The New Gulf War?

Random Thoughts About New Orleans

Why aren't we singing:
The highway's jammed with broken heroes
on a last chance power drive

Lots of unknowns here so I'm going to make a logical assumption:
- if they are taking evacuees by bus to Texas, then the roads from New Orleans to Texas must be passable

News reports say there are 30,000 people they need to move out of New Orleans. A spot check shows a coach bus (Greyhound type) seats 56 people. Lets round that down to 40 people to err on the side of caution. That means 750 buses are needed. A large number of buses but certainly not unobtainable. What if every city within a 12 hour drive of New Orleans sent 5 buses (and two drivers per bus) that would make a huge dent in that magic number of 750.

What if you tried using full size passenger vans? The extended variety seats 15 people. Lets plan on 10 passengers (plus drivers). that would require 3,000 vans. How many churches in a 12 hour radius have a full size van? How many churches without vans would pay for fuel and fill the vans with supplies? I predict within 3 hours after the local news media made a plea for supplies they would be out of room.

In fact those vans could skip Houston and just take the 10 people back to the local church. I bet they could be sheltered with local families.

I'm not there, so I have no idea what can or cannot be done. I do hear people in the crowd blaming the city officials, city officials blaming the state government, and the state government blaming the Feds. Has anyone bothered to go directly to the American people? I remember a time when people strived to be self-sufficient. Neighbors pitched in to help those with a need. Will the government bureaucracies (local, state, and federal) even allow it? If the physically able started to walk out of New Orleans how far would they get before private citizens would form a caravan of cars and pick-ups and mini-vans and U-hauls to give them rides?

I have seen reports that a plea went out for people with boats and people responded, why can't the same request be made for land transportation? Are the railways still functional? I wondered before Katrina hit why they couldn't evacuate people by boxcar. If the railroad tracks are still functional why can't they bus people to the trains? Now one bus could make multiple trips moving people out of the city. I wouldn't want to make a long trip in an boxcar without air conditioning but it has to be better than sitting at the Superdome.

It died with an awful sound
Funky claude was running in and out
Pulling kids out the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
But swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
- "Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple

I watch the video of the rescue boats and how few they can carry. I understand how underwater obstacles make it dangerous to use a normal outboard engine. I don't understand why the airboats cannot tow additional boats. Tie a couple of flat bottom jon boats to the air boat and bring back three to four times the number of people. Get some pontoon boats in there and tow them. Weld 55-gallon steel drums together and make rafts you can tow. Do any of these reporters feel guilty when they ride with rescuers? After all they are taking up a seat that someone could use.

Now, I'm the kind of man that wouldn't harm a mouse
But if I catch somebody breakin' in my house
I've got a twelve gauge shotgun waitin' on the other side
So don't go pushin' me against my will
I don't want to have to fight you but I durn sure will
-"Simple Man" by Charlie Daniels

Maybe this is a Southern thing but until recently it was declared right after (sometimes before) a disaster that "looters will be shot on sight". Seems like that policy should have been implemented immediately in New Orleans. The city has created an impossible dilemma now because there are thousands of people that must "loot" to get basic necessities like food and drink. Had a hardline stand been taken from the start the people in need would be waiting politely (relatively speaking) outside stores for necessities and the authorities would allow them to get it in an orderly fashion. I remember a photo in National Geographic after hurricane Andrew of a grizzled old man pointing an ancient looking revolver at a punk who was trying loot what was left of the old man's rubble. Fear of being shot deters a lot of would-be-looters.

Feed the babies
Who don’t have enough to eat
Shoe the children
With no shoes on their feet
House the people
Livin’ in the street
Oh, oh, there’s a solution
- "Fly Like An Eagle" by Steve Miller

Here is a thought for communities facing a future hurricane: when it is obvious you will be impacted why don't they implement a plan to get perishables from grocery stores? Instead of the food spoiling on the shelves it could be taken to evacuation centers and at least some of it would get used. It should be determined within a few hours after the hurricane passes just how badly the community was damaged. If it looks serious then security teams should be dispatched to the locations with non-perishable food. The local government now has an immediate supply to feed citizens for a few days until the help starts arriving. The experts know it takes a minumum of a few days for help to mobilize, that is why they tell you to keep enough food & water on hand for a week. There I go with that self-sufficient thing again.

Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’
Into the future
- "Fly Like An Eagle" by Steve Miller

Armchair quarterbacks always know what is best. I'm sure I'm no exception. I know that time is running out for many people. If the elements don't get them they will be killed when the masses start to riot. This is a horrible situation, immediate solutions are possible, it just takes a willingness by everyone to allow it to happen.

Hands across the water, heads across the sky,
Hands across the water, heads across the sky.
- "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" by Paul McCartney & Wings

So why does my title refer to this as a war? Because sometimes war is about saving lives. Does anyone remember the "Miracle at Dunkirk" that happened during World War II? In 1940 Nazi Germany had 330,000 Allied troops trapped at Dunkirk, France. The superior firepower of the Nazis kept the British from sending in ships to evacuate the troops. The Allies decided small boats could get through the Nazi defenses. Boatyards were scoured for useable boats and pleas were made to civillians. When it was all over 900 smallcraft had rescued 338,226 soldiers. We should certainly be able to accomplish the same thing with only 30,000 people in need of rescuing. I'd love to see the "Miracle at New Orleans".

where is that place?
where did it go?
whatever happened to that place?
God only knows
that isn't it over there
and this isn't it here
now how did a place that big just disappear?
- from the song "WHERE IS THAT PLACE?" performed by Tonio K., written by Tonio K. & Scott Wilk (c) 1987