Idiot Son to Gulf Coasters: Mi Karma Es Su Karma

[Stinky The Clown]

Even when they know its coming. Even when they jump the gun to get 'er done early. Even when they have a new FEMA head. Even when they actually speak to the fucking weather service and hurricane center. Even with all this, they still can't get 'er right.

Tonight, the roads leading from the evacuation areas are so jammed they're now saying that some people may never reach a destination or safe harbor. Tonight a spokesman for the state of Tixis on MSNBC was saying how much better off people will be in their cars hunkered down in 80 mph winds than they'd be on Galveston Island.

And some of these people were directed to go east ... toward where? Well ..... uh ..... Loozeyanna. Right where the storm has always been seen to have at least a chance of striking.

So there you have it. More of the karma of George Bush.

He may be an idiot son, but at least he's our idiot son.

There are parts of the world where the people would never survive a week of this shit. At least in the US we have decent people who will always be there to help out when others need it. (Not our government, mind you ... but we the people.)

[sakabatou]

1. So he's sending more off to die...

fuck!

[Ilsa]

2. They might be better off than on Galveston Island, but I bet

most of those from Galveston reached safe harbor yesterday. The majority of those on the road are from Houston and the 'burbs, and they are NOT better off in their cars than in their homes. I hope they make it.

BTW, that has to be the best thread header I've seen this month!

[renate]

12. ditto that

I love that header!!

[iamjoy]

3. I Wonderd About People Being Trapped

The roads are so gridlocked. With a Category 4 or 5 storm, low roads flood 3 - 5 hours before the eye approaches.

I think the thing is, people saw what Katrina did and now EVERYbody is evacuating. And all those cars are filling the roads. It seems buses and trains shouldn't just be for people with no car, but they should encourage people to use mass transit to ease the crunch on the roads.

[pitohui]

6. what mass transit

this is houston we're talking abt

they said there are no more bus tickets being sold, i never heard of a passenger train there, not to say that they don't exist but it certainly wouldn't be something to count on

you can't get out by air, thru a misunderstanding, the security crew at iah airport mostly didn't show up for work because they were evacuating w. their own families, security lines to get a plane were hrs long

i'm worried too, no cheap easy solution to this mess

[iamjoy]

9. I Don't Know

most cities in the South have sucky public transportation.

[pitohui]

4. who's telling them to go east

they cannot go east, they will die, ever heard of hurricane audrey, these ppl cannot just sit out in a storm this size & ride it out alive in their cars

southwest louisiana is itself under evacuation order

there are no hotels, gas, or supplies or any way to house refugees even if they make it to baton rouge

citizens of louisiana are being told to go north, blanco said specifically there is no place left in baton rouge, you can't rent an apt there for any amt of $$$, forget abt a hotel room

there are no more hotel rooms in louisiana in any safe haven such as baton rouge, they are packed w. katrina refugees

even the football game has been rescheduled, come on folks

get real

the east side is the strongest side of the storm!
who is telling ppl to go east, not blanco, she is clearly saying go north

[iamjoy]

7. I Wondered That

How can you go east from Houston - you will be in the water.
But I remember seeing that on CNN.com that they were opening east bound routes. The only think I could think is go to Pensacola, but that is 8 hours from Houston with normal traffic. Besides, isn't part of I-10 between New Orleans and Pensacola still closed 'cos of Katrina?

They have not yet oepned all lanes of the interstate to northbound traffic out of Houston because people are still coming into Houston. Now this isn't smart. They need to open those southbound lanes to evacuees and if people need to get into Houston they can use other roads (not the interstate).

[pitohui]

11. you can't get to pensacola in 8 hrs

you mean pensacola, florida?

seriously, it is an 8 hr drive to new orleans from houston, and that is w. traffic flowing, ok, i don't drive faster than 70 but still, pensacola? you can't get there from here in the time allowed

it sounds like from what you are saying they do not have a contraflow system set up & they are screwed

ppl cannot go east & get to safety

how can ppl "need" to get into houston if it's under mandatory evacuation?

it sounds more & more obvious to me that they don't have much of a plan at all

if this storm doesn't seriously weaken these ppl are screwed

[iamjoy]

15. Pithoui...

mapquest gives the drive time from Houston to Pensacola as 7 hors, 55 minutes. I presume that is with "normal" traffic. but what normal is, I have no clue.

My point was, from what I read and saw there was no contra flow system and people trying to evacuate may very well be screwed.

As for people going into Houston, what if they are emergency or other necessary workers who live in the 'burbs? Maybe people going to pick up a friend or family member who couldn't drive? There weren't that many cars going South, and I think they could have been re-routed to allow for contra flow.

[pitohui]

16. well they should know

i am no mapquest, i only know how long it takes me, which prob. explains why i drive in the right lane!

i agree there seems to be something wrong w. their contraflow, they said they were starting it this afternoon but we don't see much evidence of it, do we?

[FloridaPat]

8. With normal traffic, they would be in MS, ALA, or FL in 6-20 hours.

As it goes, looks like days. As for north, that is the expected track of the hurricane, isn't it?

[HeeBGBz]

14. Come to Branson

We have rooms last I heard.

[Burried News]

5. The Gulf Shore from NOLA to Pensacola is PO'ed at Bush.

Now the stretch from NOLA to Galveston is getting pissed off. It isn't only the beach that is erroding. The GOP base is erroding with it.
Looks like the Bush Presidential Library fund drive will have some work cut out for it. Well, there is always the Saudi's to cough up a few bucks.

How many weeks for the Bush approval ratings to be in the 20's? I give it 4-6 weeks. Just in time to go BOOOooo for Holloween.

[fleabert]

10. several years ago.. there was a push to have a supertrain linking

houston, dallas and san antonio. If that had gone thru, think of how much better this would be. But it didn't pass.

Us Texans loves our cars too much! :sarcasm:

Shit, I even remember talk of the train idea being bandied about when I was in High School, and i graduated in 91!

stupid stupid stupid.

and, btw, in case anyone is irritated by this post

[iamjoy]

17. Texas And Florida - Two Of A Kind

we even voted for an amendment for a high speed rail linking Tampa, Miami and Orlando. It passed, but Jeb Bush decided he didn't like it or want to spend the money, so he got another amendment on the ballot a few years later to kill it.

OF course, don't know how effective it would be for evacuating for a hurricane. Since Florida is mostly a peninsula, and hurricanes have a habit of shifting...

[Stinky The Clown]

13. For the second time, I'll posit this solution for mass evacuations

The president has the power to nationalize the entirety of the civil aviation fleet.

Nationalize it. From 747's to corporate jets to corporate props.

Fly 'em into every airport in the area. Civilian airports, military airports, private airports, mowed hay fields.

Load 'em up, and fly 'em out. Far away.

The military (if not the civil) air traffic controllers can handle this.

Shortcut the stupid body cavity searches and put asses in the seats, spool 'em up, and leave.

If any planes can/need to make a round trip, load 'em up with relief supplies, go back, off load and do it all again.

For the return of the evacuees, fly 'em back in the middle of the night when the civilian fleet is normally on the ground.

This is an emergency, folks .... not a sunday drive with a car load of cranky kids and a back seat driver mother in law.

Decisiveness.

How 'bout it, georgie, boy?

[Javaman]

18. how much better off people will be in their cars hunkered down in 80 mph

winds. Oh sure, that is until the tornado's start touching down. Then they will be reeeeeeeal safe.

What a bunch of brainless fuckwits.

colossal racist failure*.

[Patsy Stone]

19. The karma is that this is gonna stall over NE Texas

You know, kinda near where Crawford is?

According to the 11 p.m. NHC Discussion/Advisory:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT3+shtml/230304.shtml

RITA IS FORECAST TO THEN ESSENTIALLY
STALL IN ABOUT THREE DAYS IN THE AREA OF NORTHEASTERN TEXAS WHERE
STEERING CURRENTS ARE FORECAST TO BECOME VERY WEAK. THIS SCENARIO
POSES A GREAT RISK OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WELL INLAND AND FOR MANY
DAYS AFTER LANDFALL.