New Orleans,Thanks OZ
 

Australia has donated US$8 million for relief in the worst natural disaster in United States history. We can't begin to thank you enough. Hurricane Katrina may make 9/11 pale in comparison when it is all said and done. For anyone who hasn't seen the details, New Orleans is mostly under water and the whole city is uninhabitable. Refugees stuck in the city are looting, raping, car jacking, and shooting indiscriminately. Many police officers have quite their postions as it is too dangerous to try to help.

It will be YEARS before anyone can live their again, IF EVER! A whole city of millions, gone overnight. I can't believe this is really happening. One idiot US senator opened his mouth and stated the city isn't worth re-building(probably the truth $-wise, but you don't say that now!)

The national guard has been dispatched with orders from the governor to shoot to kill. Of course, this was after they were able to round up some troops since so many were in Iraq! I hope this opens up some eyes in this country.

We've been seeing the video footage and its just incredible .. hard for us here to fully grasp the situation... as for not rebuilding it all ,,thats ridiculous.
such a beautiful part of the world with so much diverse history..
things are moving slow but lets hope the relief effort steps up a gear and things get sorted out as soon a possible...

Yes saratoga its a bad disaster but i think its going to get worse once the death toll is known.

Its a shame bush has been slow to act and ask for help. Was watching it on the news and people still dont have what they need to live 4 days later :(.

You cant blame the looting as people need to live and all they can get is stuff from shops. The shooting and raping is a disgrace.

$8million isnt much but i guess every bit helps i just hope it quickly gets to the people that need it the most.

new orleans disaster
 

Hi Saratoga
mate our hearts go out to all in that great city of the gulf, just such a mammoth tragedy almost beyond belief.
i was there a few years back and love the character of it all i just hope i can go back one day.
good luck with it all and its sad but such a tragedy brings out the best and the worst in people.

This has been one of the biggest tragedy's I have ever seen in a time when we have seen a few Bali/9/11, My heart goes out to all those people in New Orleans that whole city has been destroyed and it is going to take alot of work to rebuild it I just hope something can be done quickly enough before to many lives are lost.

Hate to be a downer on such a great day in OZ, but it's my duty to get the word out to whoever I can. Man, this is f'ed up! It keeps getting worse at every news report. The mayor of New Orleans had set up refuge in the Hilton Hotel across from city hall and it had taken in 200 foreign tourists(good move). He decided to get them out of N.O. by sending them to the Superdome to get on buses out. He sent word to the commander of the National Guard that these people were to get out first in front of thousands of people waiting in line for 4 days(bad move). No reports on what happened but I'm sure it's not good. The mayor will be gone, the gov of LA will be gone, and hopefully the Bush admin will be gone, but you know he'll skate. Why haven't they dropped more food and water? How about evacuations and medicine drops? No landing zones have been designated as of yet either. If ya saw 28 DAYS LATER, it's coming to life. I really think the government is letting it go as long as possible so only the strong survive. When even George Bush admits mistakes were made, you KNOW somebody f'ed up royally. The whole country is affected and 9/11 is a week away. What if something happens. Mass hysteria. Gas prices have gone up 50% in 2 days and every day they go up more. If any trigger happy guardsman start shooting, the big cities here are going to erupt. One thing about Americans, we are resilient and will get on.

Thanks to all for the thoughts and prayers.

Thanks. Australia is a great friend to the U.S.. We appreciate you in more ways than you know.

Regards,

Glenn

I can't understand all the delays.....gees it is in there own backyard they should have planned for this as soon as they knew it was going to be a bad storm(and they did know this, we heard it on news before the storm hit) they should have had people and equipment in there with in hours of the storm passing.....i know it would be hard to get that many out but not so hard to set up tents and use those fancy water purifiers that they used in Iraq....this makes the US look bad....like the only time they are realy interested in helpng is when it is helping there own pocket...like in Iraq with the oil and building contracts and basses in the middle east.

Yeah, this is a real shocker...

Saw Bush parading around for the media earlier.

Pull your finger out m8.

Very very sad state of affairs, my heart goes out to all those affected. Its hard to come to terms with such a disaster, we are sheltered here in australia in alot of ways and something like this really opens your eyes.
I for one will certainly be donating and encourage others to do so...

The worst part is that the city, state, and country had years to prepare a contingency plan for when the levees broke. It was deemed extremely probable to happen someday, but no plan at all. Like the N.O. cop told the poor Canadian tourist who asked for help, "It's every man for himself." Your in the wrong profession buddy. What a disgrace to the firemen who ran into the WTC just about knowing the outcome. And they call NEW YORK heartless and cold.....

Good on ya luv2bet, me too.

All winning from this weekend, Nags, Footy - whatever, will go in from me.

Thanx guys. I was thinking the same, but I'll be giving in a different way since the IRS just sent me a letter. What is the worst disaster that ever happened down under? I was going to check that out on the net. Any typhoons or such?

Special race card being held by Evangakine Downs in LA. on Sunday with proceeds going for relief. The Fairgrounds racetrack is obviously destroyed and I don't know what the Saints football team is going to do. Matters like these seem so trivial now. My sister is getting an abandoned Lab Retriever from N.O. to foster until the owners are found. Bless her.

Cyclone Tracy up in Darwin, NT.

Similar devastation without the flooding though.

When?

X-Mas eve 1974.

Horrible timing.

Yes, a very terrible diasaster. I originally come from the West Indies where hurricanes are not uncommon but never of such ferocity. It would have been almost impossible to imagine any hurricane could have caused so much damage, and it's no wonder the U.S. (or any other country) were unprepared for devastation on such a large scale, and its aftermath.

Wishing everyone there the best for the future.

Tragic to watch Saratoga...whats happening is bad enough but the poor local response time cant be good..considering the amount of effort in Iraq...got to look after your own...hope it improves mate...:9

You said it Sir Des, Got to look after your own. How obvious is it and we still think we are the world's protector. I understand the volatility in the mid-east, but once Turkey tried to hold the US hostage for using their country to invade from the north(therefore capturing most of the insurgents who were hiding in the Sunni Triangle) to the tune of $1 Billion to invade Iraq from the north, south, and west instead of comig from the south and east and pushing the bad guys north until we captured/libertated Baghdad and then they come back to Baghdad. Our military is spread too thin right now.

Now this is getting unfrigging believable. Stories comig out of the now evacuated Superdome are of multiple rape, murders, stabbings, guards not allowing people to leave, women not being able to go the bathroom without men for fear of rape and murder, and guardsman shooting people. One 16 year old kid ran outside to get the cops after a man raped and stabbed a teenage girl to death, jumped on their windshield and they shot him in the head. Even the National Guardsman are criticizing Bush and the thinning of troops because of Iraq, anonymously of course for fear of reparcations from the Bush admin.