NYT/AP: 'Caveman' Conditions in TX Follow Rita (after 4 days, no relief)

[DeepModem Mom]

'Caveman' Conditions in Texas Follow Rita
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 27, 2005
Filed at 6:30 p.m. ET


PORT ARTHUR, Texas (AP) -- Nearly four days after Hurricane Rita hit, many of the storm's sweltering victims along the Texas Gulf Coast were still waiting for electricity, gasoline, water and other relief Tuesday, prompting one top emergency official to complain that people are ''living like cavemen.''

In the hard-hit refinery towns of Port Arthur and Beaumont, crews struggled to cross debris-clogged streets to deliver generators and water to people stranded by Rita. They predicted it could be a month before power is restored, and said water and sewer systems could not function until more generators arrived.

Red tape was also blamed for the delays.

Port Arthur Mayor Oscar Ortiz, whose own home was destroyed by fire after the hurricane, said ''we've had 101 promises'' for aid, ''but it's all bureaucracy.'' He and other officials gathered at a hotel-turned-command center, where a dirty American flag found among hurricane debris was hung on the wall.

John Owens, emergency management coordinator and deputy police chief in the town of 57,000, said pleas for state and federal relief were met with requests for paperwork....


http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Rita.html

[NMDemDist2]

1. geez what a mess! n/t

[oneighty]

2. Well Brown did

suggest that people should not be expecting five gallons of gas for free. And that is just for starters. The Browns of the world should not be bringing their hatred of less fortunate people to their work.

180

[UpInArms]

3. all they're going to get are more photo-op moments

did they really expect it was going to be different?

[Roland99]

4. Red Tape for 2 Red States

[Skink]

5. Meanwhile temps continue to soar over 100..

[Karenina]

14. Are the truckloads of ice

still in MAINE? :eyes:

[demo dutch]

7. You think they'll continue to be "red"?

[Roland99]

13. Well, with a lot of Dems out of LA. for a long time....who knows.

[Bridget Burke]

22. Those parts of the states aren't fully Red

(Not that ANY part of the country is Pure Red or Pure Blue.)

And they will be getting less Red....

[msongs]

6. all they really need is brand new BIBLES :-) nt

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. Can't be, bush was just there. He is taking care of those people

he said so.

[Kool Kitty]

9. You may have something there.

What if the plan is just to send Bush to talk to the people that need help? It's probably cheaper to send him down there to wear his sweat-stained blue shirt, mouth phony platitudes, promise much and deliver almost nothing, than to actually send supplies.

[chalky]

10. Damn that Nagin! Oh, wait....

n/t

[strategery blunder]

11. But, but, I thought Governor Perry was on top of it...

:sarcasm::eyes:

[illuminaughty]

17. I think his citizens are going to be on top of him before this is over

My family near Lufkin says..Well, my nephew-in-law said it was "hotter than a French whore's titty". They turned a welding machine into a generator, but it is for the basics only.

My brother is in Oberlin, LA in a camper with seven people (two under the age of three) No clue for either state when they will have power again. Pretty hellish.

[MarsThe Cat]

12. on ABC world news, they showed PLENTY of generators on the ground-

but they couldn't run them because there was no fuel.

whatta clusterfuck...and did i see a new tropical wave forming in the carribean...?

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/tropical/?from=footer

A tropical wave in the Caribbean became more organized on Tuesday. Residents of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands may have to deal with bouts of heavy rain shortly. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft may be dispatched to check out the disturbance on Wednesday.

[Delphinus]

15. Sounds like what Nagin and Broussard were

saying when Katrina hit New Orleans. "We've had 101 promises" ... but nothing comes.

[Bridget Burke]

16. We are having a heatwave down here.

Houston's June was hot & the driest on record. Rains began in July (with the usual minor flooding). Clouds & occasional showers continued through July & August, with temperatures in the low to mid 90's. That's rather mild for the Gulf Coast. Since early September, the highs have been almost 100 degrees. And let's not talk about the humidity.

Facing this heat with no AC makes people really grouchy. Dealing with destruction seems that much harder. Poor Bush, he climbs down from air conditioned Air Force 1 & sweats a bit. Then he hops back on & leaves everyone to swelter.

[DrZeeLit]

18. Here we go again.... Wonder where those darn photo ops went, huh? n/t

[AlGore-08.com]

19. On a serious note, the article says they may be without power 1 month

Which means 1 month without refrigeration for food and medicine.

The CA state disaster preparedness guide asks "Can you go it alone for three days?"

http://www.oes.ca.gov/Operational/OESHome.nsf/PDF/Emergency%20Information%20Current/$file/Checklist.pdf

So how long should we all plan to "go it alone" now?

[bluedog]

20. where to find the quote

when bush was governor he said something like....Texas will take care of Texas.we don't want the federal gov to tell us what to do.I heard this again this morning on C-Span...and need to know where this quote came from................anyone?............

[AuntieM1957]

21. Adding Insult to Injury

Houston and Galveston Counties, who normally would rush to the aid of Orange County (Beaumont & Port Arthur), are resource-drained by Katrina.

The money spent to house those NOLA/Mississippi survivors came from OUR emergency funds - not FEMA or the state.

Citizens who are inclined to donate time and money are worn out from Katrina.

So the one thing they should have been able to count on - their NEIGHBORS - is just plain old tuckered out.

I know I am.

The only thing I feel right now is tired.