quickl, damage could be assessed and cleanup efforts could get underway quickly. What's worse about the levee

The longer it takes affected areas to dry out, the worse it is in the long run on multiple levels. What is unique is that New Orleans survived the storm itself, it's not surviving the levee breeches, and the water won't drain as it would most anywhere else until power is restored and pumps are in place.

Preservation of life, availability of food & shelter, and estabiishment of communications are first priority. As in any situation like this, it will take time.

For all those interested,

This is the Tuesday, August 30, 2005 edition of the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper in PDF format. It is the only major daily newspaper in New Orleans.

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/katrina/

With the exception of a very few copies printed out of town and trucked in to be handed out to New Orleans residents without any power or Internet access (if they could be reached at all), this edition is being made available ONLY online. This is an extreme rarity in American journalism, and may even be a first for a major daily newspaper in this country.

Though the front page says "50 cents", this paper is being made available free to anyone that wants it. If you live in or near the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, you'll want to read this for its news value and pass on copies to friends and relatives, since they won't be able to get a print edition. If you live outside the area, you may want it for its historical value.

Pages A10 and A11 are missing; it appears that they were never produced. The most likely explanation for this is that they were originally intended to carry full-page advertisements which were never delivered to the newsroom. In any case, every story in this paper is complete; there are no articles that suddenly end with "continued on page A10" or suddenly start with "continued from page A11".

If you're wondering why this newspaper contains a complete entertainment section when it's obvious that they barely were able to put together any news section at all, that's because most papers put their entertainment section together hours or even days in advance of publication, with the exception of a couple of holes left open for "breaking celebrity news".

[panini]

I really don't care about comparisons. I just talked to a couple of buddies there. They say it's real bad. Both of them special forces vets. If they say bad, it's bad. Time to help these people.
We have many groups leaving and have left for the area.
Please pick a group that will funnel most of the funds directly, and give.
panini

[Mezzaluna]

I heard today on NPR that they're evacuating the people at the Superdome to the Astrodome.

Will they really rebuild New Orleans? There's now talk from some quarters that the levees may never be repaired to the point that they could support the city as it was. I don't feel entitled to an opinon on this, but I wonder what others think.

[panini]

Well our voted in politicians approved way more monies for those levees but took it back for the war effort. Might not be fact but came from a reliable source. Have been in touch with about half my friends, can't track down the others. Was told that monies was not the biggest problem but getting volunteers was criticle. Going down this afternoon to volunteer, will let you know.

[amcardon]

Originally Posted by panini

Time to help these people.
We have many groups leaving and have left for the area.
Please pick a group that will funnel most of the funds directly, and give.
panini

So true! We can all sit around and talk about how bad it is, how sorry we are, how are prayers are with the victims, etc. but we have the ability to do so much more! C.S. Lewis said something along the lines that if you are not giving so much to charities that it denies you of some of life's pleasures then you are not giving enough! Let us rally together and show our countrymen how much we care about them! Donate just $20! Have homemade speghetti one night this week instead of a NY strip steak... Watch your news broadcasts and look at what these people are going through. We have the power to help, but it only matters if we use it.

Another way to help is by donating things to help these people rebuild. The poverty rate in New Orleans was almost 35% when this tragedy struck, think of what it is now that so many have lost their homes, all that they have. Starting Sept. 15 an internet site that specializes in a unique form of bartering will have a section dedicated to helping the victims by us donating that old dining room table we have in the storage unit, or those old chairs in the attic, the old dresser we have with nothing in it, etc. to help these people start over. The address to this site is http://www.matchbin.com/katrina

I truly hope we will rise to the occasion and help our fellow Americans in their time of need.

[panini]

Well, back at work to do some paperwork then heading down to the shelter our city has set up for refugees. Don't know what to expect, 100? 1000?. I spoke with one family that lost their mother, and don't know the whereabouts of two sisters. There homes are gone, they have the clothes on their backs, and no future. They will probably not go back.
I just hopethis story does not vanish from the media for it's going to be a very long time before things start to righten.
Monies is what needed. I had no idea of the sources the red cross has for acquiring things in bulk. If someone brings a shirt,toy,etc. to us, how do you distribute to some and not the others. This is why the dollars go further.
I hope all those at CT will do their part. It's not only money, we will need to find jobs for all these people for them to get a new start. If you have a job opening that need to be filled, please contact your red cross, they might even be able to relocate some of these people.
Panini

[shroomgirl]

the front page of our local paper brought it home alittle more.....kids have no schools I cannot imagine the influx of kids into BR school system when we lived there the resources where stretched to the hilt, colleges have been abandoned (I went to St. Mary's Dominican on St. Charles, across the street from Tulane), people that had left their homes expected to go back....it's been estimated that it will take months before people can get back...disease, mold/mildew....N.O> is hot and muggy....I can't fathum what the flooding will do to compound it. All of the glorious houses that line St. Charles Ave. The French Qtr with all it's quirky shops/restaurants...oh man all of the great restaurants (what's going to happen with those that have no flood insurance, and most don't). Susan Spicer, John Besh, Paul Prudhomme, even Emeril.....I can't imagine the court system with it 's records....or the zoo, or the aquarium on the riverfront, or
any of the museums....the coast's shellfish/shrimp/fish....I've not read anything about the plantations on River Rd, 300 years old....
there's even talk of not rebuilding the city, hard to imagine.