Fire at bourbon and Canal at the Foot Locker. no fire trucks around.

[rodeodance]

[rodeodance]

1. cnn. saying it is a big fire

[rodeodance]

2. a police officer notifies a reporter cause no telephone working.

[rodeodance]

3. gosh, what if the French Quaters goes by fire??

[Sabriel]

21. Might not be bad for some people's property

Insurance for fire, yes. Insurance for flood, no.

[rodeodance]

23. um.. suspose you are right.

[daleo]

25. Maybe no accident then

This would be a good example of where the peculiarities of the private sector (insurance rulings re: flood vs fire) cause great harm compared to the government just distributing disaster relief for all those affected. Either way it costs people a lot of money (insurance rates vs taxes) but the public method is more efficient. A disaster like this is too big for the private sector mindset to prevail.

[MildyRules]

4. Don't the cops have radios???

[rodeodance]

6. reporter said the policemen told her to notify someone. he had no one

to call.

[MildyRules]

5. Dupe

[rodeodance]

8. i do not know but the reporter had a telephone that worked and the cop

did not.

[GumboYaYa]

10. You can't call cell phones in the 504 area code

right now. I tried lots and lots last night with no luck. However, cell phones outside the 504 area code seem to be working if they have battery power.

[Rose Siding]

11. Communications are destroyed according to a police chief last night

Either they can't recharge portable units, or the radios were in cars, or underwater, or towers are down. He said it's the biggest problem.

[rodeodance]

19. whow, talk about a breakdown in everything!!

[GumboYaYa]

7. Oh god, those old buildings may go up in flames really fast,

plus they are so close together. Please someone give me some good news.

[rodeodance]

9. the repoeter said black smoke was billowing.

[rodeodance]

12. and these buildings are so close together. yesterday there was a fire

but the house was surrounded by water.

[rodeodance]

13. gowd, there are showing a brush fire now but not know where from.

[rodeodance]

14. drats they blacked it out now!!

[rodeodance]

15. someone from Baton Rouge reporting now. conditions not good there

either.

[rodeodance]

16. drats, i wish Blitz would go back to this fire call on Bourbon STR.!!

[rodeodance]

17. repeating Ray N. saying hundreds (1000's) maybe dead.

[rodeodance]

18. Jeanne Marouse (sp) was reporting.

[blitzen]

20. Baton Rouge is just fine....

we don't have power, but that's no big deal...we're just horrified at what is happening in NO

[rodeodance]

22. they showed a clip of the fire on Boubon Street. still no fire trucks.

[VolcanoJen]

24. The fire dept. is desperately trying to find water to fight the fire

The buildings are very, very close together. The video is riveting.

Firefighters have found some water, they are aiming a hose right now.

[rodeodance]

30. water from the street.

[laureloak]

26. No water pressure.

[rodeodance]

27. cnn just said they have not put out the fire. hoses clogged up.

[rodeodance]

28. I see lots of smoke still coming out of the buildings.

[rodeodance]

29. debris from the street water is clogging the hoses. this is sign of

things to come. these wood buildings will go fast.