Back from Katrina

[JUMA]

After being without electricity a week from Hurricane Katrina, I'm just now able to get back online. Still have 2 trees through my roof, but considering the plights of others, I feel blessed. Feels good to just look at my teams as a diversion.
Please join me in donating $$ to the relief fund of your choice; the people of the MS & LA Gulf Coasts need it.

[ROBERTRAINES]

From what I've seen, the McCormick Tribute Foundation is the best place to donate. 100% of the donations go to Katrina relief, with the foundation picking up the administrative expenses.

[NEILKAHN]

JUMA! Where do you live? I assume NOT New Orleans, I do not believe they have power yet. This is unbelievable. Worst natural disaster I can remember in US history.

[JUMA]

Live 45 minutes north of New Orleans. The wind that blew my trees down forced Lake Ponchartrain over its banks into the city...but without the levee breaks, this horror story would not have occurred...at least to this magnitude.

[modmark46]

Glad you are OK. My brother lives about 120 north of Biloxi, in MS. Took me three days to reach him on the phone. I was getting more and more worried, as the Hurricane basically went right over his house. Fortunately, he and his wife were OK. They only sustained minimal property damage, but were told they may be without power for weeks. This is just an unbelievable catastrophe, with a magnitude of tragedy that, I fear, will grow over the coming weeks.

[Play By The Rules]

Disaster management officials knew that the levee system could not handle more than a category three. The Bush administration is lying when they say this was a surprise.

Good thing you live on the North Shore. Hopefully you'll be back pretty soon, for people in the city it's another story.

[JUMA]

The worst case scenario for New Orleans has been known for well over twenty years. There have been scores of national, city and state politicians who have given lip service to the subject while crossing their fingers it wouldn't occur on their watch.

[Free Radicals]

JUMA glad to hear you're ok ,be it in a whole new situation , your alive and kickin . Here in Texas we have tried all we can to help out and now that the Feds and other states are helping in the total picture I truely hope the situation becomes bright for the folks of the Golf Coast . Blame is not to be laid at this time . We all know a cat 4-5 anywhere can be devestating and also knew long ago of New Orleans plight if hit . The living is the priority now and making some sort of normalcy for the folks of the gulf . Again , glad to see your ok man ! Von

[Roosky]

too bad the mayor of New Orleans was to stupid to listen when they were told to evacuate the city.

[JUMA]

Actually, Mayor Nagin was quite vocal beforehand in strongly recommending people evacuate (& a lot of people did.) There are a lot of people down here who stayed because they figured if they rode out "Betsy" and "Camille" and survived, "Katrina" was a lesser threat.

There were also a bunch of people in New Orleans and the MS Coast without the means to leave, or a place to run that they could afford.

I would add that Nagin, in my opinion, is the best mayor New Orleans has had in decades. His predecessors seemed to do a better job lining their pockets and those of their cronies than governing the city.