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Sep. 6th, 2005 11:37 amQuote from here : "In some cases, it's real easy. They're sitting on the porch with their bags packed," said Joe Youdell of the Kentucky Air National Guard. "But some don't want to leave and we can't force them."
I've seen similar things said in other online articles, on tv news programs, and in print newspaper articles. 'We can't force people to evacuate'.
I fail to grok why.
Before the storm hit, yeah, I can see that without a mandatory evacuation declared by the correct governmental authority, nobody could be forced to leave the expected area of the hurricane's effect.
But now?!
The areas in question have been declared national disaster areas. There's raw sewage and possible decaying human and animal bodies floating in the water surrounding these hold-outs. There's automatic guns shooting in the streets and looting and all kinds of Mad Max-esque things. Once the local power grid has been restored, there will probably be downed wires floating in as-yet-undrained areas or draped over ruined houses and scattered on the ground that will suddenly go live, causing a serious hazard.
Why can't people be forced to leave such a dangerous area? If there was a terror threat, or a train carrying hazardous materials of some type had overturned, people would be forcibly evacuated, right? I've seen it done. Why not now?
(For that matter, why the hell would anyone want to stay?! If you're living on the second or third story, or the *attic* with a crudely sawn out hole in your roof, it's a SIGN, people! Nobody's going to be looting your house unless they stole SCUBA gear from one of the submerged sporting goods stores. And not even Ninja Pizza will be delivering to your door anytime soon. Let the nice National Guardsmen evacuate you, and go file a probably fruitless claim with your insurance agency for your home, or go visit your Aunt Mathilda or Cousin Ray-Ray until you can start a new life. Please.)
Also: Anyone using the non-words "de-water" or "de-watering" in my presence, when there is a perfectly good English word already in existence, "drain", to describe what needs to happen to the city of New Orleans, well, you will be defenestrated from the penthouse level of the nearest high-rise. Survivors will be defenestrated again. ::sends mental bolts of hatred at the language-murdering guy from the Army Corps of Engineers who used the non-word in a live television interview:: >_<
Note to snuggly husband: No, I won't be defenestrating you. ::unsettling smile:: I can think of much much worse things to do to you if you decide to bait me by gratuitous usage of "de-water".
I've seen similar things said in other online articles, on tv news programs, and in print newspaper articles. 'We can't force people to evacuate'.
I fail to grok why.
Before the storm hit, yeah, I can see that without a mandatory evacuation declared by the correct governmental authority, nobody could be forced to leave the expected area of the hurricane's effect.
But now?!
The areas in question have been declared national disaster areas. There's raw sewage and possible decaying human and animal bodies floating in the water surrounding these hold-outs. There's automatic guns shooting in the streets and looting and all kinds of Mad Max-esque things. Once the local power grid has been restored, there will probably be downed wires floating in as-yet-undrained areas or draped over ruined houses and scattered on the ground that will suddenly go live, causing a serious hazard.
Why can't people be forced to leave such a dangerous area? If there was a terror threat, or a train carrying hazardous materials of some type had overturned, people would be forcibly evacuated, right? I've seen it done. Why not now?
(For that matter, why the hell would anyone want to stay?! If you're living on the second or third story, or the *attic* with a crudely sawn out hole in your roof, it's a SIGN, people! Nobody's going to be looting your house unless they stole SCUBA gear from one of the submerged sporting goods stores. And not even Ninja Pizza will be delivering to your door anytime soon. Let the nice National Guardsmen evacuate you, and go file a probably fruitless claim with your insurance agency for your home, or go visit your Aunt Mathilda or Cousin Ray-Ray until you can start a new life. Please.)
Also: Anyone using the non-words "de-water" or "de-watering" in my presence, when there is a perfectly good English word already in existence, "drain", to describe what needs to happen to the city of New Orleans, well, you will be defenestrated from the penthouse level of the nearest high-rise. Survivors will be defenestrated again. ::sends mental bolts of hatred at the language-murdering guy from the Army Corps of Engineers who used the non-word in a live television interview:: >_<
Note to snuggly husband: No, I won't be defenestrating you. ::unsettling smile:: I can think of much much worse things to do to you if you decide to bait me by gratuitous usage of "de-water".
