Found by Shel, a phenomenal blog detailing some of the street-level issues going on in NOLA:
Sobering post from today:
In case anyone in national security is reading this, get the word to President Bush that we need the military in here NOW. The Active Duty Armed Forces. Mr. President, we are losing this city. I don’t care what you’re hearing on the news. The city is being lost. It is the law of the jungle down here. The command and control structure here is barely functioning. I’m not sure it’s anyone’s fault — I’m not sure it could be any other way at this point. We need the kind of logistical support and infrastructure only the Active Duty military can provide. The hospitals are in dire straights. The police barely have any capabilities at this point. The National Guard is doing their best, but the situation is not being contained. I’m here to help in anyway I can, but my capabilities are limited and dropping. Please get the military here to maintain order before this city is lost.
Wow. I’m just more and more shaken by the news coming from NOLA. So much suffering, and the real suffering hasn’t started yet. Right now, people are suffering from immediate loss…loss of home, loss of friends, loss of family. Later will come the real hardship: no job, no paycheck, no insurance. What do you do when not only is everyplace and everyone you know gone, but everything you know is gone. The whole city is gone. The people who are still in NOLA are the ones without cars, without resources to get out of the city in the first place. What can they possibly do after this?
