Twenty Thousand Left in Galveston - May Impose Martial Law to Force Evacuation

[K Gardner]

(Post title edited on demand) Still, the conditions are DEPLORABLE !!

http://www.truveo.com/Galveston-Residents-Deal-With-Ike-Aftermath/id/1207947958

Grocers have been told NOT to stock the grocery shelves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/us/15galveston.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

With no water or power, no working toilets, no food or phones, people faced growing public health concerns here on Sunday. More than 2,000 residents who had defied an evacuation order were taken off the island, and state officials tried to ensure that no one could return.

“The storm was easy,” said Brenda Shinette, 51, who rode out the hurricane in her home but went to a shelter Sunday hoping to be taken to the mainland. “It’s what came after that was terrible.”

“We have no showers, and the food is spoiled,” Ms. Shinette added. “I feel like I want to pass out, but I can’t tell if it is from too much heat or too little food.”

She said the lack of toilets had become so bad in her neighborhood that she had been avoiding eating so she would not have to use the bathroom.

Five people were found dead in Galveston on Sunday, including one person in a submerged vehicle near the airport. Officials expressed fears that more would be found as other areas of flooding were searched, particularly on the west end of the island, where there was “horrendous” devastation, said the city manager, Steve LeBlanc.

The air was becoming foul-smelling and was swarming with mosquitoes. Sewage was beginning to back up onto waterlogged streets. The lack of running water was becoming a health hazard; without the water, people could not flush toilets or properly wash their hands.

Small packs of stray dogs roamed the streets. Helicopters buzzed overhead on search and rescue missions. Debris from ruined buildings lined the broad boulevard along the Gulf of Mexico. A line of about 60 cars snaked around piles of wood, slabs of concrete and fallen awnings, their drivers waiting for the Coast Guard to give out food, water and tarps.

****
These are OLD articles. Nothing came up for today in a quick Google. I think we need to pay attention to those on this board who are telling us things are being covered up. I have had the TV on all day and have seen nothing about Texas or the aftermath. Its too quiet, much too quiet.

We MUST demand coverage from the networks who, like in the runup to Iraq, are COMPLICIT in this deadly silence.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=209_1221546907 (A reporter confronts Rick Perry about no access to the Bolivar Peninsula and West End - for those who don't want to watch, Perry responded the access was being controlled by the Federal Government.)



"We estimate that there are about 15,000 to 20,000 people still on the island. We have no water, no sewer, no electricity, no gas."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94658953

[ColbertWatcher]

1. Martial not marshall. n/t

[slackmaster]

2. You beat me by 1 minute

:argh:

[K Gardner]

4. LOL.. I had cowboy diplomacy on mah mind :-) Thanks !

[tekisui]

3. The media blackout on this is frightening.

[villager]

6. *That's* what they "learned" from Katrina -- not to report it!

n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

20. Exactly! They really do think we're stupid! n/t

[thunder rising]

31. Nope, it's not URBAN and the people are NOT BLACK.

[readmoreoften]

69. Actually, it is urban and the population is less than 50% white. I don't get your point.

[Richardo]

Houston is the fourth largest city in the nation. It's urban. Trust me.

[tammywammy]

106. That's the silliest comment about Houston/Galveston I think I've ever seen

It's most surely urban.

[thunder rising]

145. FU...Where did this posting talk about Houston. Dickhead.

[Richardo]

16. THERE'S NO MEDIA BLACKOUT

Stream a Houston TV or radio station, for Christ's sake. Look at chron.com

Jesus, people. Get a grip.

[slackmaster]

22. He's right - look at chron.com

Tons of information!

[K Gardner]

25. Look.. I personally consider it NOT covered if its not on a cable news channel that is SUPPOSED to

cover NATIONAL EVENTS. Where are all the anchors who were holed up there during the hurricane? Why no human interest stories?

At the least, it is being UNDERreported nationally. There has to be a reason for that.. perhaps the reporters couldn't survive down there in the lifestyle to which they've become accustomed.

[Texasgal]

27. Can you edit your title?

The article says 2,000 not 20,000.

Just keeping it real. :)

[K Gardner]

39. No.. check out the numbers at the bottom of the post, under the picture. The article says

2,000 were "rescued" and left the island. Other articles report the number of people LEFT on the island NOW at 15-20,000; further reports say there is no power, food or water. I conglomerated a post title from the articles listed in the post :-) :hi:

[Texasgal]

43. mea culpa.

:)

If 20,000 people are starving then perhaps it is the best thing to get them OFF the island..

[slackmaster]

37. You sound like a lot of other DUers in that regard, K

I think you put way too much stock into what is shown on television.

The cable news channels are not there as a public service. Their primary mission is not to keep the general public informed of newsworthy items.

They answer to their owners and investors.

[K Gardner]

41. Well, you DO have a point there :-) But how to we mount a National Response if there is no coverage

to which the AVERAGE citizen has access?

[slackmaster]

45. I expect an email from the American Red Cross asking for money any minute now

I'm not sure I can help out this time. I'm kind of tapped, and the state of California is talking about raising taxes.

And you are getting some good information on DU, are you not?

Other than that, I think the idea is to keep people out of the way for now.

[Two Americas]

101. bingo

The suppression of information is the goal, everywhere and at all levels in every situation, because that is a necessary prerequisite to rallying the public.

Ironic that the same people who deny there is any suppression or manipulation of information happening, or that thise who talk about it are paranoid or alarmist, are themselves obviously trying to get people to shut up or to get others to discount and dismiss what they are saying.

"Everything is fine, trust the authorities, critics are nutcases, if it were important trust them to cover it, and if they aren't covering important things, too bad, who are you to complain, and they never cover anything anyway so what is the big deal, so meanwhile shut up and stop trying claim that we are telling you to shut up."

I can't imagine how any observor to events over the last decade could fail to see the pattern of that "logic."

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

58. Cable news channels are busy covering the destruction of the economy.

They don't know how to handle more than one story at once. And 98% of Americans don't spend their evenings glued to godawful infotainment cable "news" channels. The information is there for anyone who cares to look for it.

[Subdivisions]

70. I quit watching Anderson Cooper quite awhile ago, but last night,

I went to his show to see what was going on down there in Galveston/Bolivar/Crystal Beach because he was so prevelant in the coverage after Katrina.

I don't even recall now if Galveston and area were even mentioned last night on his show.

[Lisa0825]

48. I am so fucking sick of the tinfoil hat shit.

I work for UTMB. I know people who stayed on the island. I know people who have been to the island. I know people who work for the Galveston Daily News. This conspiracy shit is just driving me up the wall! There is no blackout, the UTMB labs are not contaminating the island, the evacuation order is COMMON SENSE to avoid the additional catastrpohe that disease will bring to an island with little to no infrastructure left. I need to just stay the fuck out of DU because it's not worth the aggravation at this time.

[K Gardner]

53. Evidently you do. Please allow the rest of us to discuss what WE are not hearing

reported without cursing at us.

[Lisa0825]

61. It does NOT HELP to post wild conspiracy theories about shit when

people are looking for real information. It only makes people who haven't gotten back yet more scred about things.

We do not know what the extent of the death toll will be, but to assume that people are trying to cover it up because they want the island evacuated, or to say that their is a media blackout when there isn't is just unfair to the residents who might come hear and read this garbage. Just think before you (I mean you in the general sense) post.

[Mojorabbit]

130. Well the local press in Galveston

were complaining that they were not being allowed to do their job in a press conference. I am reserving judgement but something seems wrong.

[Richardo]

86. Well, exert a little effort and all shall be revealed

That's why we have the internet, so you don't have to wait and be spoon fed what the cable news outfits determine you want or need.

OF course they're not covering it - it's a 4-day-old story in a country that actually counts 24-hour news cycles. But the locals ARE covering it, so surf a little, you might learn something, or at least ease off the evil government/media conspiracy crap.

[tammywammy]

65. Me too Lisa

This tinfoil conspiracy shit is too much.

I'm sorry it's too hard for people to go to www.chron.com or www.beaumontenterprise.com and actually learn what's going on and see the pictures, but apparently that means there's a media blackout. :eyes:

[Lisa0825]

68. That's just not as exciting as conspiracy theories.

What I don't get is why they seem to want it to be so much worse than it already is. When people post this garbage, it makes it harder to keep hoping for the best.

It's like people gawking at a train wreck, hoping to see something bad.

[tammywammy]

79. Yep, and most of my family's homes were flooded

The last thing I want is to read stupid conspiracy theories on DU about things that aren't happening down there.


BTW, I'm glad that you're doing okay Lisa. :hug:

[alarimer]

100. A voice of reason

I am sick of the conspiracy shit too.

[uppityperson]

82. Local news coverage perhaps, but national? I consider it media blackout unless it's national

coverage. It needs to be on CNN, national news stations, etc.

[Richardo]

91. Then I'm sorry, but that's just lazy.

Many many people rail day-in and day-out on this board about the crap that the 'mainstream media' feeds us, how the only real truth can be found on-line, and then presto: you'll only take the hurricane news that the national media outlets feed you.

The information is in plain sight - just because the NYT or CNN have moved on to the next shiny object doensn't mean information is being suppressed, it just means you have to go an extra step to get it.

[uppityperson]

93. No, I am talking about John and Jane Q Public. Not about we internets people.

I want it, and LA, and Haiti post hurricane stuff on the news for them also. "ooo, shiny object" is what I am protesting about. I want news coverage that actually covers news, easily accessible for J/J q.Public.


and a pony. I'd like a pony too.I know, I'm weird.

[Richardo]

94. OK - I see your point

News coverage blows and has since they decided to sell us the news instead of tell us the news.

Good luck with that pony. :patriot:

[Two Americas]

97. false assumption

People are not complaining about their personal need for news in this, nor the difficulties they are having personally in getting the news, they are pointing out that the story is not getting to the general public. That would have political ramifications, and this is a political board. There is some validity to that point of view, in my opinion, and it is an important subject.

The personalizing of every issue, of every word out of everyone's mouth, is a feature of the liberatrianism that has permeated the thinking of so many people. When everything can be portrayed as petty little personal needs or desires, political issues are trivialized and we are weakened and divided. That is the problem, and can never be part of the solution. "Get off your butt and stop whining" is merely a variant on the right wing "personal responsibility" theme, which we have also seen expressed here as "they were warned, and have only themselves to blame, so I have no sympathy."

[Richardo]

105. That's a lot of off-topic words - the bottom line is the information is public. It's in plain sight.

There is no blackout. There might not be national coverage, but that's a commercial, not a political decision on the part of the networks.

The OP got her info from the New York Times, for Christ's sake.

[Two Americas]

107. that is my view

Take it or leave it.

[The Stranger]

89. No? Then what is the fatality count?

[Richardo]

92. They don't know. We had a hurricane. Things are a bit jumbled.

Next question. Make it a better one this time.

[The Stranger]

98. "They don't know"? Are you fucking kidding me?

"Things are a bit jumbled"?

This calls to mind Saddam Hussein's spokesperson, who was a laugh riot, or any of the Junta's fools they parade out for the peasantry.

[uppityperson]

99. They won't know the # fatalities for some time. There is NO way all the debris could be searched yet

There are piles and piles and smashed houses and buildings, for miles and miles and miles. There is NO way to know how many people died yet. Good lord, have you seen those pictures? There isn't yet a number for Katrina, and they were finding dried bodies a couple yrs after (people went to family home, which had been searched, and on second visit while moving the debris inside found a body. This was at least 1 1/2 yrs after the hurricane).

It will take a while. I don't trust the news or those in power, but no, there is no way there can be a count yet. They have been focusing on rescuing those who survived. Patience.

[Richardo]

108. Sorry, I can't make it any easier for you than I already did.

Maybe if I substituted single syllable words like 'storm' for 'hurricane' and 'a mess' for 'jumbled'. Does that help?

[The Stranger]

109. Well, were you being sarcastic or weren't you?

Now I really am curious.

[Richardo]

113. I was being snarky, but not sarcastic.

Demanding a fatality count as if that proves some kind of information blackout, 72-hours after a catastrophic event, when most efforts are being geared toward reestablishment of services and rescue of survivors, struck me as preposterous.

[The Stranger]

139. Then bullshit. Recording the number of fatalities is in no way "preposterous," quite the contrary.

That is truly a bizarre position to take -- that it is "preposterous" to keep track of how many civilians perished in a natural disaster. I'm not sure what world you come from, but it is always done. It is expected. It is necessary.

And we know five things: (1) barring some miracle or divine intervention (that would be newsworth, no doubt), the number of people on the island and the peninsulas where habitation was obliterated does not come anywhere close to matching the number of supposed fatalities at this point in time; (2) there have been restrictions placed by the FAA on overflights, presumably to allow emergency personnel to operate rescues; (3) those that remain have been ordered to leave, although some have alluded on blogs to a significant loss of human life; and (4) when asked point blank about fatalities, the Homeland Security Secretary gave the most patently evasive non-answer I have ever heard; (5) a Houston reporter had an argument with the Governor of Texas over why the media wasn't being allowed access to the areas, after this same reporter had been through the storm in these areas when the storm hit.

All of this has been documented here and elsewhere on the site. Your cute little responses (which seem to be edited from being sarcasm to being outright bullshit) don't seem to take all of this into account. What could possibly be fucking wrong with the government allowing the media to document the numbers of those killed by the storm?

[Richardo]

114. .

[malaise]

124. Really - there was more coverage of the Tsunami in Asia

than there is on M$Greedia. Why isn't this being covered on CNN, GEM$NBC etc.? Please tell us.

sp

[Richardo]

138. OK, one more time:

Many many people on this board rail day-in and day-out about the crap that the 'mainstream media' feeds us, how the only real truth can be found on-line, and then presto: you'll only take the hurricane news that the national media outlets feed you.

That's why we have the internet, so you don't have to wait and be spoon fed what the cable news outfits determine you want or need.

The information you seek is in plain sight - just because the NYT or CNN have moved on to the next shiny object doesn't mean information is being suppressed, it just means you have to go an extra step to get it.

Of course the networks are not covering it - it's a 4-day-old story in a country that actually counts 24-hour news cycles. But there is no blackout. There might not be national coverage, but that's a commercial, not a political decision on the part of the networks.

But the locals ARE covering it, so surf a little, you might learn something, or at least ease off the evil government/media conspiracy crap.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

57. What media blackout? OP quotes NY Times. n/t

[Dover]

115. Just like the media blackout in Iraq under Bush I and II

No pictures, no bodies, no reporters (unless embedded).

[Mojorabbit]

123. I agree. nt

[Texasgal]

5. I don't understand what's so horrible

about leaving?

[Extend a Hand]

14. I don't know but

my mom in FL who is almost 80 has to practically be dragged out. When some people get older I guess its just harder to leave what's familiar.

[EFerrari]

15. It just occurred to me that a lot of folks from Katrina left their homes

and never got to go back.

A lot of those people were shipped to Houston, right? So, doesn't it make sense that Texans in that area would have that in the back of their minds?

[Texasgal]

18. Perhaps that's true..

But if you are suffering because you have no food, water or electricity you need leave.

There is also the issue of health the medical community is not ready to deal with someone who is ill because they refuse to get off the island.

[EFerrari]

24. Oh, of course. You asked why, not if it was a good idea

overall.

[Texasgal]

29. Just thinking out loud...

:)

[Lance_Boyle]

7. you should've gotten off the island when the evac posted, twit.

“The storm was easy... it’s what came after that was terrible.”

Idiot. "Sure, I can withstand a few hours of rain, some flooding, and high winds. No problem. What's that you say about weeks or months without any infrastructure? Oops. My brilliant plan didn't cover that..."

Leave her there to rot as an example to the other brainless shitbags who think their self-reliance can get them through a hurricane.

[barbtries]

8. i've spent the better part of the day

looking for news. the numbers simply do not add up. i'm thinking that their plan is to just keep it buried until people stop paying attention. like the wars. because i believe that, i keep on stubbornly paying attention.

http://www.khou.com/video/topstories-index.html?nvid=283600

put this in a previous post. listen to this guy's story, and his complaints.

[K Gardner]

35. Wow.. For a couple of days, my Direct TV News Mix was offering KHOU coverage, its a

great channel !

[EFerrari]

74. I haven't been paying as close attention since Monday morning.

Before then, the coverage was obviously depopulated, which much of the focus on stuff, not people.

Has that changed? I'm streaming a Houston station again just now but have some catching up to do.

The people who see nothing wrong with this coverage have not been paying attention.

[Richardo]

9. There's no silence down here

We're getting 24-hour coverage on the recovery efforts on every local channel and radio station. Check the on-line editions of the Houston Chronicle, or the webpages for the Houston TV stations.

Just because the NYT doesn't have an update means there is any 'complicity'.

[slackmaster]

17. I don't understand how people can expect full cable media coverage

When the media can't get even into the area.

People are too dependent on their TV sets for information.

[TxBlue]

66. How many in Houston have electricity? We're Not getting much news in Dallas

They haven't been reporting on cable/satellite where alot of people get their news. The rest of the country doesn't know what's going on.

When you drive on highway heading east in Dallas and there big TxDot signs telling people from Dallas=major Texas city not to drive to Houston/Beaumont=another major Texas city and nothing is on local news about...uh, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it doesn't add up.

[Lisa0825]

71. I think about 4 million were without power at the peak.

Last I heard, at least a half million have gotten power back on.

[fed_up_mother]

90. We've been getting tv simulcasts on the radio

Even listened during the storm.

[sandnsea]

10. *sigh*

I wish I could say I'm surprised.

[cali]

11. the article says 2,000 not 20,000 and

that's bad enough.

[K Gardner]

21. Right.. 2,000 were rescued. I got the 20,000 number from one of the articles in relation to how

many were left.. I need to try to find it and quote it directly. :hi:

[K Gardner]

30. Here it is:

We estimate that there are about 15 to 20,000 people still on the island. We have no water, no sewer, no electricity, no gas."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94658953

[slackmaster]

40. That's a far cry from saying that 20,000 people are starving

I'm sure that out of 20,000 Gulf Coast residents, at least a few of them were prepared to deal with this situation.

[K Gardner]

47. OK, OK.. title edited :-)

[uppityperson]

80. Thanks. k&r for martial law, disorder, confusion, distrust.

[XemaSab]

60. I think it's hard to prepare

for not being able to flush the toilet for a month.

[slackmaster]

104. I and many other DUers disagree

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4022332

[uppityperson]

116. There is a difference between 3 days and a month.

Same as there is a difference between my rural area and the city. I could dig an outdoor privy. I wonder if people in the city could, esp those in apartments.

[XemaSab]

126. You can easily store enough water to drink for a couple months

Flushing the toilet is not so easy.

I guess since they're near the ocean they can get sea water, but that would be NO FUN.

[dana_b]

12. this is absolutely sickening.

how can this happen again? Are we going to blame the victims? I hope not. Some simply could not get out.

Goddamn fascist state in which the truth is being hidden. Send it to EVERYONE in the news - faux or real. Please!

[Igel]

133. It's simple how it happened again.

Let's stick to Galveston Island.

Some people were overlooked; the evacuation plan required more time than authorities had to contact everybody, and nobody's claimed that all their lists of vulnerable groups were up to date. The evacuation order was publicized; those who wanted to leave were given a way out, with rescues happening until Friday afternoon, when rising floodwaters stopped rescues.0

Some people waited till the last minute, and were stuck by rising waters. Hurricane prediction isn't an exact science; they put too much trust in the omniscience of people who lay no claim to omniscience.

Some people didn't want to leave. They figured they'd tough it out, for whatever reasons they thought sufficient.

Of those who were left on the island, a majority still refuse to leave.

How did it happen? Screw ups on the part of the authorities--a minority of the cases; procrastination on the part of some victims; and idiocy, on the part of the majority.

Those who stayed behind voluntarily are now victims; they are responsible for their state, and while we can jump up and down and say they shouldn't have been granted the autonomy to actually make their own decisions, the alternative is equally vile--sending in police and the Guard to forcibly remove 15-20k people in less than 48 hours. Somehow having the latter be the *non*-fascist option strikes me as absurd. But those are the two choices: Pick one, there is no third option.

Now that they're on the island with no utilities, the options are no better. They can stay, requiring a lot of people to expend resources so that the Galvestonians can continue to maintain the appearance of autonomy. Or they can stay, knowing that they'll get no help from others. Or they can leave voluntarily. Or they can leave by force. In other words, these boil down to the same choices: The Galvestonians can be granted autonomy in decision making, or they can be forced to leave. Granting them authority last time is "fascist", it seems, so perhaps martial law is the "liberal" solution? It's my preferred solution, unless the people involved sign waivers exempting the authorities from responsibility for them.

We can nail the federal government for poor levee maintenance (shared with NOLA and others, to be sure); we can say they were late getting in (something hard to say concerning SE Texas); we can say that FEMA was incompetent (a charge hard to make stick in Houston, given the level of transparency). But what happened to Galveston ... I can't blame the government, except may the local mayor--and even then, most of the goofups are small, understandable, and mostly resolved within 24 hours.

[Name removed]

142. Deleted message

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

[slackmaster]

13. Everyone should be prepared to survive without assistance for at least two weeks

Prepare yourself for any foreseeable disaster depending on where you live.

Where I live, the most likely problem is a major earthquake. I fully expect to be without water, gas, electricity, phone, or cable (Internet) for an extended period if that happens, and I believe I am well prepared.

[kansasblue]

26. In the big cities they say 3 days. But I'm with you. 2 weeks!

mainly just simple things like water. Bag of rice becomes gold on day 4.

[slackmaster]

33. There is no "city" for a while after a major disaster

Nor a state, nor a federal government.

[Name removed]

143. Deleted message

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

[TomInTib]

19. Governor Dickhead GoodHair looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Hopefully, it was the ghost of his miserable fucking career.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. As a former rescue worker, I say... this is a GOOD MOVE

I know some folks will not understand this... but there are times it is needed

And not the first time it has happened either...

[Ilsa]

132. True. Alot of PTSD is related to contact or sight of dead bodies.

Not everyone is equipped to handle this sort of thing.

[EFerrari]

28. So, they can bail out AIG with our money but not the people of Galveston

and Houston. :shrug:

[K Gardner]

32. That's the point.. thanks, sfexpat !

[bdamomma]

147. exactly it is never about the people, sad very sad.

two open wounds in the country now Texas and New Orleans who's next?

[napi21]

34. I also heard on the radio news today that there's a "no fly zone"

over Galveston because there are bodies floating in the water. I have no idea if it's true, but it sure sounds like the Shrub admin. to me!

[EFerrari]

36. What station were you listening to? I was trying to find out if the ban

was still on. :hi:

[napi21]

44. KPOJ in Oregon I stream it all the time because I like their hosts.

I heard that report around 10 or 11 this morning, but nothing since. All I could think of at the time was "Well the Shrub admin. did learn ONE THING during Katrina! Don't let anybody SEE anything and they just won't know how incompetent you really are!"

[EFerrari]

49. Thanks. Yes, they learned not to show us people in need.

And in a way, that's backfiring massively because it just makes us uneasy and distrustful. @ssholes.

[kestrel91316]

38. What;s to cover at this point? Galveston is GONE.

I'm sure some hot white chick is missing that is more important than Galveston. It's SO yesterday.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

59. Bolivar peninsula is gone.

Galveston is fucked up, but most of it is flood damaged and full of debris - not destroyed.

[uppityperson]

42. They are not starving yet. It is bad enough, don't need "starving" headlines.

[Dreamer Tatum]

46. Maybe people will finally understand what evacuations are for

The point of evacuating is to avoid getting killed QUICKLY by the storm, but also to avoid getting
killed SLOWLY after the storm.

People who stayed were so anxious to show off their enormous brass balls that it didn't occur to them
what they'd be staying FOR: no public services. No conveniences. Not even a practical way to take a
dump in a working toilet. Flies, mosquitoes, ants, and filth everywhere.

Anyone who wants to pound on the Constitution to justify their right to wade around in the area formerly
known as Bolivar Peninsula should minimally have a tetanus shot first, and should wear a hazmat suit.

And no one is complicit in a MOTHERFUCKING THING. Stream Houston area channels. You think they're showing
Beverly Hillbillies re-runs? No, they're showing the entire heartbreaking mess. I watched KHOU for two hours
this morning and ALL THEY TALKED ABOUT WAS GALVESTON AND BOLIVAR. Coverup, my ass.

[Lisa0825]

51. Thank you.

:banghead:

[K Gardner]

52. Look.. there is no reason to lash out at someone for trying to report what IS

happening.

1. Most Americans don't have access to Houston News.
2. They rely on what they see on ABC, NBC, CBS.
3. No one is slamming "martial law".. hell, the people NEED to LEAVE !

But they also need HELP. Massive help. You know, like the kind the Feds just gave AIG.

[Dreamer Tatum]

54. If you stream the local channels, you will see that help is pouring in

they admit some early-on fuckups, but distribution seems to have improved considerably. The nice weather
seems to have helped, too.

I don't think the networks need to focus on Houston. I'd rather they cover the massive giveaways to New York money
pricks, anyway, but that's just me.

[EFerrari]

56. I'd like to see a split screen myself. Galveston / Wall Street. n/t

[eilen]

64. I think the networks are overwhelmed

with news, from the disaster sites due to Ike, the train crash on the West Coast, the election with all it's twist and turns, and yeah, that thing about our economy taking a nosedive from the the pinnacle of the Empire State Building.

We still have power outages here in upstate NY the locals are reporting on. I am certain the locals in areas close to the Gulf are reporting on the challenges and devastation. I am surprised not to hear more on CNN though. I wonder if the weather channel is reporting? (I gave up on am MSNBC).

[EFerrari]

55. So, how do you rationalize what is happening in Houston?

Those people did exactly as they were told.

And, you're wrong. The local press was all too happy to comply with the Fed's guidelines on what they could and could not report. KHOU said so right on the air Friday night. Did the station change it's mind? Was that announced, too?

It always amazes me, what people can justify and so hostily, as if it's a personal insult to point out government repression.

[Dreamer Tatum]

62. Out of curiosity: are you anywhere near Houston?

I bet not.

There's no point discussing this with you. Where I see people getting together to recover from a disaster,
you see a massive government coverup. I'm off to help the relief effort in my hometown this weekend; you'll
be posting conspiracy theories from afar.

:eyes:

[EFerrari]

67. Do you not know the meaning of "conspiracy"?

A conspiracy requires secrecy. There has been nothing secretive about the Ike coverage.

[Lisa0825]

63. What do you mean by 'what is happening around Houston'?

Help has poured into Houston. At least a half million customers have gotten their electricity back. Thousands of people have gotten food, water, and ice.

In addition, unless someone was indigent, they should have damned well had food, water, and ice on hand. It pisses me off to no end when I see Hummers and Lincoln Navigators burning up fuel as they wait in line for free ice, water, and MRE's. If they'd be more self-reliant, then the people who really needed the help could better get to it. And yes, I have seen the lines at the PODs with my own eyes. I didn't get in line, because I DID have food and water, and I can live without ice. I may not particularly LIKE the food I have left, but I can live on it. Plus, stores are open all over town now. I heard that 40% of retail stores have reopened. So why are people who can afford food and water waiting in line? I think that has been the biggest hindrance, from what I have personally seen.

[EFerrari]

72. When I signed out last night, things were still FUBAR.

Have they straightened out their over centralized PODs?

And, you know, it does no real good to bash people for what they need and especially none when they are in need.

I have CH 11 back on this morning. Had to take some time out to earn my own bread and ice. :)

[Lisa0825]

76. The thing is that they DO NOT NEED IT!

I personally saw a teenage girl cook an MRE just to see what it tasted like and then threw it away, because we already had a huge dinner prepared on the grill. I also heard a woman getting off the phone with FEMA, telling her friend that they could get a hotel room for a month, even though theyir house still had power and no water damage. What I mean is if these people who have the means to take care of themselves would get out of the way, the ones who actually NEED help could get it.

:banghead:

[EFerrari]

77. There's always a few in any group that do stuff like that. n/t

[Lisa0825]

78. Well, those are the ones I was talking about,

and from the look of their cars and clothes, I would estmate it was up to 20% of the people I saw in line, conservatively. Those are the ones I was complaining about, but YOU said I was complaining about people who NEED help. No, I am complaining about those who do NOT really need it, who are just taking advantage of "freebies" or are caught in some kind of mass hysteria thinking that free ice is better than $2 ice available at 40% of the stores in town by this point.

[EFerrari]

81. How are you coming up with 20%?

[Lisa0825]

87. From being at the POD line (not in line). You'll find fault with me for this too.

But that's OK, because I expect as much. The people in expensive, clean cars, wearing clean, freshly pressed clothes, with makeup and jewelry on, drinking Cokes in the car, etc. These do not resemble the people I know who are really hurting. If you go to any restaurant around, you can easily pick out the people who haven't had a decent place to stay for the past 5 days. Then if you mill around and check out their conversations, as they hang around with the car in park waiting for the line to move (of course they don't turn off the car because of the AC, so they burn gas for 2 hours while they wait), you'll hear talk of breaking a window so their insurance will pay for it, or how they hope they'll get a FEMA debit card so they can hit Macy's.

NOT EVERYBODY!!! Let me say this again!!!! But you asked for examples, and I am giving them. If the people like these would just butt out of line, then the people who really do need help could get it.

[EFerrari]

95. No, I'm not trying to find fault but to understand. You were there, I wasn't.

:)

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

103. Of course things are FUBAR. That's WHY THEY CALL IT A DISASTER.

But there are degrees of FUBAR and what's happening in Texas right now is a far cry from the clusterfuck that followed Katrina.

[TxBlue]

73. Not all people could get out & they were told to "Hunker Down"

Exactly! Storm came in quicker than expected and officials caught off guard.

Gas ran out. They closed bridge off of Galveston Island early. People who wanted to couldn't get out and some didn't have money, car, gas, etc.

[EFerrari]

75. The posters who are calling me and others "conspiracy theorists"

just haven't been paying attention. If things have gotten better, that's great.

But the coverage of Ike has been manipulated for damage control. That seems to have been Skeletor's first concern, to control the message. Disgusting.

[TxBlue]

84. Totally Agree MSM can go on & on about a story involving 1 person

but don't mention anything in nat'l press about things in dire straits for thousands of people.

Whether they shoulda coulda woulda doesn't matter now. They need help NOW.

And if some clueless in Houston take advantage, shame on them but doesn't excuse nat'l media refusal to cover this story.

[TxBlue]

88. brainwashed. Blame the victims not Fema

Radio in dallas has been going on and on about charging IKE victims to get them out.

Alot of them couldn't get out in time cuz they closed the bridge and others didn't have the means to do so. Many stories of people running out money, gas, etc and went back on foot after bridge had closed.

GIVE ME a Break! THe people there need HELP NoW and rest of country needs to hear about it on REGULAR NEWS. Not streamin' whatever which most people don't have enough bandwidth to get anyway.

GEEZ, like alot of fema pr's set loose here.

[EFerrari]

96. DirecTv had KHOU up until Monday. Why did they pull it, I wonder?

Skeletor sent out a fax over the weekend to slam people who didn't evacuate, I'm sure he did. Because there were stations not only in Houston but also in other places -- one poster mentioned a CO station -- that were repeating the same phrases about those folks. It was coordinated.

I guess if you blame people for needing something, then you're off your FEMA hook.

[countryjake]

111. You can still watch on your computer...

Live Streaming Video of KHOU
http://www.khou.com/video/?nvid=178826&live=yes&noad=yes

I agree that they're doing they're damnedest to pass the blame onto Democratic mayors, the evacuees who want to start recovery, and those who chose to stay and weather the storm. As usual, the national media has done a piss poor job of covering this, and they have stepped aside in deference to "election worries" and focus on negative, sensational crap for ratings...did you hear about the fellow who they shot dead at a line for gas...heard that on CNN but still haven't seen KHOU mention it (tho I admit I wasn't paying attention to Gulf News on Sunday afternoon).

Anyway, we all know that there's no such thing as a "liberal media" and I don't expect that to change, the closer we get to the election this Fall.

[EFerrari]

112. I am streamng KHOU right now.

No, we have no functioning independent media. That's hard to take in when you've depended on it all your life.

[onenote]

122. question for someone in Houston area with power: what is KHOU broadcasting?

I know that there is full time streaming news channel on the web from KHOU.com, but my question is what do you get if you turn on your tv set and tune in channel 11 in Houston. Are they preempting all broadcast programming with full time storm aftermath coverage or are they showing regular CBS programming along with local and national news?

Thanks

[Igel]

135. A mix.

Prime time is prime time.

Lots of "continuous" coverage during the day. I've streamed it while sitting in front of my computer and could hear my wife watching it in the living room. There's a brief lag. Why would they bother with two parallel broadcasts?

Haven't noticed much national news, but I don't usually watch tv news.

[onenote]

121. i'm unclear about this

Did DirecTV have KHOU available nationwide or just in the Houston market? Is it no longer available in the Houston market via DirecTV?

Anyone have answers?

[EFerrari]

125. I'm in California and hurricane coverage was on #361 in the run up

to Gustav and through last Sunday. Then, they pulled it.

[onenote]

137. possible explanation for DirecTV's decision to "pull" KHOU

It appears that during the lead-up to the storm and in the initial aftermath KHOU preempted its programming and was providing full time storm coverage. DIrecTV, which picks up KHOU off air in Houston for retransmission to its customers in that market, switched it over to a nationwide feed. There was no copyright issue in doing so since KHOU had all the rights to the programming and could allow DirecTV to retransmit it. Once KHOU went back to a mixture of CBS network programming and local news on its main broadcast channel, DirecTV had no choice but to stop retransmitting it since it would be engaging in copyright infringement under the section 119 of the Copyright Act.

[Booster]

50. Oooooh, Bush's wet dream.

[sudopod]

83. Why the fuck can't we feed a city in Texas?

It isn't like it's the damn Berlin Airlift.

[EFerrari]

85. Maybe FEMA is too busy feeding the starving people on Wall Street. n/t

[countryjake]

102. Those articles must be really old news, 15 Kroger trucks convoyed onto Galveston...

early this morning, to stock groceries and the Home Depot has re-opened and is stocking materials for recovery and rebuilding; according to KHOU, there is a huge barbecue going on in downtown Galveston this afternoon, to feed recovery workers and "reconnoiter" on which sections need the most attention next.

If you care or have family down there, you can pay attention at live Ike Coverage here:

http://www.maroonspoon.com/wx/ike.html

It sounds to me as though you may be confusing the heartbreaking devastation that Bolivar Peninsula experienced with hard-hit Galveston Island. Not saying that you're promoting hysteria, cause things are bad for many many people on the Gulf and wherever Ike blew through, but I think lots of those doom and gloom articles may be making things much harder for folks who are actually right in the middle of all the turmoil, especially after that disastrous trek many made to Look and Leave and never actually were allowed over the causeway.

I think promoting things such as donations for the hardest hit areas or to orgs who are actually in the thick of things, working there, might be a better course for those who honestly are concerned and want to help.

[K Gardner]

117. Thanks for the link, Jake, and the updates I couldn't find elsewhere !

[carlyhippy]

110. and there are people who will not leave....

what is wrong with these people? They will have no clean water, no food, no electricity, no sewer, surrounded by dirty water with more than likely imminent diease ensuing.

[liquiddaddy]

118. What's the Matter With DU

I've been lurking because sometimes this is the only place to get the news.

I'm from Houston/Galveston, and no one who is not from there could really know how bad things must be. The area is easily the size of LA. Right now, most of the media focus is on the the relatively well-off portions of Harris County, which seem to be struggling back a day at a time. However, anybody south of Loop 610 seem to be in some kind of media black out.

There could be many people dead in the Chambers County side of the bay or washed out to sea, and until these folks are accounted for it is reasonable to assume they are indeed victims of the storm.

I'm writing now (and I probably shouldn't) because of the surprising amount of anger directed at well-meaning posters who just want answers as to the whereabouts of these unaccounted for folks, and the hostile smack-downs of anyone who has the temerity to suggest the Republican officials might conspiring to keep a lid on the actual death toll.

I'm sorry this idea drives these guys to cursing fits, but we're talking about the same ones whose incompetence destroyed one major city, lied about it, covered up the truth, and then went about the business of committing other crimes. In fact, they stole the election, lied about the war, destroyed the constitution, hell, the list of crimes and cover-ups are too numerous to count.

Do all you angry Tinker Bells really want to believe so hard that Republicans are telling the truth this time that you would forsake the memory of their black-hearted history of lies and obfuscations?

[K Gardner]

119. Welcome to DU.. THANK YOU for posting this, and I wish you'd make it an OP, although

I understand your temerity (given some of the responses here) if you don't want to.

I had TVs on all the nightly news channels tonight. So far, I've seen
One report on Houston getting back to normal on ABC
One report about people trying to get back onto Galveston on NBC

But nothing really about the true state of affairs there. Thank you for your insight and support for those of us who care to know and want to help
:-) :hi:

[liquiddaddy]

120. Thanks, K. Gardner

I would be less than honest if I didn't mention that I had been exiled to the wilderness for brawling here under a different nom de guerre. But stuff that would get you tombstoned here in the past is patty-cake compared to what I've seen in the past few days.

[EFerrari]

127. Welcome to DU, liquiddaddy.

We seem to over react in a lot of different directions, don't we?

People who don't care don't do that. lol

:)

[MadrasT]

128. Thank you liquiddaddy!

:hi: I've been watching coverage online since last Friday and it's blatantly obvious to me that the media is being tightly controlled with respect to what they can and cannot cover.

My complaint is not with the lack of national coverage.

My complaint is that even with 24/7 coverage on local Texas TV, there still isn't a whole lot of real news. There were questions about the no fly zone and the restricted areas being asked by reporters at one of the pressers today, and the spin was fast and furious. (I'll add a video link if I can find one.)

My complaint is NOT on behalf of myself. I'm in PA, have no friends or family in the affected area of Texas, and I'm not a disaster-news-whore.

But I am extremely concerned about everything our fucked up government is doing that screws with the rights and freedoms of Joe Average Citizen.

There are millions of Joe Average Citizens affected by Ike, and they have the RIGHT to know the truth about what's going on.

If they (FEMA and/or local politicians) are "managing" the release of bad news to try to keep the public from flipping out in the early recovery stages, that's one thing. But I have no confidence that they'll ever 'fess up to what's going on behind the scenes.

Black-hearted, indeed.

Thanks again for your contribution to this discussion.

[Name removed]

144. Deleted message

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

[MadrasT]

129. FWIW - linked article on Newsvine asserts the following "evidence"

of a massive coverup:

1. President Bush issues no-fly zone order. It is enforced.
2. Reporters ask why, and are stonewalled and not given any answers.
3. Governor Rick Perry stumbles over direct questions about the same issue at a press conference. Again, no reasons given.
4. City Manager Steve LeBlanc and Mayor Lyda Thomas block off and restrict access to the West End. It is enforced.
5. Both the Mayor and the City Manager issue a gag order to all city employees. It is enforced.
6. The Mayor and the City Manager state that reporters may only question them, and no one else, then hold a 30-minute news conference (Monday) wherein they only answer 5 questions.
7. Students, doctors, researchers and employees are blocked from entering the UTMB facilities and labs that are their place of work, study and employment (Can you imagine that they would not be concerned?).
8. Those same labs are commandeered by armed military. Reporters are not allowed as well as staff, and the area cordoned off.
9. FEMA turns back relief workers and trucks loaded with ice and water.
10. FEMA commandeers cell phone network and cuts all communication to the islands, thus cutting off the single means of communication for survivors and their frantic loved ones.
11. Judge James Yarbrough issues an order allowing the forceful removal of lawful citizens and property owners from their own properties.
12. Off mike and off camera City Manager LeBlanc asks reporters to focus on other areas more to the north and east (read: not the West End, Bolivar Peninsula, etc.), and refuses to discuss UTMB.
13. UTMB issues and "official" news bulletin that "all is well" and only "minor damage occurred", when other buildings and residences in the same area had seven feet of water from the surge, plus high wind and waves. 14. Incredibly, UTMB then asserts that ALL organisms, pathogens, samples, and living micro-organisms were DESTROYED prior to Ike's landfall. This was done on everything, even though many are rare, exorbitantly expensive, and in some cases, difficult to replace? (At least one student researcher has scoffed at that idea, while pointing out the logistical impossibility given the short time frame.)
15. Local stations have managed some furtive forays to gather forbidden shots and videos, and have been steadily vocal in their complaints about the blackout.
16. National and world-wide media coverage is nil and in the points above, non-existent. Why?

Article is here: http://blessingsblessings.newsvine.com/_news/2008/09/17/1875291-galveston-coverup-you-decide#comments

I'm not saying that I'm on board with all those examples, or even that this is necessarily a credible source. But this is a pretty comprehensive list of the kinds of observations that are being repeatedly cited as "odd" or "unusual" responses to a hurricane, and leading me to wonder WTF is going on down there.

(Edited to corrected typo.)

[K Gardner]

131. Wow.. that's some list and thanks for the link !

[kickysnana]

134. thanks. n/t

[onenote]

136. on point one: the no fly zone is only to an altitude of 2000 feet

The government has done a piss poor job in many many respects, engendering suspicion and distrust. But the no-fly restriction is being oversold. Its only to 2000 feet. A chopper at 2500 feet with a photographer with a big zoom lens could get some pretty good pictures if they wanted.

[EFerrari]

140. Who is that outlet? I've never heard of them. n/t

[KoKo]

141. Not surprising giving BioWeb Weapons Lab and Dead washing up....

:eyes:

[bdamomma]

146. OMG,

I am speechless.