My thoughts and prayers are going out to EVERYONE affected by this storm. Whether or not they chose to evacuate is a moot point, as are their reasons for their decision.

quote Originally posted by AaronZ34: … I, as an emergency worker, would be happy to assist her to safety, and would do everything in my power to ensure she would be ok.

Perhaps you would, but I get the feeling from your post that it’s not for the same reasons that "emergency workers" choose to do what they do. I would not find your posts in this thread very reassuring if I found myself in the position of needing your assistance. IMHO, your attitude is not representative of those emergency workers who put themselves on the line to assist others, and you are doing them a grave disservice by "representing them".

~Ellen

quote Originally posted by AaronZ34: Does anyone agree?

Every one up here does. I'm not going to be condesending, but god how stupid can you be not too leave?

And yes Minni greene I did read her posts, tell that to some who thinks no one had a real warning. Sometimes it does make me mad how people spend thousands of dollars, every newscast in the nation says "evacuate", and someone decides they'll be ok. Mabye they'll listen next time.

Everyone makes bad decisions, one time or another, and some of them can be disastrous. Thank God Tress and 007 did not drown in the storm. I'd be willing to bet that they'll never decide to 'ride it out' again...

quote Originally posted by SC Coupe: Everyone makes bad decisions, one time or another, and some of them can be disastrous. Thank God Tress and 007 did not drown in the storm. I'd be willing to bet that they'll never decide to 'ride it out' again...

LOL I hope not. Too bad about the Hottie though. It will be amazing to see what will happen too New Orleans. Good luck everbody.

quote Originally posted by Emc209i: But then again, it seems you feel that they are compelled to risk their life for someone like you without second though.

I am assuming you meant thought.

My feeling is that it doesn’t matter whether you stayed or evacuated. Someone who is committed to helping others does so because they want to. They want to because they put themselves before others and not because they need to draw attention to themselves for their “sacrificial” efforts. As always, everyone is entitled to their opinion and it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.

Me? I would have left. Some didn’t. Miss Tress was one of those that chose to stay, whatever her reasons. She and her husband are still in my thoughts and prayers, and I feel deserve assistance from those in a position to do so without criticism.

~Ellen

It's my understanding that the water level hasn't yet crested in New Orleans; and it may not for a while yet, because of the rain being dumped by Katrina on points north (N.O. still has the mighty Mississippi to worry about!). Let's hope there was a way out of the attic, or that they really are on higher ground and the water doesn't rise any higher in their house...

quote Originally posted by Vonov: Let's hope there was a way out of the attic, or that they really are on higher ground and the water doesn't rise any higher in their house...

Well this has caused me to rethink my plans for flooding. I plan to add some "goodies" to my attic, namely an escape hatch and a small inflateable raft as the last resort means of escape.

quote Originally posted by jscott1: Well this has caused me to rethink my plans for flooding. I plan to add some "goodies" to my attic, namely an escape hatch and a small inflateable raft as the last resort means of escape.

You know, that's not a bad idea.

As for emergency workers, I was a volunteer emergency worker for many years. I volunteered for the Red Cross Disaster Services, as well as serving with out local Civil Air Patrol Search & Rescue and the local volunteer Rescue Squad. Without exception, all the people I worked with felt the same way, all human life is sacred and worth saving - even the stupid people.

We try to save the Nobel Peace Prize winner just as hard as we would the brain dead redneck who thought getting drunk and playing with his shotgun would be a good idea. We don't take time to analyze if they should have acted differently. All that matters is there is a person who needs help and we aim to give whatever aid possible. Now, if someone did something really stupid (like the guy who shot himself 4 times because he wanted to see what it felt like), we'll rag about him AFTER THE FACT, and certainly not where he could hear it. We tell lots of stories to blow off steam, but there is never any judgement of a victim who needs our aid.

But you do run into all types of people during an emergency, and everyone is frantic and nerves are on edge. Keeping one's cool under duress, especially when dealing with people who've lost all sense of reason, is not easy. That's one reason all of the volunteers from our group had buttons that read:

"Don't yell at me. I'm a VOLUNTEER!"

quote Originally posted by jscott1: Well this has caused me to rethink my plans for flooding. I plan to add some "goodies" to my attic, namely an escape hatch and a small inflateable raft as the last resort means of escape.

Ahhh, just move out west w/the chops. My choptop is in need of a choptop friend, hehe.

quote Originally posted by Formula88: 3 weeks is and you know it.

Thanks for telling me what I do and do not know.

I thought this one came from Africa, like most others. I honestly didn't know. The guy above you managed to be informative, without being a dick. And about their car, had you read my post, you would have read the part where I said I could understand her not leaving as a result of that. And yes, we can be here to tell people what they should do, it is information, emergency preperation. If they are still waiting for rescue, that's too bad, I wish them the ebst, and hope it comes soon. When it will, who knows? But is there a good time to tell someone they made a bad choice? Of course not, and I feel bad for doing so, but hopefully they, and others reading this, are able to learn from it, and prepare themselves.

BigRed88, you have no idea why I've chosen whatever profession I have, or will. The real honest reason is that I enjoy it. We got a call one night to an 87 year old male, cardiac respitory arrest. Assuming you don't know what this is, it is pretty serious. The entire run there, I couldn't get the smile off my face. What was I smiling about? Not the fact that I am going to watch CSFD pour thousands of dollars into an elderly man, and keep him alive for another few months(Which we did btw), but that I was there. I was in my favorite vehicle, listening to my favorite song, around my favorite people. I was in heaven, pure heaven. I have more fire engine dashcams than I do p0rn , and for comparrison, I have over a few GB's of p0rn ...I just love it, that is my best explanation. As for you not being reassured about my assistance, if you are in the position of needing it, then I bet you'd be taking all the help you can get, and I bet your mouth would be closed when my engine company pulled up. I'd take one look at you, and treat you like every other civilian I respond to. I would do nothing different, I'll hold grudges when human lives aren't on the line.

So becuase of my attitude it means that I would not be willing to lay my life upon the line? That's what you say when you say I don't represent the ones who would. You are very wrongly mistaken. Let me paste for you my favorite poem, my inspiration of life really. This is hung on the front door of my room, along with a pciture of me atop our 75ft aerial at a 2 alarm working structure fire, and is by an unknown author, titled The Last Alarm. It appears on the IAFF FFM in Colorado Springs, CO.

My father was a Fireman he drove a big red truck,
And when he’d go to work each day he’d say “Mother wish me luck.”

Then Dad would not come home again until sometime the next day,
But the thing that bothered me the most were the things some folks would say,

“A Fireman’s life is easy, he eats and sleeps and plays,
And sometimes he won’t fight a fire for days and days and days.”

When I first heard these words I was too young to understand,
But I knew when people had trouble, Dad was there to lend a hand.

Then my father went to work one day and kissed us all goodbye,
But little did we realize that night we all would cry.

My father lost his life that night when the floor gave way below,
And I’d wondered why he’d risk his life for someone he didn’t know.

But now I truly realize the greatest gift a man can give,
Is to lay his life upon the line so someone else may live.

So as we go from day to day and pray to God above,
Say a prayer for your local Fireman, he may save the ones you love.

Don't judge me becuase it isn't like me to hold my thoughts in. If I feel she made a terrbile decision, and ignored how much advice given to her, I'm goign to say it. Doesn't mean I won't crawl into her house to save her, just means that I think she screwed up. Most people have once they call us. But so did the kid who drove his car into a tree after a few shots, yet I still woke up at 3:30am and got an IV into his arm.

Emc209i(Weird name...What's its significance?), your last sentence of your first post is exactly how I feel.

As I said, I'd have no second thoughts about helping her, but fact remains, she brought it upon herself.

jscott1, that is a very wise idea. In addition, evacuate when they say to. They don't move you out "for fun," they do it to save your life, and others. The less enigne companies responding to people who swore they could "tough it out," the mre engine companies that can respond to the people whoc couldn't get out. If she physically could not get out at all, totally impossible, then what can I say, she should have been better prepared. But she still deserves the help like everyone else, I'm not saying just let her die. I'm just saying next time, prepare yourself so you can get out, it's better for everyone.

[This message has been edited by AaronZ34 (edited 08-29-2005).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AaronZ34:

BigRed88…cardiac respitory arrest. Assuming you don't know what this is, it is pretty serious…[QUOTE]

Actually, I am very familiar with cardiac arrest. I had a myocardial infarction due to an aortic dissection (assuming you know medical terminology) in March of 2002, so I’m pretty aware of the serious nature of a cardiac arrest.

I will repeat myself. It’s not WHAT you say, it’s how you say it. I’m going to take my ball and go home now.

BTW, I didn’t give you a negative for this post. I did, however, add a little green to Formula88’s bar. I haven’t happened to receive mine yet, but I kind of have my own personal ratings system. If I can look in the mirror in the morning and again at night, and feel good about how I’ve treated other people during that period, I give myself a +.

~Ellen

quote Originally posted by AaronZ34: Thanks for telling me what I do and do not know. I thought this one came from Africa, like most others. I honestly didn't know. The guy above you managed to be informative, without being a dick.

Just returning the favor. You were being a dick, so why should expect others to be any different?
You honestly didn't know... yet you made those inaccurate assumptions and used it as part of your reasoning for critizing someone's decisions - a person who is currently having to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane.

So, if you don't want people to be a dick to you, don't be one to others. And check your facts before you start spouting off.

quote Originally posted by AaronZ34: So becuase of my attitude it means that I would not be willing to lay my life upon the line? That's what you say when you say I don't represent the ones who would. You are very wrongly mistaken.

While I never said that, it's certainly the impression you give. That or you'd tell someone how stupid they were while trying to save their life. You don't come across like emergency service workers that I've known. Perhaps that's a mistake on my part. And perhaps you need to look in the mirror and wonder where I got the idea...

[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 08-29-2005).]

quote Originally posted by AaronZ34: Wow its looks as it I've been terribly mistaken, that is like 6 negatives since that post. Wow. I swear, having opinions on this board is sometimes just impossible. Looks like this one will probably get me banned though. Oh well, I'll be back. Unlimited emails and unlimited IPs will do that.

Geeze, you just go from one thread to the next pissing people off with your ignorant attitude and/or insults and then whine when you get negs from it. Do you want to get banned or what? Because all we see after each time you get called on the carpet is you then spewing this idiotic "I will probably get banned now but it's no big deal because I will be back due to unlimited IP's", blah, blah, blah. Do you cut and paste this stuff into each thread or what?

good luck and i hope everything is there for you and your city upon return and everyone can rebuild fully and have smiles on their faces again.

quote Originally posted by Fiero5: Do you want to get banned or what?

My guess is yes, so he can brag about being banned on the anti-forum.

Well, I truly hope that everyone in the storms path comes out of this ok. Cars can be replaced, even the Hottie, but people like Miss Tress can't. Please try and keep us updated.

Pardon me, but this may get a little long. I had a bad bad feeling about this from the very first post. I know that countryside well, as I lived and worked all over South La for more than a decade.
Actually Aaron probably thought the same thing I did when i 1st heard Miss Tress had elected to stay. "Are you nuts?" But, by the time she had posted, & I read the thread, the die was cast. It was simply too late.** I am really really thankful they are ok, but I've been thru too many of those storms not to recognize the dangers. There was plenty of time to leave. I don't even have cable news here, and I knew by Sat morning's dawn that N.O. was in deep doo doo. Enduring a Gulf Coast hurricane compared to one one the East coast as Tress said she had in the past, are 2 entirely different things. Double that difference when N.O. is thrown into the equation. If you are just a casual visitor to N.O., you probably will never notice the predictament. But, all you have to do, is climb up on any levee during normal times, and notice the difference between the riverl level and the ground level on the city side. It's immediately obvious how fragile the balance is. It looks like it is secure, because the levee is fairly high and very very thick, but as we all know, all it takes is a little leak, and any soil fill levee can soon be washed to the point that thousands of tons/hr are pouring in.

Now, to put a little perspective on this. The mayor of N.O. needs to be hung-litterally. He waited till the last minute to issue mandantory evacuation orders, and only then because the feds, the director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, and La. State Governor called him and told him in no uncertain terms to get everyone out NOW!. This was Sat mid morning. Too late for far too many people. We look to our leader for one thing--to lead. Thisman stated that he was hesitant to order people to leave their homes, because he was "unsure of the legality of such an order when there were no hurricane shelters available" to speak of." His 1st obligation is to the people of N.O., not to worry about legal ramifications. He should be hung. He should have done what so many other Gulf Coast mayors have done in the past. Err on the side of caution if need be, but give the order early enough to make a difference. Ask for the state and national guard to assist if there aren't enough transportation vehicles to move that many people.

** My son, who lives in Lafayette, & works just south of Baton Rouge La, left work Sat night for Port Fourchon, which is way to the south of New Orleans. He went down with his pickup, leading 2 tractor trailers to load up some expensive machineshop equipment at a division of theirs so it wouldn't be submerged. I hit the roof when he told me he was going, but he's pretty high up in management and decided it was what he needed to do. They made it ok, working thru the night loadin machinery, but drove back before dawn, in winds of 100 mph early this morning. It was a stupid thing to do, and I was up most of last night worrying about him, as I'm sure his wife was. I called in to work sick, which is why I was here posting this morning early-which is a rarity.
They literally were running north, just ahead of the storm as it pushed ashore. I was just so thankful to hear his voice this morning around 10 am. The fact that they made it safely tells me several things.
1. It was possible to get out of N.O. as late as Saturday night, as they drove thru there to get down to Port Fourchon.
2. Smart people do not-so-smart things at times--and are sometimes very lucky.
3. The mind set down there is different. They've bit the bullet so many time over the decades, they feel like 'the big one' really is just a figament of the media. They are Cajuns and can handle anything-so to speak.

Even now, they bit the bullet again. The storm moved east just enough at the last moment, to prevent the total disaster that was predicted. I hope it doesn't result in an increased sense of invulverability in the future.

Again, I really truely am thankful to hear our members are apparently safe, tho somewhat bruised, and I'm sure they did what they think was right at the time, but we all do have to look at the bigger picture, and that involves more than just our house and pets. Animals generally fare better than humans in extreme conditions such as flood water.

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 08-29-2005).]

Don thanks for the thoughtful post.

I am not all that familiar with the New Orleans topography, but having driven there twice in the past couple of months you can't help noticing all the water surrounding the city. I can't imagine what it was like driving across all those bridges just ahead of the storm. That must have been terrifying.

I personally am terrified of hurricanes and when I lived in Florida I made a conscious decision to live on the mainland as close to I-95 as possible. If the word to evacuate would have come I would have been in Georgia by the time the echo died out.

In Houston I live as far away from the water as is reasonably practical. If the word came to evacuate Houston I would be in Dallas by the time the echo died out. But that's just me, other people have other things to consider and it's impossible to say what you would do in their situation.

All I can say is that when I heard from Tress this morning I was relieved but at the same time I knew they were in a bad situation and it's going to be days/weeks/months before their lives return to anything approaching normal. As a group of Fiero enthusiasts all we can do is wish the victims the best and pray for their quick recovery from this disaster.

quote Originally posted by jscott1: Don thanks for the thoughtful post. If the word came to evacuate Houston I would be in Dallas by the time the echo died out.

and you'd have a place to stay as long as you needed, bro.

And Don, you make so much sense. I didn't even know you had a son, reading your post had me wondering what was coming next...

I'm glad to know that he is okay... must've added another gray hair or two on your mop

Glad to know that your son made it back safely, Don.

Has anyone heard anything else from Tress or anyone else down there?

Pretty sure they got warnings at least a couple of days. I would have split. Better safe than sorry. Hope everything works out for her though. The good side is she dont have an overheating Fiero problem anymore

Feels a bit like 911 all over again. It's depressing to watch CCN etc. What with the size of it, it's hard to believe that so many people dicided to Ride It Out. Thank God a lot didn't.

this is horrible!!!!!

im in atlanta GA
no home to go back to
no cell, no money, this really sucks......
im by a relatives house...
all my friends?????? i tried calling on this phone here....
Miss-Tress???
007???
4.9 pfi fiero?????
my fiero is probally gone!
i read that the hottie is gone and 007's car, and 4.9's car!!!!!!

DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

glad to hear you're ok though!

Exotic rida,

Be glad at least you got out of their with your life. Trust me once the government declares that place a disaster area and starts pumping in the monies, you will be able to recoup a lot.

I was really amazed when things went down here in florida at how people were able to file for losses here and there. The only problem i forsee is the sheer number of people affected.

You could be in for some long lines and waits.

Glad to hear you are OK. Please let us know when you're able to reach the others.

Larry

[This message has been edited by SC Coupe (edited 08-31-2005).]

Exotic Rida,

I'm glad you made it out okay. I'm sorry to hear about your losses, but you made it out alive, that's the most important thing.

The magnitude of this is enourmous. They are evacuating at least 35,000 refugees to Houston and house them in the Astrodome. They are set to stay there until December. I would expect that new Orleans will be unihabitable for months if not years. They are already telling the refugees to enroll their children in school here. The folks might as well call Houston their new home. I hope Tress and 007 are among the people coming to Houston.

Exotic rida

So glad you made it out safely!
I don't know what to say.....

If there is something we can do, please let us know.

quote Originally posted by Exotic Rida: this is horrible!!!!! im in atlanta GA no home to go back to no cell, no money, this really sucks...... im by a relatives house... all my friends?????? i tried calling on this phone here.... Miss-Tress??? 007??? 4.9 pfi fiero????? my fiero is probally gone! i read that the hottie is gone and 007's car, and 4.9's car!!!!!! DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes that is horrible, and I simply can't imagine being in that predicament. But, you made it out with your life, that is the most important thing. Complain all you want, but there are people who won't make it with their lives, won't even get the chance to try and rebuild. For them, this incident is terribly unfortunate. You at least have the opportunity to rebuild your lifestyle, and for that you should be grateful.

Good luck getting everything back together, hopefully you won't lose as much as you think once you return.

This is one occasion in which I fervently wish I'd been wrong (about the water rising). If anyone hears from Miss-Tress, or any of the other Gulf Coast members who are safe, please post. Glad you're okay, ExoticRida! A Fiero is replaceable; your particular make and human body style has been discontinued, and you are the only one there is. (tongue in cheek)
The rest of us need to realize, this is going to affect the entire country, perhaps drastically; the net effect is the same (only worse, at this point) as if a nuke had gone off there; be prepared for some hard times.

[This message has been edited by Vonov (edited 08-31-2005).]

Our hearts go out to you Exotic Rida, Miss-Tress, 007, 4.9 pfi fiero and everyone going through this tragic event in New Orleans. I will be relieved when I see all you made it out okay.

I simply can't conceive of the suffering. Thank you for letting us know you're okay, and as Dar said, if there's anything you need, let us know. Hopefully we will soon hear from the others who have not been able to post as of yet.

quote Originally posted by Miss-Tress007: If we'd known about the possibility of this being such a large storm and direct hit earlier, we would have made other arrangements for us and our pets to evacuate early. We kind of had no choice in this one--it just kind of caught us by surprise. --Tress

Bet a lot of folks had that thought

quote Originally posted by Exotic Rida: this is horrible!!!!! im in atlanta GA no home to go back to no cell, no money, this really sucks...... im by a relatives house... all my friends?????? i tried calling on this phone here.... Miss-Tress??? 007??? 4.9 pfi fiero????? my fiero is probally gone! i read that the hottie is gone and 007's car, and 4.9's car!!!!!! DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so sorry. This is simply beyond my imagination.

thanks for all of you support, i just wanted to let you all know that i am o.k.!!!

our mayor says we probally cant go back for AT LEAST 3 months......
now i gotta find me some clothes........
i just wanna hear from everyone else from new orleans...........

i cant comprehend this..............

quote Originally posted by Exotic Rida: thanks for all of you support, i just wanted to let you all know that i am o.k.!!! our mayor says we probally cant go back for AT LEAST 3 months...... now i gotta find me some clothes........ i just wanna hear from everyone else from new orleans........... i cant comprehend this..............

What size do you wear?
Style?
Boxer's, briefs? (come on people, I think he might need a change of underwear!)
PM me your address and I'll see what I can dig up for you!!