Prayers for all in Hurricane Katrina's path

[Rie Rie]

I am Laura'sBabies daughter, just wanted to let everyone know that didn't see it on the cat general side, we are all fine, no major damage. My brother has mom's other cats and they are all fine.
We are about 50 miles from New Orleans, and I can say it got pretty darn scarey here. When my husband boards up the windows, I know it's going to be serious. New Orleans is totally devastated and it will be months, maybe years before get back to any sort of normalcy. My uncle, mom's baby brother lives in N.O. and we've not heard anything from him. All we know is that his wife and two kids left out early Mon. morning and we don't even know where they are. It's hard for me to watch the news and hold back the tears for all those people that have lost everything.
It's not only N.O., you can go to CNN.com and see some photos of Miss., Alabama, it's bad everywhere that was in Katrina's path.
Just please pray that my uncle will get out, he had to stay because he is a cop there. Thank you all for thinking of us. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!!

[petslover]

I am glad you checked in with us and I'm glad that you are okay.

[catland]

Originally posted by slick
I will be making a donation to my local Red Cross.....and hope that it makes a difference.

My heart aches for these people and what they have to face in the coming months.

Vickie - Before I had even read this, I did the same. I was sitting here at my desk - outside is a beautiful late summer day, and was unable to fathom what it would be like if I had to pack up and not be able to go home (if there even was one) for months.

Feeling hopelessly useless and feeling the need to do something, I looked up the Red Cross and made a donation.

Its so wierd - population wise, New Orleans is almost identical to Portland and the surrounding area. I cannot fathom what it would be like for this entire area to have to pack up and leave.

My prayers are with everyone suffering from Katrina.

[anna_66]

It just seems to keep getting worse. I watched a little of 20/20 and there was one poor lady on the bridge with her dead husband laying beside her...oh god I can't even imagine.
Lord please be with these people in their time of need.

[PJ's Mom]

If anyone is interested here is a link to see pictures taken by the Civil Air Patrol. It certainly drives home the magnitude of this.

[RICHARD]

THere is no way on the planet that the US government could possible plan and save all the people in dire straight at this moment,


The first rule of survival is-


Plan to be on your own for up to four days.

If you cannot, then you are on your own.


That is the first and only rule whem you have to deal with a natural disaster.

Even tho people were 'caught off guard" they have lived in a hurricane zone.

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let's just so what we have to right now,
The dead, starving and sranded won't benefit from finger pointing,
there's plenty oif time later on.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

The second rule of survival is:
If you are told to get out ..... DO IT!! IF AT ALL POSSIBLE!!!

Strange that they can get supplies and help to other countries faster than we can to our own people! We need to do some serious rethinking about our foreign aid. As much as we want to help the world, we need to help our people first.

[Killearn Kitties]

So glad to hear that you are OK Rie Rie. I'm keeping your Uncle and his family in my thoughts. Please let us know when you hear anything.

[popcornbird]

Does anyone else think it is STUPID that when the government ordered evacuations, they left it completely on the citizens to get out themselves? Obviously, many were unable to get out. They knew for DAYS before that this hurricane was strengthening, and where it was going to hit, and that it would be very severe. If they were so sincere about their people, they would've sent planes/helicopters/buses from EVERY single state to get EVERY single human being and every single innocent life OUT of there ahead of time. It should've been a ghost town before the storm arrived, and there WAS enough time. There WAS. People should have been forced to leave whether they wanted to, or not. Yet they all had to leave in their own cars. With the traffic, gas problems, and financial problems for some, not everyone was able to make it out. WHY couldn't the government have taken everyone out of there days before? I know its probably easier said than done, but I'm SURE they could have done much better. Those who could leave were fine leaving on their own, but there should've been extra help from the government for those who were disabled, poor, on financially/physically unable to leave the area. It is all so scary. Seems like God is really angry.

We ALL need to help these people. ALL of us.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Originally posted by popcornbird
Does anyone else think it is STUPID that when the government ordered evacuations, they left it completely on the citizens to get out themselves? Obviously, many were unable to get out. They knew for DAYS before that this hurricane was strengthening, and where it was going to hit, and that it would be very severe. If they were so sincere about their people, they would've sent planes/helicopters/buses from EVERY single state to get EVERY single human being and every single innocent life OUT of there ahead of time. It should've been a ghost town before the storm arrived, and there WAS enough time. There WAS. People should have been forced to leave whether they wanted to, or not. Yet they all had to leave in their own cars. With the traffic, gas problems, and financial problems for some, not everyone was able to make it out. WHY couldn't the government have taken everyone out of there days before? I know its probably easier said than done, but I'm SURE they could have done much better. Those who could leave were fine leaving on their own, but there should've been extra help from the government for those who were disabled, poor, on financially/physically unable to leave the area. It is all so scary. Seems like God is really angry.

We ALL need to help these people. ALL of us.

You would think that in the "disaster planning" that the homeland security has ordered the states to do, that each city would be ordered to have a plan to get people out in a crisis situation if they couldn't get themselves out.

I know in our town, you are on your own transportation wise. We have one senior citizen bus that can hold maybe 10. Unless school buses were used. Since our town is becoming a retirement town, it's something that needs considering.

Another thing: DON'T WE ALL FEEL SO SORRY FOR THE CONGRESS PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY MAY HAVE TO END THEIR AUGUST VACATION A FEW DAYS EARLY AND GET THEIR BEHINDS BACK TO DC TO HELP WITH THIS CRISES?

[Kfamr]

Originally posted by PJ's Mom
If anyone is interested here is a link to see pictures taken by the Civil Air Patrol. It certainly drives home the magnitude of this.

I've been really upset about this for days but these pictures really hit me hard. I wish there was some way I could go up there and help all of those innocent people. My co-worker was saying something about his brother is up there helping out, and he sees bodies of humans and animals floating around.

This is a nightmare and it happened so quickly.

[popcornbird]

Okay, I just watched several videos on MSNBC of the people stuck in the convention center in New Orleans. I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face. The look in their eyes, the cries for help, the babies. My gosh. We all need to get together and help them. Really, we do. Its our duty as human beings, as Americans, as citizens of this country, to help those in need. Those people need us NOW, and we HAVE TO get to them somehow. We HAVE TO. Oh gosh...this is just tearing me apart. God, please help those people. Please.

[ParNone]

For the last couple of days, I've been feeling like Houston was the only city, that understood the seriousness of this situation. From day 1, we've been opening up shelters, providing supplies, putting together telethons and food drives. What was organized for the Astrodome in less then 24 hours was amazing. Today I heard San Antonio was putting together something to take in 25000 refugees too. Where's the rest of the cities? Why has the federal govt been dragging their feet? This situation is of 9/11 type portions. It needs the same type of response.

Par...

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Our housing authority here in town has room for 7 families and they are offering those, I hear. Also, several people from out town volunteered with the Red Cross and are leaving today to go help out. Our Walmart was taking donations too and I put some in that.

There's just so much need!

[ParNone]

Just heard Dallas is going to take in 25,000 refugees. Yeah Dallas!

Astrodome filled up, so Houston making available more shelters. Reliant Center and George R. Brown Convention Center to be used. Info pulled from a Houston Chronicle Article:

"The City of Houston and this region will use its capacity to care for tens of thousands of families," the mayor said. "We will be making assessments daily of our community capacity. We do need other cities to be accepting busloads of people.''

Reliant Center can take 11,000 people, the mayor said.

"We want this exhibition hall open right now," the mayor said. "If it entails someone suing us, then OK.," the mayor said. "Then (they can) explain to the American public why.''

Buses today are not being turned away from the Astrodome, and there are still people onsite waiting to be processed. About 1,750 refugees who arrived on about 35 buses early this morning were initially told they would be turned away.

White said he's concerned about getting the people into a safe and comfortable situation where they can live with dignity. The city is searching local stores and other sources for cots, blankets and other supplies to house the evacuees.

Volunteers who pull into the parking lot to deliver supplies -- such as soap, towels and other items for personal hygiene -- are being mobbed by small crowds of evacuees.
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Rucker said because of limited mail delivery in some ZIP codes in Louisiana, mail that cannot be delivered there has been diverted to Houston and will be processed, sorted and held here until addresses in those ZIP codes are available for service.

On the Dome floor this morning, areas that previously had been used for clothing lines and other organizational purposes were cleared away for more cots. Breakfast was being served, with evacuees eating grits, waffles and sausage.
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Also outside Reliant Arena the, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was checking in animals.

One of the animals checked in was a five-year-old golden retriever mix named Precious. She and her owner swam for two days to escape the flooding. She was being loaded into a carrier that will be taken to the SPCA, which has taken in 300-400 animals onsite.

"You can tell these past events have started taking a toll. Some people have realized they may not be able to care for them (the pets). That's the sad part,'' said Jim Boller, director of shelter and field services for the SPCA.

Most of the animals show signs of stress and dehydration.
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Dr. Douglas Hamilton of the Baylor College of Medicine said some people have died on the buses en route, and many are very ill. He said he has treated people with with renal failure, bipolar disorder, psychosis and congestive heart failure.

"They all need medication, and they did not have it with them," Hamilton said.

"Many people might think there are enough people here and there are not. We just need help. It's the kind of help doctors know how to give and we need it right now,'' said Dr. Steven Glorsky of Houston. "We have a crisis in there.''

Glorsky said doctors inside were having trouble keeping up the pace with the number of people coming through who need treatment. He said he had treated heart attacks, open wounds and people who shouldn't have been released from hospital care in New Orleans.

A medical team with the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center is providing services around the clock to Hurricane Katrina victims arriving at Ellington Field.

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"As people were coming and supplies were coming and the cots were being laid out, we realized we could accommodate fewer than we earlier thought," said Liese Hutchison, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross said late Thursday.

Organizers said they wanted to prevent a repeat of the conditions at the Superdome.

"We're not going to take people from one miserable situation in New Orleans and put them in another one here," McDuell said.

Tired, distraught passengers got off the buses Thursday night and shouted angrily as police officers told them they could not stay.

"We've got sick people in here and this is how you treat us!" said Angel Alegria. "Welcome to Houston! I hope a hurricane comes to Houston!"


Par...