Stratovarius Community

...y'all okay?

I'm ok, thanks.

I am no where near that place....

But oil prices will hurt me anyway.

I'm all good. Okay, not really. I've had a rather poor diet lately. And people keep trying to strong-arm me into donating money to help the Katrina victims. Right.

A little drunk, but yeah, OK.

I am grateful my family&I are OK because the ones in the midst of that storm's fury are not so lucky. A very bad situation--it is said now that Katrina just might be the history's most powerful hurricane in terms of lives lost&sheer destructiveness!

Thanks Storm, I never forgot your concern for me after 9/11. To answer the question, yes, I'm fine. I live nowhere near the catastrophe. I live in earthquake country, not hurricane. Nor do I have any family members in that region. Thankfully, no one I know has been directly affected by this.

But I have been thinking of Allison, who used to post at this board. She had many family members in New Orleans and I wonder how she's doing. I know she used to post at Sethian board but that board is pretty slow these days so I don't know if she posts there anymore, so I'm just wondering if anyone here still talks to her and if she's OK.

All of my prayers go out to everyone that was involved in this crisis.

Yeah, I'm fine here, in the middle of the country, surrounded by a vast void of corn stalks.

I'm OK. This situation is just awful. No other way to put it. I feel so sorry for the people there. I am donating money and old clothes this weekend. Honestly, I really don't know how they can ever completely rebuild New Orleans. 80% of the city is under at least 5 ft of water, and will remain so for at least another week. Bodies float through the streets. Failures at every level in dealing with this, before and after the storm. I blame mostly the city and local governments of New Orleans and Louisiana. Before the storm even hit the president declared the area in a state of emergency, making available funds and troops for rescue and aid. The mayor and governor did not call for this help until the day after the storm. They could have been staging and strategizing before the storm, instead they had to do this in the midst of the tragedy. But there have been failures at every level. Including those who have been shooting at the helicopters that fly in to rescue people off of their roofs. And those who loot. I understand food and groceries, but not sneakers and plasma televisions. This is to say nothing of those who took this as an opportunity to murder and rape

Here in Florida we know all about hurricanes. We got hit by three in the span of a month and a half last year. The devastation I have personally witnessed was awesome. Huge trees just uprooted like twigs and thrown into homes. Cars upside down. Electricity can be out for two weeks! No running water. Roofs ripped off of homes. After Hurricane Charley last year, I went down to Captiva Island to help my Dad with his restaurant. I grew up in that area, and anybody who has been to Sanibel and Captiva Island knows how beautiful it is there. The storm made landfall there. It looked like a nuclear bomb was dropped on the island. All the beautiful trees were gone. Homes and businesses destroyed. The major resort on the island is STILL closed for repair. A year later. My Dad reopened the restaurant a month and a half after the storm hit.

Getting ready for a hurricane. Spend the few days before stocking up on canned goods. Fill one bathtub with ice, and one with water. Get lots of soda, bottled water, and a few cases of beer . Tape over the windows to prevent them from shattering in. Or board them up. Invite your closest friends over for a hurricane party. On the day of the storm, break out the chips and salsa, cold pizza and whatnot. Raise some beers with your friends and keep watching the news as the storm approaches. Its weird, like preparing for impending doom. The winds get worse and worse. The power goes out. Light candles. Party on. Step outside really quick, if you're brave, and get a taste of what 100+mph winds feel like on the human body. Go outside in the morning and be amazed at the total destruction that took place overnight. Check for any damage to your place or your car. Thank God if you have neither. Wait for the power to be restored.

Thats it in a nutshell, for those that have never had the "pleasure". It is both exciting and scary all at the same time.

Jesse

browneyedgirl wrote:A little drunk, but yeah, OK.

I am grateful my family&I are OK because the ones in the midst of that storm's fury are not so lucky. A very bad situation--it is said now that Katrina just might be the history's most powerful hurricane in terms of lives lost & sheer destructiveness!

Material destructiveness, maybe. In terms of lives lost, nowhere close. The most deadly hurricane in history was one that struck Bangladesh in the 1970s and killed around a million people.

Imagine the suffering they went through, as do other less wealthy countries when they're affected by natural disasters. It's sure reminded me.

NeonVomit wrote:

browneyedgirl wrote:A little drunk, but yeah, OK.

I am grateful my family&I are OK because the ones in the midst of that storm's fury are not so lucky. A very bad situation--it is said now that Katrina just might be the history's most powerful hurricane in terms of lives lost & sheer destructiveness!

Material destructiveness, maybe. In terms of lives lost, nowhere close. The most deadly hurricane in history was one that struck Bangladesh in the 1970s and killed around a million people.

Imagine the suffering they went through, as do other less wealthy countries when they're affected by natural disasters. It's sure reminded me.

I was referring to USA.

I never heard of that Hurricane you are talking about I thought that area just had Monsoon-type storms?
But, yes, whenever these places have disasters it hardly gets mentioned.

brought2ubyletterC wrote: But I have been thinking of Allison, who used to post at this board. She had many family members in New Orleans and I wonder how she's doing. I know she used to post at Sethian board but that board is pretty slow these days so I don't know if she posts there anymore, so I'm just wondering if anyone here still talks to her and if she's OK.

I believe yes....she went there last month but comeback to Florida...i need send a PM for her.

There are 5 more Hurricanes forecast for this year--3 maybe Killers. So, if the weatherguys are right, there is still a wild ride as far as the hurricane situation goes. But, they are not infallible--they said Katrina would fizzle out in the Atlantic, but once she got into the warm, moist waters of the Caribbean, she gained force&speed.
So, weather is like everything else--take it one day at a time!

Oh, I sure there are hateful&malicious people who'd RELISH Alabama&Mississippi wiped off the map because of the Malicious "Class-conciousness" that exists in USA. : Sorry to mention that, but not all is perfect in so-called Paradise!

browneyedgirl wrote:There are 5 more Hurricanes forecast for this year--3 maybe Killers. So, if the weatherguys are right, there is still a wild ride as far as the hurricane situation goes. But, they are not infallible--they said Katrina would fizzle out in the Atlantic, but once she got into the warm, moist waters of the Caribbean, she gained force&speed.
So, weather is like everything else--take it one day at a time!

Oh, I sure there are hateful&malicious people who'd RELISH Alabama&Mississippi wiped off the map because of the Malicious "Class-conciousness" that exists in USA. : Sorry to mention that, but not all is perfect in so-called Paradise!

True, I've spoken to americans who intensely dislike the southern states.

NeonVomit wrote:

browneyedgirl wrote:There are 5 more Hurricanes forecast for this year--3 maybe Killers. So, if the weatherguys are right, there is still a wild ride as far as the hurricane situation goes. But, they are not infallible--they said Katrina would fizzle out in the Atlantic, but once she got into the warm, moist waters of the Caribbean, she gained force&speed.
So, weather is like everything else--take it one day at a time!

Oh, I sure there are hateful&malicious people who'd RELISH Alabama&Mississippi wiped off the map because of the Malicious "Class-conciousness" that exists in USA. : Sorry to mention that, but not all is perfect in so-called Paradise!

True, I've spoken to americans who intensely dislike the southern states.

So, Tolkki, in his Tour Diary, was RIGHT!

I believe yes....she went there last month but comeback to Florida...i need send a PM for her.

Could you please pass a message along to her from me that I am thinking of her? Also tell her that she can e-mail me anytime, if she still has my address. Let her know that my computer took a sh*t some time back and I lost all my addresses, so I don't have hers anymore.

I'm not really in touch with Allison, but I happened to notice she was posting in the Sentenced forum just a few days ago, so I suppose she's okay...

The news reports coming out from the region have been eerie...reminded me of the Tsunami disaster last year....
Terrible, just terrible.
What makes this such a tragedy is that it was so utterly preventable.
Reports warning for this particular scenario in that region had been coming out for over a decade, and as is painfully obvious, not enough, if anything, was ever done. I'm not going to point fingers (it is slightly beyond my jurisdiction), but from my vantage point it seems like a failure on all levels of government, federal and regional alike...
Terrible, just terrible.

I just heard on the 12o'clock news that EVERYONE in the City of New Orleans was going to be FORCED to evacuate, because of the health issues. I suppose they mean folks within city limits.
I will listen again to the next broadcast to see if that is true--I could not believe that a whole city can be forced to leave their homes against their will, but I guess the Feds can enforce any law they want in an emergency.
Maybe its for the best until the city gets straightened out. Its just horrible.

I'm pretty sure Allison herself was fine as she lives in Florida, but I was more concerned about her family, as she has relatives that live in the New Orleans area. I hope for her sake that they are OK.

It is for the best. New Orleans is uninhabitiable. No electricity, no running water. The water that flooded the city is toxic to even stand in as it is filled with gasoline, oil, sewage, and the rotting bodies of unfound dead people and animals. There is no way for a person to survive, long term, staying put in the city. I would even imagine that the stench hanging over that area may be toxic. Criminals loot, kill and rape after nightfall. All the gun stores were looted, and as if it couldnt get worse, they let loose all the prisoners in the local jails during the height of the chaos. Not a good combination!! People have been killed by alligators and poisonous snakes who have all been seeking high ground. Alligators and snakes don't like to share with people. All the worse if the gators haven't had a decent meal because all the animals they normally feast on ran away or flew off.

It is dangerous in every way.

They should have been evacuated before the storm hit. Have you seen the footage of all the school busses, about 200 total, sitting up to their doors in water, parked in a bus yard in New Orleans. Seems to me that they could have used those busses to evacuate people before the storm hit.

Jesse

I just wanted to say thanks to whoever it was here that sent along word to Allison to write me. She got in touch with me over at OSA forum yesterday.

And what about Silvia? I've heard, that "she" is the next hurrican in the USA. But I don't know more details.

Ophelia hit the Carolinas yesterday. We got wind&Storms from it last night&this morning. I think Ophelia has moved off into the ocean now, but may hit the Northern Atlantic coast later. It all depends. Hurricanes change direction quite readily, and strengthen or weaken accordingly. If the water or air temp changes significantly is a factor, too.