Louisiana's Storm Took Strong As Well as Helpless (NYT) (Heartbreaking!)

[CoffeeCat]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/18/national/nationalspecial/18victims.html?hp&ex=1134882000&en=525242c094a9073e&ei=5094&partner=homepage

NEW ORLEANS - More than 100 of them drowned. Sixteen died trapped in attics. More than 40 died of heart failure or respiratory problems, including running out of oxygen. At least 65 died because help - shelter, water or a simple dose of insulin - came too late.

A study by The New York Times of more than 260 Louisianans who died during Hurricane Katrina or its aftermath found that almost all survived the height of the storm but died in the chaos and flooding that followed.

Of those who failed to heed evacuation orders, many were offered a ride or could have driven themselves out of danger - a finding that contrasts with earlier reports that victims were trapped by a lack of transportation. Most victims were 65 or older, but of those below that age, more than a quarter were ill or disabled.

(snip)

Among them was Althea Lala, 76, who suffered a heart attack while trying to saw through her roof. Prosper Louis Flint, blind, diabetic and dehydrated, was one of at least 19 people who died in the hot sun on Interstate 10, according to the state health department, waiting for help to come. Donise Marie Davis, 28, fell to her death from the rope of a rescue helicopter. Todd Lopez, 42, pushed his girlfriend's family into an attic before the water overtook him. Paul Haynes, 78, told his wife, "Marge, don't worry about me. I know how to survive."

(snip)

In Arabi, the St. Bernard town adjacent to the Lower Ninth Ward, the water came so fast that Kenneth Young did not have time to save his wife of 56 years, Gloria, who was partly paralyzed and bedridden, relatives said. He stayed with her until the last possible moment, watching her drown before he narrowly escaped to the attic, where the couple's daughter waited.

[Pirate Smile]

1. So many terribly sad stories.

"Vanessa Pereira, Alexandra's grown sister and, now, her caretaker, had been evacuated but used her cellphone to stay in contact with her mother during the ordeal and made dozens of calls to find help. "I was just telling them stuff like, 'She's having a heart attack. She's with an 11-year-old child, you can't let this happen,' " Vanessa Pereira said. "The rescue people that were talking to me were crying."

Ms. Pereira said she lost more than her mother and her home - she lost her "false sense of protection," the notion that the government would be there to help in a crisis."

[uppityperson]

2. stories and stories and how many dead will never be found

RIP you whose bodies will not be found. RIP you whose bodies were. I hope we can find some sort of accounting and peace with all this. so sad

[Helga Scow Stern]

3. Recommended. We need to pay attention to this.

[OneBlueSky]

4. if something similar had happened in a wealthy white community . . .

within two or three days there would have been an army of workers armed with chainsaws and crowbars cutting holes in EVERY single attic to make sure no one was trapped . . . as it was, this was a poor black community, and apparently not worth the time, the effort, or the expense . . . disgusting . . .

[Laura PourMeADrink]

5. NYT: Louisiana's Deadly Storm Took Strong as Well as the Helpless

Louisiana's Deadly Storm Took Strong as Well as the Helpless


By SHAILA DEWAN and JANET ROBERTS
Published: December 18, 2005

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press
Herbert Freeman Jr. and Veronica White before the funeral service for his mother, Ethel Freeman.

Where the Deaths Occurred
The New York Times examined the deaths of more than 260 Louisiana hurricane victims. Specific locations were available for more than 120 in the New Orleans area.

HOW TO HELP A partial list of relief organizations and other information on the Web. YOUR STORY Share your experiences via e-mail or in this forum. NEW ORLEANS - More than 100 of them drowned. Sixteen died trapped in attics. More than 40 died of heart failure or respiratory problems, including running out of oxygen. At least 65 died because help - shelter, water or a simple dose of insulin - came too late.

A study by The New York Times of more than 260 Louisianans who died during Hurricane Katrina or its aftermath found that almost all survived the height of the storm but died in the chaos and flooding that followed.

Of those who failed to heed evacuation orders, many were offered a ride or could have driven themselves out of danger - a finding that contrasts with earlier reports that victims were trapped by a lack of transportation. Most victims were 65 or older, but of those below that age, more than a quarter were ill or disabled.

snip
http://nytimes.com/2005/12/18/national/nationalspecial/18victims.html?hp

[No Exit]

6. Fascinating article.

Of them all, the most startling one was the guy in his 40's who died of a mastoid infection which he got after the storm. That is TREATABLE! Yet there was no medical treatment available. Unbe-effing-lievable.