Have you noticed how the folks in the midwest that have been flooded out, are NOT on the TV screaming about the government not bringing them ice water. That's because they are to busy working to help themselves.

That bunch of free loaders in New Orleans would have been standing in front of our TV's whinning about it was the governments fault that they flooded.

There is just a basic difference in the make-up of folks that want to help themselves, versues those that want the government to solve all their problems.

Would you like to make a small wager as to who these folks will be voting for in the fall?

If you've been to New Orleans,and Louisiana in general,you will know that especially "N O"  is considered another COUNTRY in their mindset.They really do have that "let the good times roll" mentality.The thinking isn't exactly the same as in the Midwest,and other parts of the country,much to their disadvantage.No one was prepared for the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath even though they'd been talking about the probability of such a thing for years.

Big population and culture difference there.And their fun historic city won't ever be the same largely because of it.I became personally acquainted with a nurse who knew the MD's and nurses in the inner city hospital that was flooded and abandoned by everyone but a handful of staff,the one where patients died.No one helped them evacuate even though they pleaded for assistance,and they should have been the FIRST on the list to have help leaving.They were all left behind and later had to suffer humiliation,false accusations and black marks on their careers because everyone was concerned about getting others out of the city first.

CRG, it was a lack of drive that comes with being dependant upon the government for all your needs that brought down New Orleans, not the lack of help. My wife is a nurse, and you can bet your sweet a*s that she would never leave a patient to die in a flood, she would be there dead with them.

Back to my original post, the people in the midwest floods right now aren't blaming anybody for anything, they are to busy helping themselves. It is people like them that make this country great, the folks in New Orleans should be thankful that there are enough of the hard workers around to carry their sorry a*ses.

And let me tell you... some of those displaced folks are still bellyaching about what they DIDN'T get...  I live in a area that rec'd many of those folks...  I'm still running across some who are sounding off about their troubles today.  Some have yet to even move out of FEMA trailers.  Don't misunderstand me.  I don't discount how hard it would be to lose your home, belongings, and even in some cases, your family or friends, but you have to go on with life and starting helping yourself at some point.  It's amazing that there is such a difference in the coverage of both of these events.

Yes,I know.You misread what I was trying to say.

I said that their general attitude there,to just roll with the flow,don't worry about tomorrow,ect ect was a great deal of the problem.They got PLENTY of help.All but those nurses in that hospital with those patients,left with rising water,the power and generator off,trying to care for them in 100+ temp and no light,and no medicines because thugs broke in on the first night and took all of the drugs from the hospital.

No,I wasn't saying that lack of help brought on the problems.We all pretty much know what was the deal down there.

Yes,they were genuine nurses.They did what they had to do with nothing to do it with.

Wendmil...yes I have become acquainted with a few of the evacuees as well.  It is really really sad!  3 years later and they cannot pick up there lives and move on.  Bad things happen to everyone...it's how we respond to them that shows what kind of stuff we are made of. 

By the way, if you would like to make a donation to help animals left homeless by the Midwestern floods, Petsmart Charities (a five star charity as rated by charity navigator) is using all money collected between the 17th and 22nd to help in the flooded areas.  Assistance includes food, supplies, and the "rescue waggins" to provide shelter, among other things.  If you would like to donate you can do so at your local Petsmart or www.petsmartcharities.org .

Well, I'm not sure that this is an apples to apples comparison.  My hometown was located on Sink Springs and Pergatory Creek (both correctly named) and we had bad floods and everyone else rose to the occasion and fixed up everything.  Then, finally, we got government built flood control dams and devices and most of the problems are gone. 

I'm certainly not taking away from what the folks in the Midwest have, and will continue to encounter, and I hope I am never even close to another flood of any level, but I think I'd rather deal with a terrible flood than a Class V hurricane, inner city, and political posturing of the federal government all rolled up into one.  Let's hope that the Katrina disaster helped the government and others deal with this disaster in a slightly better manner.  That we learned something and evolved. . .

Our little town took in something like four times the refugees from Katrina than we expected to, and the little ladies from the Methodist Church were handing out sack lunches before the Red Cross even bothered to show up.  We met all kinds of people from those who tried to take pillows and blankets from others to those who wouldn't accept a pillow because someone else might need it worse. 

And a slight aside:  Off the first bus, before we even were ready for them, there was a man with diabetes, having an attack.  We raced to the middle school cafeteria looking for something he should eat.  I don't remember what we found, but it was in a can and there were no can openers.  A tall man in a cowboy hat appeared, handed me a can opener/knife and then nobody ever saw him again in all the days of taking care of the evacuees.  Eerie.  Nice, but eerie. 

Good post.  I think you make the point for many on this board.  That is . . . help should be around the  corner, literally, in your own backyard first.  Starting with your neighbor, then your local church, your mayor and your governor.

In this instance, many localities were literally blown away and the mayor and governor struggled with a timely response.  But by that time it was easier to blame Bush in Washington. 

JMO

One of the things that makes me so darn mad about the Katrina disaster was that they knew it was coming, they knew they are living in an area that's was below sea level, they knew that their sea walls were seriously deficient, and yet the Governor and Mayor didn't act.  Scores of school buses sat only to be flooded instead of being used....  and the Gov and Mayor had the audacity to blame everyone else for how many folks were left behind.

One of the things that makes me so darn mad about the Katrina disaster was that they knew it was coming, they knew they are living in an area that's was below sea level, they knew that their sea walls were seriously deficient, and yet the Governor and Mayor didn't act.  Scores of school buses sat only to be flooded instead of being used....  and the Gov and Mayor had the audacity to blame everyone else for how many folks were left behind.

That really bothered me as well.  I wouldn't have dreamed of staying, even if I had to steal a car to get out.  There were plenty of those floating around too.

I choose not to live below sea level. I choose not to live in a flood plain. I chose to build up on a bit of a hill..... On solid rock. The way I see it, if you lived in "N.O.", and you almost drowned because of the flooding....... Then you must have chosen to do so. Anyone with one eye and half sense would have been long gone several days before that storm struck. I'm more than glad to try to help someone that's trying to help themselves, but to live in as hole and then be PO'ed at the world because your hole filled with water....I sure hate it for you..... Move, go where the water ain't!! So far as the mid-west folks go, most have been through something like this before (1993) and they survived... I'm sure they'll survive another one.

There is just a basic difference in the make-up of folks that want to help themselves, versues those that want the government to solve all their problems.

Good point.  And if memory serves me, Washington declared a "Disaster Area" BEFORE Katrina even hit, an unprecedented move, just so state and local authorities would have the funding in place to react immediately.  But Bush still got blamed.  lol. 

That would be a good story to appear in "Guideposts."!! You know who that cowboy was! Just had his wings hidden.

My nephew has been working in New Orleans this spring.  While home on a visit I asked him about his job.  He was building a gym for a high school. I asked him who his workers were. He said his crews were all Hispanic, most didn't speak any english. He said they were Honduras. I asked if why they had hired him from Utah, flown him doen and were paying for a hotel and rental car,  and hired migrant labor from south of the border for the workers. Were there no able bodied workers in N.O. looking for work?

He said every day as he drove to work he would pass swarms of locals sitting on the dike in lawn chairs. They would set up the chairs and watch him and his crew work on the high school. He said they had to hire folks from out of state and pay them a per diem to go work in NO because the locals don't want jobs.

He was amazed at how many of the locals were living in FEMA trailers with a Mercede's parked out side. And every day he saw a house burn down. He said the scuttle butt was that as FEMA requested the trailers be returned folks were torching their flooded house rather than repair it, Since they had spent the money on a fancy car and had no repair money left. Now that is hear saw on my part. I don't know if that is the true story. Just what was told to me by a young man who worked in New Orleans for 3 months this spring.

I have noticed the difference in values of those being flooded now vs New Orleans survivors.

It is easy to sit in judgement on a situation you have never faced.  As someone who lives on the coast and is constantly threatened by tropical storms, I can tell you that as many times as the forecasters get people all excited that the "big one" is going to hit and then nothing happens, it does become difficult to take it too seriously.

     I lived near the coast in TX for 8yrs (Kingsville) and every time so much as a tropical storm approached our area I was ready to go.  I don't care what anyone else thinks/thought.  My kids are more important than $100 in deisel.   I had found a place that does overnight stabling and talked to them about hurricanes and they said if it happened we were welcome to stay in our trailer on the property with no charge for us or the horses for a week and they would let us have a stall for the dogs as well if we didn't have room in the trailer.

     When we were hit by a tornado and flooded by the 14" of rain that accompanied it, it was us helping neighbours and them helping us.  I rounded up their cattle with my horses and they allowed me to put my horses in their barn because ours blew away and our pasture was flooded. 

     The big problem in Houston was that people didn't follow the evacuation orders.  If they had left when they were supposed to it wouldn't have been so bad.  They tried to stagger the evacuation but everyone ignored the directions and tried to leave at once.  And yes, I know.  My family is there and they were supposed to leave first but the road was already packed.  They decided to take the back roads instead and got out a lot faster than trying to stay on the highway. 

"When we were hit by a tornado and flooded by the 14" of rain that accompanied it, it was us helping neighbours and them helping us.  I rounded up their cattle with my horses and they allowed me to put my horses in their barn because ours blew away and our pasture was flooded." 

Yeah, but your were willing to help yourself, just like the people with the flooding right now. Not like the people still living in the FEMA trailers sitting in lawn chairs watching shipped in labor rebuild a community. How come those that are least willing to help themselves, get the most help?