CNN article on what likely scenarios will unveil in New Orleans. "Chemical fishbowl"

[Cory W]

(CNN) -- Flooding expected from Hurricane Katrina could wreak catastrophe on New Orleans, overwhelming its water and sewage systems, damaging its structures and leaving survivors in a bowl of toxic soup, a top hurricane expert said Sunday.

Landfall is expected early Monday. (Latest report)

"We need to recognize we may be about to experience our equivalent of the Asian tsunami, in terms of the damage and the numbers of people that can be killed," said Ivor van Heerden, director of the Louisiana State University Public Health Research Center in Baton Rouge.

Some 25 feet of standing water is expected in many parts of the city -- almost twice the height of the average home -- and computer models suggest that more than 80 percent of buildings would be badly damaged or destroyed, he said. (Watch a report on the worst-case scenario)

Floodwaters from the east will carry toxic waste from the "Industrial Canal" area, nicknamed after the chemical plants there. From the west, floodwaters would flow through the Norco Destrehan Industrial Complex, which includes refineries and chemical plants, said van Heerden, who has studied computer models about the impact of a strong hurricane for four years.

"These chemical plants are going to start flying apart, just as the other buildings do," he predicted. "So, we have the potential for release of benzene, hydrochloric acid, chlorine and so on."

That could result in severe air and water pollution, he said.

In New Orleans, which lies below sea level, gas and diesel tanks are all located above ground for the same reason that bodies are buried above ground. In the event of a flood, "those tanks will start to float, shear their couplings, and we'll have the release of these rather volatile compounds," van Heerden added.

Because gasoline floats on water, "we could end up with some pretty severe and large -- area-wise -- fires."

"So, we're looking at a bowl full of highly contaminated water with contaminated air flowing around and, literally, very few places for anybody to go where they'll be safe."

He went further.

"So, imagine you're the poor person who decides not to evacuate: Your house will disintegrate around you. The best you'll be able to do is hang on to a light pole, and while you're hanging on, the fire ants from all the mounds -- of which there is two per yard on average -- will clamber up that same pole. And, eventually, the fire ants will win."

The levees intended to protect the city vary in height, from as low as 10 feet above sea level to about 14 feet, he said. They too are vulnerable, because they are made of earth, he said.
Disaster waiting to happen

Previous studies have suggested a catastrophic toll in lives and property if a major hurricane were to hit the New Orleans area, where about 1.3 million people live.

Walter Maestri, the emergency management chief in neighboring Jefferson Parish, said Hurricane Georges in 1998 could have killed as many as 44,000 people had it struck the city directly.

"The way it's described, we describe it here, is Lake Pontchartrain has now become Lake New Orleans," he told CNN in 2004.

Van Heerden said levees built to protect New Orleans from Lake Pontchartrain could be buffeted by waves from the lake, which is about 23 miles by 35 miles in area.

"You're going to have enormous waves develop on that lake, especially with as much as 14 hours of hurricane-force winds." Those waves will erode the levees, raising the possibility of their collapse, he said.

"This is what we've been saying has been going to happen for years," he said. "Unfortunately, it's coming true."

Rick Luettich, a professor at the University of North Carolina's Institute of Marine Sciences, compared Katrina's expected impact on areas far up the Mississippi to "grabbing the end of the bed cover and giving it a hard snap."

That snap will push "probably in excess of 10 feet" of floodwater up the river, he predicted. "It will propagate up the river like a wave," past Baton Rouge, more than 70 miles away, he said.

For 15 years, Luettich has been developing a hydrodynamic circulation model -- called AdCirc -- that he said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has endorsed to help emergency managers predict storm damage.

Apologizing for the possibility that his comment could be interpreted as somewhat ghoulish, he said, "This is, in some ways, a little bit exciting for us, because it's a real opportunity to test this technology we've developed and see how well it works."

[xclusive]

Poor fucking people I hope that it isn't as bad as it's looking

[Sami]

Yeah I just finished reading that article.

[baddog]

it isn't going to be pretty, that is for sure

[mardigras]

This mess is going to fuck up much more than New Orleans.

As I posted earlier, the movie Oil Storm which was set in Sept 2005 is eerily only a few days off in it's time setting

[Greg B]

I had just asked you guys about the toxic and sewage plants. It's a scenario of mega FUBARs.

Dig it,hot weather, toxic wastes, standing water, mosquitos.

The ONLY way this could be more fucked up than it is is for Godzilla to be found sleeping under the mud of the Mississippi delta.

[throwdown]

this is the best part

"So, imagine you're the poor person who decides not to evacuate: Your house will disintegrate around you. The best you'll be able to do is hang on to a light pole, and while you're hanging on, the fire ants from all the mounds -- of which there is two per yard on average -- will clamber up that same pole. And, eventually, the fire ants will win."

[pornstar2pac]

those fucking fireants

[DarkJedi]

is it time to ckrack up "niggers can't swim" jokes ?

[Shoehorn!]

Fuck thats horrible.

[throwdown]

Originally Posted by DarkJedi

is it time to ckrack up "niggers can't swim" jokes ?

yup

why cant they swim ?

[Pete-KT]

thats fucked up

[cool1g]

i happened to listen to that guy live on CNN - interesting stuff. i guess landfall is what, 3 hours away?

[OsirisID]

Originally Posted by cool1g

i happened to listen to that guy live on CNN - interesting stuff. i guess landfall is what, 3 hours away?

About that, yes...

[CuriousToyBoy]

Scary shit.

No pun intended.

:-(

[Dukes]

My little sister lives in New Orleans, I tried calling her but got no answer, I hope she's ok

[Red Ezra]

duke - I hope so too - I have family in baton rouge an hour north

[KellyK]

Mardi gras!!!

[PixeLs]

Oh my God. I hope, the state government already thought about this worst scenario even before this hurricane was seen coming.

[DTK]

Looks like NO will avoid a direct hit.....the damage will be pretty terrible still, but it looks like the "Lake New Orleans" scenario isn't going to happen.

[reed_4]

that would be a horrible thing to happen.

[DTK]

Originally Posted by reed_4

that would be a horrible thing to happen.

Hey, I've got a great idea! Why don't you and the rest of the klikrevenue sigwhores go play in it?

[AvsTgp]

Its So Great To See The Before And After!
Bump

[Doctor Dre]

So great ? Are you a fucking retard

[FelixFlow]

Originally Posted by DTK

Looks like NO will avoid a direct hit.....the damage will be pretty terrible still, but it looks like the "Lake New Orleans" scenario isn't going to happen.

damn, it's chilling to read this once we see what happened afterward

[AvsTgp]

im not getting into this with you becuse from your name I see your black! so stop picking on words and taking them out of context ..
meanwhile tell your bros or neggas and crew and homies and animals to live up to the fact that its not americas fault and its not the govt. or the bureaucracy at fault its the fact that your caged animals just waiting to get out and pick a fight just like your looking to pick a fight right now!
We had a similar catastrophe here in NY you might have heard of it it was called 9-11
but instead of looting and raping in the mayhem we all stuck together and relied on something called human spirit! to help each other NOT TURN ON EACH OTHER!
and I have never considered myself a racist but this has drawn the line deeper and, I never believed in generalizing a group of people based on the actions of a few ....but here is the action of many and, so far NOT ONE STORY of help and heroism, only terror and fear!
so FUCK YOU

[DTK]

Originally Posted by FelixFlow

damn, it's chilling to read this once we see what happened afterward

Yeah, the "best of the worst-case secenario" was still pretty much utter devastation

[Rui]

things are fucked up to say the least....hopefully people will take notes of all this...

[Linkster]

Originally Posted by AvsTgp

I never believed in generalizing a group of people based on the actions of a few ....but here is the action of many and, so far NOT ONE STORY of help and heroism, only terror and fear!
so FUCK YOU

Then why dont you wait and see the real acts of heroism instead of relying on what the news media is blowing out of proportion - there are thousands of cases of the "group of people" that are helping police officers, helping rescue people and being heros every day down here - but that doesnt make the news cause its not inciteful enough

[Bladewire]

Originally Posted by AvsTgp

im not getting into this with you becuse from your name I see your black! so stop picking on words and taking them out of context ..
meanwhile tell your bros or neggas and crew and homies and animals to live up to the fact that its not americas fault and its not the govt. or the bureaucracy at fault its the fact that your caged animals just waiting to get out and pick a fight just like your looking to pick a fight right now!
We had a similar catastrophe here in NY you might have heard of it it was called 9-11
but instead of looting and raping in the mayhem we all stuck together and relied on something called human spirit! to help each other NOT TURN ON EACH OTHER!
and I have never considered myself a racist but this has drawn the line deeper and, I never believed in generalizing a group of people based on the actions of a few ....but here is the action of many and, so far NOT ONE STORY of help and heroism, only terror and fear!
so FUCK YOU

Right you're not a racist but poor, mostly black, human beings desperate for food and shelter, are "caged animals" and they're all "bros or neggas and crew and homies and animals"

9-11 consisted of two building falling to the ground in a one city block radius. People had electricity. Phones worked. The fire and police were able to get to the twin towers because the roads weren't flooded in twelve feet, or higher, of water.

The area affected in the Gulf, however, is the size of Great Britain and flooded with no electricity, phones, or means to get to people and help them. It's called anarchy, no matter your race the same rules apply, hopefully one day you wont have to find this out for yourself.

I don't know what news you've been watching.. but I've seen story after story of "black" people helping each other oh and wheeling out "white" old folks from nursing homes, feeding them, caring for them, on the street. Oh and carrying two little white babies , after they saved them from drowning like their dead parents did. You've obviously seen what you've wanted to see.

Oh and by the way, I'm "white" so you can add me to the list of people who don't give a FUCK what color someones skin is or how much money they have, especially when it comes to someones life depending on me, or my life depending on them.

[Trixie Racer]

Link, please? I'd like to send this to others without linking to GFY.

[tony286]

it is such a nightmare

[DaddyHalbucks]

Scary prediction, amazingly accurate.

[AvsTgp]

Originally Posted by Linkster

Then why dont you wait and see the real acts of heroism instead of relying on what the news media is blowing out of proportion - there are thousands of cases of the "group of people" that are helping police officers, helping rescue people and being heros every day down here - but that doesnt make the news cause its not inciteful enough

In certain ways you are right and I do feel horrible for them, and some of my comments were just out of anger ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/04/na.../04coping.html
...........
But the floodwater did not bring the people of New Orleans together in the same way earthquakes or fires often do. It drove most of them out. And in the apparent absence of any functioning authority to coordinate security and rescue efforts, those left behind lapsed into a kind of corrosive social anarchy that will color their already painful memories with shame or horror, experts say.

When caught in frightening situations without clear rules, most people look to others around them for guidance in how to behave, psychologists say. The rules that normally restrain people's actions - "Do not break into a store and steal a plasma TV," for example - fall by the wayside when hundreds of other people are ignoring them. And in a variety of experiments, researchers have shown that a single leader can drive group behavior.

"That person may do something good, like rush to help in an emergency, and others follow," said Suzanne Yates, a psychologist at Lehman College in the Bronx. "But if people start looting, and nothing happens to them, you get a kind of cascade, and a new norm of behavior is established, which makes it more crucial for those in authority to take some control."

It does not take long for misdemeanors to become major crimes.

"Our experiments have shown that you can get people to commit immoral acts one step at a time," said Elliot Aronson, a psychologist at the University of California in Santa Cruz, in an e-mail message. "People who would never dream of stealing a TV set might be inclined to do so if they first stole some water, bread, cereal, milk and so on."

In an analysis of the 1977 blackout in New York City, researchers at the New York State Psychiatric Institute concluded that small-time criminals began the looting but that "within two hours," the researchers wrote, "it became apparent that the situation was not going to end quickly, and thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens joined in what was to become the largest collective theft in history."

In that situation, however, hunger, thirst and fear were not driving people to take the basic necessities of life, which was part of the situation in New Orleans.

In the long recovery ahead for New Orleans, law-abiding residents who went beyond small acts of self-preservation to larger transgressions might have more than water damage to repair. "We know from studies of soldiers that people who are perpetrators of what they consider to be atrocious acts need tremendous compassion from others to reclaim and re-own their humanity," Dr. Marmar said.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
all they needed is to help eachother and then people would have all been ashamed and wouldnt have snowballed into such mayhem!
and what the fuck are they taking TV`s for?? they dont even have a house to put it in! where were they taking it??
However I dont wish that on anyone and my heart goes out to all out there and I hope to god they all are safe and sound!

[AvsTgp]

Originally Posted by Squirtit

Right you're not a racist but poor, mostly black, human beings desperate for food and shelter, are "caged animals" and they're all "bros or neggas and crew and homies and animals"

9-11 consisted of two building falling to the ground in a one city block radius. People had electricity. Phones worked. The fire and police were able to get to the twin towers because the roads weren't flooded in twelve feet, or higher, of water.

The area affected in the Gulf, however, is the size of Great Britain and flooded with no electricity, phones, or means to get to people and help them. It's called anarchy, no matter your race the same rules apply, hopefully one day you wont have to find this out for yourself.

I don't know what news you've been watching.. but I've seen story after story of "black" people helping each other oh and wheeling out "white" old folks from nursing homes, feeding them, caring for them, on the street. Oh and carrying two little white babies , after they saved them from drowning like their dead parents did. You've obviously seen what you've wanted to see.

Oh and by the way, I'm "white" so you can add me to the list of people who don't give a FUCK what color someones skin is or how much money they have, especially when it comes to someones life depending on me, or my life depending on them.

See my previos post!

[Linkster]

Originally Posted by AvsTgp

...........
But the floodwater did not bring the people of New Orleans together in the same way earthquakes or fires often do. It drove most of them out. And in the apparent absence of any functioning authority to coordinate security and rescue efforts, those left behind lapsed into a kind of corrosive social anarchy that will color their already painful memories with shame or horror, experts say.

BS - the ones that did stay are working together the best they can - the little cases of where a few thugs got out of hand (this is out of approximately 100 thousand that are still there) got blown way out of proportion by the news media. Period
There is no anarchy - these experts and news bytes are what is needed by the media to color their reporting to compete for awards - they are not factual - and the sooner people start realizing that the rumours that were spread by the media because they heard a little story and turned it into fact - will be forgotten 10 days from now - the media could only access two points in an area the size of Great Britain - and that is all they saw other than some clips from helicopters - those 2 places being the superdome and the convention center on the river - there are hundreds of other gathering points where everything is going just fine, people are being evacuated, and everyone is working together
Please stop spreading these myths even more - and then justifying them with supposed experts on shock and awe

[zafada]

it's karma.

[AvsTgp]

Originally Posted by Linkster

BS - the ones that did stay are working together the best they can - the little cases of where a few thugs got out of hand (this is out of approximately 100 thousand that are still there) got blown way out of proportion by the news media. Period
There is no anarchy - these experts and news bytes are what is needed by the media to color their reporting to compete for awards - they are not factual - and the sooner people start realizing that the rumours that were spread by the media because they heard a little story and turned it into fact - will be forgotten 10 days from now - the media could only access two points in an area the size of Great Britain - and that is all they saw other than some clips from helicopters - those 2 places being the superdome and the convention center on the river - there are hundreds of other gathering points where everything is going just fine, people are being evacuated, and everyone is working together
Please stop spreading these myths even more - and then justifying them with supposed experts on shock and awe

You cant be more wrong! If anything they downplayed it out of respect for them as victims!
They had the chief of police of new orleans, WHOS BLACK openly describing the instances of how they had to control people without communication going into housing in groups of 10 getting shot at, and patting down the whole crowds to find out who was responsible!
He described over 100 police (mostly rookies) bailing out because they were scared! COPS SCARED!
The stench in the rooms and the garbage pile up was out of people fearing to go outside!
They showed the empty communication center with the chairs grouped in groups because they were so terrified!
Noone denies the violence ! they just justify it!
so stop your conspiracy theories and remember the media is left not right!
if not for the media there still wouldnt be federal help out there,
They pulled in a whole police force FROM RESCUING LIVE PEOPLE, to try to control the city, thats a fact, and that order came directly from the mayor you think he woulod abandon a search and rescue effort for a RUMOR????