Isabel Damage Overwhelms Cleanup Crews

[barbaraann]

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Waiting lines lengthened and frustration mounted Saturday along the broad swath of flooding and wind damage left by Hurricane Isabel as people realized that it could be days before they could savor air conditioning, a warm bath or even a hot cup of coffee.
...
Next door at Silk Road, owner Lokman Balaban spread imported Turkish rugs along the cobblestones of Anne Street to dry.

"I've seen disasters," said Balaban, a Kurd from northern Iraq who opened his shop five years ago. I just returned from Iraq where I helped the U.S. military as a translator. We were helping people over there, I never dreamt I'd have a disaster over here."

Link: http://apnews.myway.com//article/20030920/D7TMAP880.html

How long before the media states the obvious: Americans are left without necessary government services while money and personnel are poured into Iraq to enrich Bush's buddies.

[ant]

1. oh, my god, the horror!

No AC?! No warm baths?! Not even a hot cup of coffee?!

How do Americans do it? Such brave souls... :eyes:

[Don_G]

4. Lets Not Forget Our Fellow DUers'

That we haven't heard from and who are probably staring at the black screen of death.

[The Zanti Regent]

2. Well, how is CBN headquarters????

Sure hope that Pat Robertson had a lot of damage and the insurers stiff him!

[barbaraann]

6. Dave Ross (Seattle radio host) was actually ridiculing Pat

for telling the hurricane to "turn away." He noted that Pat also called on God to remove the liberal Supreme Court justices.

I think Pat Robertson has lost it.

[Don_G]

3. It's Going To Take A While

I've been through two similar experiences on a much smaller scale (city-wide tornados and a massive sewer explosion) working for my local telephone company.

The power companies need to clean up a little before they can start replacing the power lines and make arrangements to ship cable, transformers, parts and supplies and personnel in a damaged infrastructure.

The National Guard would be a big help in clearing the area and the power companies have already called for help from other companies and contractors nationwide.

They will probably jury-rig a lot just to get the service up and running but have to go back and bring everything up to spec over the next 3-5 years.

[alfredo]

5. Remember, a good percentage of the national guard is in Iraq.

Many of the young firefighters, doctors, and policemen are there too.

[Don_G]

8. I Know

The public service professionals like the police, emergency medical technicians and firefighters that are left are working a lot of overtime as it is. Its going to be hard on the rest trying to fill in given the extent of this disaster.

[bandy]

7. Started to read this

but stopped to call my Aunt in Glen Allen, VA (north Richmond). Tried all day and finally got thru. Everything OK there - lites just came on and so did phone (finally). Talked to cousin from another part of Richmond - said he never saw anything like it. So many trees uprooted and such damage. What a relief. Could've been us hit at catagory 5. Glad that didn't happen cause we would have been in lots worse shape here in so. Fla. Cause Jeb would have handled it like he handles everything else (haw haw).