It's time to commandeer Cruise ships and bring them to La, Alabama.

[trumad]

That's right... Tell the cruise companies that we're taking their ships and using them for a National Crisis. If they don't like it, tough shit.

[jsamuel]

1. GREAT IDEA! - nominated

[bribri16]

127. I think I said this in an earlier post but I would opt to pay the cruise

lines. We pay Halliburton for a lot more for a lot less.

[Griffy]

138. I AGREE..good thinking! superdome evacuation plan!!

smaller boats to shuttle them.. then take them to other cities.... we got the resources, now we watch our leadership swing into... oh .. wait.. fuk.. bush is still in charge.... :(

the dead will be in the hundreds...

[Pirate Smile]

2. That is an awesome idea. Nominated.

[Sequoia]

3. What a great idea, spread it around.

[Hobarticus]

4. I think that shallow-draft commercial barges and tugs would be better...

There's probably many already in the area.

[Cleita]

5. There might be a precedent for that if the ships are of American

registry. In WWII cruise ships were commandeered right after Pearl Harbor. They were used for troop transport and floating hospitals. Why not pay the cruise ships for this purpose? Surely, if can spend the gazillions we are spending in Iraq, we can do this for humanitarian reasons.

[rzemanfl]

17. Almost no ships are registered in this country, are they? n/t

[MissMarple]

28. Mostly foreign registry, I believe.

:)

[rucky]

149. Liberia for most of them ...

no nasty regulations there.

[VADem11]

29. Not really

There is one but that is in Hawaii right now. Not good.

[Walt Starr]

30. Not a single Cruise ship operating today is registered out of an American

Port. Not even one.

[Cleita]

36. So pay them. n/t

[VADem11]

37. There are only two US registered ships

Both are in Hawaii. They are both owned by Norweigan cruise lines. Called the Pride of Aloha and the other is the Pride of America.

[Walt Starr]

45. Just did a search. I had almost forgotten that a couple were registered

not long ago.

[Cleita]

34. I think there is a few, but I think a better plan would be to

pay the cruise lines to do this. I guess you could accompany it with a mild threat to revoke their port privileges here in the USA if they don't want to. Seems like cruises might have been suspended anyway because of the hurricane and there might be some empty ships waiting out the storm in ports somewhere.

[leftchick]

84. I think Carnival cruise line is US

along with Disney's cruises.

[Dave Reynolds]

103. US companies,

but foreign registry on their ships.

Foreign registry helps bypass strict (and expensive) safety regulations required of US-flagged vessels.

[Xenotime]

6. Good idea..

They can take them along the coast to pick up people.

[trumad]

11. Plus..they provide comfort.

[Pirate Smile]

21. They have kitchens to feed thousands.

[berner59]

7. what a great idea....

It's like a living city, with medical facilities and all... How do they get all the people there, by big helicopters??

[MissMarple]

23. The medical facilities are quite minimal.

:shrug:

[MADem]

134. With utility boats, then up the acom ladder on the side of the vessel

Helos would be slow as hell and massively costly--you can pack a bunch of people on utility boats or even barges--the ladder isn't fancy, but it is good enough, and sturdy enough on those cruise ships, to get people up to the ship.

The Navy is sending in an amphib with a great deal of hospital capability as well. Should they need more, they ought to break out MERCY or COMFORT and bring them along to augment them.

It would not surprise me if you see Navy taking on a lot of relief efforts--they are actually quite skilled at it, having done PROJECT HANDCLASP stuff for decades. Remember, they played a major role during the tsunami, and did a lot of good.

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. My thoughts exactly. These palaces could house many needy people

This is a national emergency of epic proportions.

[Neshanic]

9. Excellent idea.

[MissMarple]

10. About how many people are homeless from Katrina?

And how many ships would be needed, and where would they all dock?

[Pirate Smile]

That was what I was thinking. Where is the closest working port?

[elehhhhna]

25. Galveston. Tenders would work if anchored offshore, though.

[trumad]

19. Simply drop the anchors in the bay.

[rzemanfl]

12. Plus yachts and pleasure craft large enought to carry a few folks

out. Commandeer RV's for these people to live in.

[fudge stripe cookays]

13. But it seems....

like they would need tugs and barges to carry the people out there. They can't travel in the shallow water, right?

FSC

[SammyWinstonJack]

20. kick nt

[Walt Starr]

14. It won't work. Not a single one of them calls America home

No Cruise ships fly the American flag. Not a single one. They would never have to obey such an order under maritime law.

You'd do better commandeering barges and smaller vessels already in the area.

[nini]

18. exactly.. they're aren't controlled by our govt.

.

[cally]

86. Then use the armed services and

persuade them. Pay them for their service to our country.

[Pirate Smile]

35. You would think it would cost less to rent them temporarily then to

set up tent/trailer cities for ten of thousands with the kitchens and other facilities from scratch.

[tridim]

102. Or commandeering US Navy ships

Lots of room there too, but I'm guessing they're all in the Persian gulf.

[Tesla]

128. Just ONE of those huge airships keeping guard SOMEWHERE

would do the world of good.
They call them cities on water. They even have an airstrip to fly in help and supplies.

[MADem]

139. They can grab some USNS ships

Quite a few were used as troop transports during GW1. They'd be adequate for intermediate term shelter...

[Horse with no Name]

15. What about the ferries?

They have some in Galveston and that isn't far away either.

[Wabbajack]

16. What if they say "no"

We gonna land paratroopers on them?

[jsamuel]

22. is Abramoff gonna say NO? he's already in trouble

[trumad]

26. Uh Huh.

This is a national crisis and if it ruffles the feathers of other countries, too bad.

[Joe the Revelator]

31. Oh my..

you know who else used this kind of logic to get his way?

[trumad]

33. Please.....

We have a national crisis on hand and Lives to save.

[Joe the Revelator]

58. Calling them like I see them

nt

[Alizaryn]

24. Great Idea!

[Joe the Revelator]

27. We want to commandeer privately owned vessels now?

seriously?

[trumad]

32. Yes.

OK...then let's ask them nice.... and tell them it's for humanity.

[MissMarple]

42. What have you been smoking?

:crazy:

[Joe the Revelator]

43. I agree, it would be a valiant effort...but

i doubt these companies would be willing to give up their autonomy to house people.

[leveymg]

39. Yes. That's what has to be done during emergencies.

Then we can ask the US-based oil companies to do their fair share, or face permanent nationalization.

I could go on . . .

[SofaKingLiberal]

If it helps save lives, YES

They should, of course, be compensated.

[Cooley Hurd]

40. Fucking AYE!

There's some events that trump capitalism, and this is ONE of them!

[ScreamingMeemie]

41. Privately owned vessels are already working their asses off trying

to help. Small ones at least.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

46. I Thought We Fought A War Over Just That In The Early Nineteenth Century

nt

[Joe the Revelator]

54. Exactly. nt

[Jersey Devil]

38. Cruise ships fly under foreign registries and do not fly US flags

For tax and other reasons virtually all the cruise ships are registered in foreign countries. To "commandeer" them could be an act of war. We have no legal authority to do it.

[leveymg]

48. Most are owned by US-based multinationals. You want to do

business here, you belly up and make a contribution. Or, you're out and we commandeer your damn floating pleasure palaces, anyway. You can have 'em back after the emergency is over.

[Jersey Devil]

55. Are you suggesting we ignore international law?

I think that is a very bad precedent. Besides, I doubt that cruise ships would be much help anyway. Even the largest cruise ships are not equipped to take on more than about 3,000 people and in NO I understand you may have a few hundred thousand.

The only way to get these people out, imo, is to build a temporary airstrip (Seabees) and fly them out on C-130s

[leveymg]

66. Bad precedent? You wouldn't be saying that if it was your home

and city that just got washed away.

There aren't that many C-130s in the entire Air Force. We need to house 50-100K people, immediately. Where? If there are a couple dozen cruise ships within two days steaming time, they should all be ordered to steer for the nearest usable port.

That's what a real President would do.

[Jersey Devil]

70. What do you do with the passengers on board?

Leave them in Aruba? For Chrissakes, you are talking about piracy. Think of something else a bit more practical.

[leveymg]

91. It's never piracy when it's done by the government. Call it what

you want -- the terms used are eminent domain, federalization, temporary emergency seizure.

The tourists can fly home with a voucher -- we're not talking about making them walk the plank.

[Cleita]

120. And that would be better than 3000 people?

:shrug:

[jmowreader]

121. C-130s are too small

Get some C-17s down there--much more capacity and still capable of working out of an improvised airstrip.

[Ediacara]

44. This is the worst idea I have ever heard

What the fuck do you do with the people already on the ships? How do you move a huge ship with a rather deep draft into shallow debris filled water? Additionally, this could be considered an act of war (against the Bahamas and Liberia) because 99% of cruise ships aren't registered in the U.S.

[jsamuel]

51. 1 - don't drive them over land, 2. find one that is willing to help

maybe a little aid or something

[leveymg]

52. The registration is administrative convenience. They're US

owned, most of them.

[HadItUpToHere]

53. not just the people ON the ships-

but the people who have paid to board them next week.

and of course none of the ships pressed into such service would EVER suffer any vandalism, right...?

[leveymg]

57. You're worried about vandalism? Hundreds of thousands of people

have no homes left and nowhere to get a hot meal. Get your priorities straight.

[Joe the Revelator]

61. Maintaining the right to private ownership...

is a priority of mine. There are other options to exhaust before going down that road.

[leveymg]

67. You wouldn't have done well during World War Two.

[Joe the Revelator]

72. So the loss of rights is ok during times of war..

or national crisis?

What have we been fighting for since 2001?

[leveymg]

100. Some rights trump others. It depends on the circumstances.

That's not communism - that's good old fashioned American Pragmatism.

[HadItUpToHere]

62. pressing privately-owned cruise ships into such service is ludicrous

and would never happen, anyway.

[Cleita]

64. What difference does it make if they are paid to do so?

It shouldn't disrupt anything.

[HadItUpToHere]

68. what about all the people who have reservations for cruises?

and non-refundable airfare?
and all the people who depend on them for their jobs in the port cities like miami or ft.lauderdale?

oh no- shouldn't disrupt anything...:eyes:

[Cleita]

80. Oh I don't think we should interrupt those cruise plans for

humanitarian reasons. :sarcasm:

Boy are you in the wrong place.

[HadItUpToHere]

82. ummmmm...

it's a STUPID idea, and i'm ridiculing it.

[Cleita]

87. Are you calling us stupid?

Ad hominem attacks aren't allowed on DU. Do read the rules.

[HadItUpToHere]

90. no-

i'm calling the idea of somehow pressing foriegn flagged carriers into service to do...exactly WHAT would they(the cruise ships) be doing anyway????

the idea is stupid.

[Joe the Revelator]

69. These companies have a business to run...

and their schedules are normally booked months in advanced. Allowing the government what amounts to imminent domain over privately owned possessions is not the road we want to go down.

[Cleita]

85. Well, if I were President of the USA, I would revoke their

port privileges if they don't cooperate. See how that interrupts their effing business.

How calloused can you be. I don't think the Scandanavians and Dutch Cruise line owners would see it your way as they are flaming socialist liberals.

[Joe the Revelator]

89. It has nothing to do with being callous...

and everything to do with being consistent and rational.

None of us liked when the RW tried to take away right following 9/11 based on the rational that under times of national crisis, some rights must be taken away.

I will not use this tragedy to the same end.

[Cleita]

96. Oh well, then let those people in NO drown or die from disease.

Nothing to see here. *whistling*

[Ediacara]

124. How the hell is parking a cruise ship off the coast going to help?

Does that give rescuers more small boats to actually rescue people with? No. Does it give rescuers more helicopters to actually rescue people with? No.

I agree with the sentiment, rescued people shouldn't be put in the Superdome, but how the hell will this actually help the rescue effort? People should be moved farther inland, not trapped on a ship in much the same situation that people trapped in the Superdome are in.

Additionally, the hurricane has surely moved sediment into dredged channels, and moving any ship anywhere near there runs a significant risk of grounding or sinking it.

[Cleita]

129. You know I have been in ports that had no piers, just a harbor.

We were literally put in a life boat and rowed to and from shore. Nowdays, they do have outboard engines. Lifeboats hold a lot of people.

[leveymg]

98. Happens all the time. Completely legal - SCOTUS just ruled as much

in the New London, CT property case. Sorry, eminent domain is as American as well, the Supreme Court.

[HadItUpToHere]

101. cruise ships have foriegn registry-

scotus decisions mean nothing.

[leveymg]

107. They do if you or your property is inside US territory

By the way, there's an extraterritorial dimension to US law as well.

[HadItUpToHere]

113. the botom line is-

it's a stupid idea.

[leveymg]

115. End of discussion.

[HadItUpToHere]

117. Exactly!

save the discussions for ideas with merit.

[BronxBoy]

130. But didn't SCOTUS

just uphold this very thing?

[leveymg]

71. Not ludicrous. Margaret Thatcher did it with the QEII during the

Falklins War. She was a Free Marketeer, you'd probably like her.

[HadItUpToHere]

76. ummmm...

this ain't the falklands. (falklins?)

that didn't invovle anywhere NEAR this many people and these circumstances.

[leveymg]

83. Maldives, if the distinction is important to you.

You're right, that was a made up war fought primarily for propaganda reasons. This is a real emergency, so the need is even more compelling.

[HadItUpToHere]

88. o. m. f. g....

it seems that the hurricane has washed away a lot of common sense, too...
:eyes:

[leveymg]

92. Okay, what's your proposal to temp house 50-100K, then?

[HadItUpToHere]

97. ummmm...tents maybe?

they seem to have worked just fine elsewhere.

do you honestly believe that 50-100k people would be able to be housed on luxury cruise ships without MASSIVE vandalism and damage taking place? (and that's just for starters- what about getting them on and off the ships? what about food? how long would they be used?...and on and on and on....not ALL ideas are good ones. :eyes:

[leveymg]

104. Now we're talking practical issues.

Why do you assume they'd cause massive vandalism and damage? Because a lot of the NOLA homeless are lower income people, and a lot of them aren't caucasians who own second homes -- in other words, normal paying cruisers?

I'm sure there's a way to get them on and off, and to deliver food and supplies once they're there. We're talking about a month or so until many of them can return to their neighborhoods. I'm sure they won't be swinging from the chandeliers.

[Name removed]

108. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[trumad]

105. Tents in the Summer heat.

Look...this isn't a cure all, this is simply relief. Tent's sure, part of the solution no doubt. This is a combined effort and everybody needs to chip in.... Unless of course you you don't think we need too?

[HadItUpToHere]

112. i don't think cruise ship companies need to-

it's just a dumb, non-thought-out idea to press cruise ships into such service-
what about the economies of the ships home ports? they don't matter? those people should have their jobs taken away?

[BronxBoy]

131. Man I hate to say this....

I know I'm going to get flamed.

But I guess now is the time when we get to see if all of those conspiracy theories about FEMA having massive facilities around the country that can hold thousands of people are true.

Not saying I believe it or anything. But it's the right agency, the right conspircay theory and the right number of people.

Let's see

[Squatch]

146. Bwahahahaha...you're joking, right?

Maldives? Malvinas? Eh, what's the difference? They're all islands...like Panama, Morocco, and Mongolia.

:freak:

[Jersey Devil]

78. British seized a British registered ship

The cruise ships that visit the US are all foreign registered, not US registered. That is the difference. To seize these ships would be piracy.

[leveymg]

94. The registry is irrelevant. Their operating companies are US-based.

Look it up. They're all SEC registered.

[Ediacara]

106. Falklands you mean?

It was (probably) used as a hospital ship in deep water. What the OP was proposing was to use cruise ships (that positively dwarf the QEII btw) as rescue vessels. Stupid and impossible.

[leveymg]

114. No, Maldives, DinoBoy.

The QEII was used as a troop transport to bring British Special Forces units from England to staging areas off the islands near the Argentine coast.

Wasn't designed for it, but the Cunard Line and the ship survived. Same thing happened worldwide with privately-owned ocean liners during WWI and WWII.

I'm not aware that anyone's talking about steering a 900 foot long cruise ship up the Mississippi River. Just anchor the thing, and they'll serve as excellent housing and feeding centers. A place to get a hot meal, a shower, anti-typhoid injection, and a comfortable place to sleep for a limited period.

[Ediacara]

126. I was correcting your spelling

In any case, "just anchoring the thing" would still be a very dangerous prospect, as the hurricane has moved sediments, and it's highly likely that any cruise ship would run aground and possibly be damaged beyond repair.

[Squatch]

145. The Maldives are in the INDIAN OCEAN...which is NOWHERE NEAR

Argentina

:wtf:

[DS1]

119. 2nded

[kbm8795]

47. Cargo ships, anything that can navigate partway up the river

the entire city has to be evacuated. . .except perhaps the looters who, at this point, have no grip on reality. Those jeans and electronics aren't going to do them one damned bit of good in a city without power nor places to go for months.

[Cleita]

59. Freighters usually have big empty holds and not much bunk

or deck space. I don't think they would be very helpful. They really need cruise ships.

[MADem]

135. Leave the ships in deep water, and run liberty boats

Do it like a bus schedule. Most Navy ships don't go pierside unless they need fuel and a shitload of supplies, and then they move to an anchorage and run small craft back and forth. No reason why they could not do that with a pleasure liner.

[HadItUpToHere]

49. Huh?

that don't make NO sense.

[Catherine Vincent]

50. See this:

Port Closures - The ports of New Orleans and Mobile are closed until further assessment of damage is complete. According to CNN, "floodwaters were still rising Tuesday in New Orleans after a hole opened in a levee protecting the city ... in Mobile, Alabama, the storm pushed water from Mobile Bay into downtown." Gulfport, which served as a temporary home to Carnival Conquest in the past, also took a severe beating.

NOTE: Guests parked at the pier in New Orleans will not be able to access their cars until there has a complete assessment of the area. Once all citizens are given the green light to return to the city, more information will be made available via the port's toll-free hotline [phone]).

Itinerary Changes
At this point, Carnival is the only line reporting storm-related changes to upcoming itineraries (Carnival Conquest homeports in New Orleans; Holiday homeports in Mobile). For now, Carnival is swapping New Orleans with Galveston, and Mobile with Tampa for arrivals and departures:

Sensation's September 1 and September 5 voyages will depart from Galveston instead of New Orleans; itineraries remain unchanged. Guests who purchased air transportation from Carnival will receive assistance from the company's air/sea department in changing their flights. For both voyages, guests who opt to sail will receive a $50 per-person shipboard credit, as well as a 50 percent discount good toward a future three- to five-day Carnival cruise; guests who opt to cancel will receive a full refund.
----------

Carnival had two huge cruise ships out of NOLA that has switched to Galveston. One one cruise ship out of Mobile that has diverted to Tampa. I haven't checked the RCCL website, they had ships out of NOLA also. Cruises must go on, I guess.

edit: This was from the Carnival Corp. website.

[HadItUpToHere]

56. yep...the cruises must go on.

any industry that can continue operations is a GOOD thing.

[leveymg]

60. Unless it's assets can be put to a more necessary use.

Same goes for incomes. This is the end of BushCo's permanent tax cuts.

[HadItUpToHere]

63. hmmmmm...

:eyes:

[leveymg]

75. Hmmmm, what?

Are you saying, never commandeer private property, no matter how dire the circumstances and great the need? :eyes: back at you.

[HadItUpToHere]

79. nooo...

i'm saying that it should only be done when it makes sense and is feasible.

this idea fails on both counts.

[Joe the Revelator]

81. I should hope not. nt

[Catchawave]

65. Great idea.....

they did this for the Super Ball in Jax ! heh.

[HadItUpToHere]

74. but how do you decide who gets the POSH cabins?

and what if people don't have formalwear for dinner with the captain ?:shrug:

[leveymg]

77. LOL. We'll let the market decide.

Sorry about the jets of flame beginning to pop out, there.

[Catchawave]

93. You give them to the largest families :)

Don't they deserve a little posh in the wake of losing everything but their lives!

[HadItUpToHere]

99. in a word-

no.

[HereSince1628]

73. I was thinking of naval vessels also ...

They must have some troop carriers that have appropriate if limited facilities.

And there ought to be at least one hospital ship that could be sent there.

I know nothing would arrive for a week, but it seems like this disaster is going to be a couple months

[trumad]

95. Amazing

we some folks here who are concerned that people won't get to go on their cruise. If the cruise company called me and told me that my cruise was canceled because they were using the ship for humanitarian reasons, I'd be cool with that.... But if I wigged out and got angry over it, then I'd be nothing more than a shallow fool.

Apparently they're some shallow fools in this thread.

[Ediacara]

111. *sigh*

Perhaps you should read a little harder.... People are concerned with what to do with the tens of thousands of people already on the ships....

If you think that people concerned with the deliberate sinking of hundreds of ships in an idiotic "rescue" effort is shallow and foolish, so be it.

[kbm8795]

109. Do we have any navy?

Seems like Bush is the one who refused to upgrade the Coast Guard equipment for the next 20 years.

[MADem]

150. There are four amphibs enroute

They can hold a boatload of people, in USMC spartan conditions, mind you. They can make tons of fresh water, they have hospital facilities aboard, they are packed to the gills with supplies, and they have a flight deck full of helos.

You will see Navy heavily involved in this matter.

[lpbk2713]

110. There are several aircraft carriers and other large Navy vessels

in mothballs that could be used for emergency lodging, even if they had to be towed to NO. They have beds and they could add many more. They have galleys and desalinization plants. The have medical facilities on board. The have electric power plants that could share a limited amount of power with emergency services ashore like hospitals and police stations. They are just what would be needed right now.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

116. Bring down some of those riverboats that

offer cruises or gambling on the Mississippi.

[HadItUpToHere]

118. they could even give everybody $10 of free slots play- to get them started

the area relies on the gaming industry for a lotof it's income, and if people aren't playing, there's no money coming in.

[cdsilv]

122. first off - the waters south of NO are pretty shallow ....

...except for the dredged channels (which have probably changed due to the hurricane). Second, we had the 'mothballed' USS Oriskany (carrier) here P'cola being prepped to be a submerged reef - it was too dangerous to even allow tours, and they never did get all the hazardous material out of it. It left P'cola headed west back in July.

The reason some of the Navy ships have be taken out of service is that they have alot of hazardous (asbestos, PCB's etc...) materials in them, not to mention structural or energy problems.

I understand that Barratrea (the part of LA below NO) has largely been reclaimed by the Gulf, but not deeply.

All that said, private and corporate vessels are being used as much as they can (from what I've seen on the tube...).

The COE is talking about 'floating domitories' (basically trailers on barges) as possible temp housing - a good idea, as long as another storm doesn't hit.

It's a real mess. Give to the red cross.

[MADem]

136. Those were popular in Vietnam, basic, but adequate n/t

[nashbridges]

140. uhhh...

Those boats don't exist anymore. N.O. lost all three of theirs, and Mississippi's weren't faring any better. They are built to be little better than a slow moving raft, not a surfboard for a hurricaine surge. Most were destroyed.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

151. But there are boats that are based in St. Louis

that cruise the upper Mississippi.

[Ellipsis]

123. Your not mad at at all.

Brilliant!

[Field Of Dreams]

125. Hospital Ships

The Navy has some hospital ships. Are they deployed elsewhere?

[Greylyn58]

132. This is a great idea

These ships can house people, keep them dry and out of the hot sun. It can feed them and allow them to stay in comfort. FEMA and The Red Cross will have to plunk down tons of money to house and feed the homeless. Why not put them in these floating homes.

As someone pointed out, some of these ship would have been docked during the storm and will have lost money by not cruising. So pay the ships to house the homeless until the waters receed and some of the debree is removed.

These ships could definately serve a great purpose.

[pursuivant]

133. Um, Hurricane season lasts 2 more months . . .

It ends in November. The National Weather Service estimated at least 20 more "named" storms and 3-5 more "major" storms as of August 1.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outlooks/hurricane.html

Now, think about what happened to all those floating casinos in Mississippi (Hint: Capsized and blown onto the shore).

http://www.wlox.com/

Now think real hard about the idea of putting a bunch of refugees on ships moored along the Gulf coast.

Add to that the inconvenient facts that a) virtually none of the ships are U.S. registered, b) a cruise ship isn't designed for long-term occupancy, c) People might not want to live on a boat after surviving a hurricane and flooding.

The proper place for refugees from a hurricane is INLAND. If they can stand to live in a climate that has an actual winter, there are plenty of cities in the Upper Midwest and Northeast that have spare housing capacity. Heck, for that matter, you can get nice beachfront property along the Great Lakes for cheap. Think about it, no wildfires, mudslides, earthquakes, tsunamis or hurricanes. Just snow and (in some places) the occasional tornado.

[MADem]

137. Uh, if a storm is coming, the Captain GETS UNDERWAY

I cannot tell you how many times I have sailed around and ahead of and behind typhoons--it's much safer to get out of the path of the storm than try to ride it out in port, unless you KNOW the storm is mild and the harbor very protected.

So long as your power plant is working, you pull up the anchor, shift colors and get the hell out of there!!!! Scurry out to sea, sail around in a box pattern, when the storm passes, come back in...

[trumad]

141. exactly

[Zen Democrat]

142. I believe Navy ships are on the way from Norfolk.

Hopefully, one of the hospital ships, like the Comfort is available.

[VADem11]

143. They are considering it

I read that FEMA may use cruise ships, tents, and other means to house people.

[Catherine Vincent]

144. I just heard the gov. of LA say this on CNN also.

What I wonder is what cruise ships? These cruiseline owners are all about money, money, money.

[Imalittleteapot]

147. Naval ships are on the way.

Heard it mentioned briefly on either MSNBC or CNN tonight. They did not say what the mission was. No mention of evacuation.

[Captain Hilts]

148. The navy could do something similar. USS Bataan...

could be used as a hospital and staging ground. The navy is thinking of firing up the USS Comfort.

Everyone's going to have to be immunized against typhoid, and, perhaps, cholera.

[nomatrix]

152. Cruise ships are very expensive to operate as opposed to

occupying military bases with infrastructure existing.

Cruises are dependant on personnel to operate them on 24hr shifts, which include taking on fresh water, food in different ports, dumping sewerage etc. Most of the employees are from very poor nations and will work demanding hours, cheap. Anyone spent a long time on one? It's very confining with narrow halls, small rooms, meant to transport people to great destinations and spend money in the casino and bars, which is how they make their money, unless it's Disney who gets it from the passengers and theme parks.

A BRAC military base has everything available to house people and with some imagination could be converted to a permanent city considering they are going to close them anyway. It could give people incentive to have something to look forward too because it looks like NO is longterm cleanup. It could give communities who want to help a chance to make the housing as pleasant as possible by pitching in and welcoming those who are in dire need. They could get their mail, phone services, churches, etc. until a solution could be reached.