Il Filosofo

Big Uneasiness

September 29, 2005 – 9:53 am

It turns out the crime situation in New Orleans wasn’t as dire as initial reports seemed to indicate. In an interview last week with The New York Times, Superintendent Compass said that some of his most shocking statements turned out to be untrue. Asked about reports of rapes and murders, he said: “We have no official [...]

By filosofo | Posted in Current Events, Katrina, New Orleans | 1 comment

Where There’s No FEMA, There’s Still a Way

September 19, 2005 – 10:22 pm

Kudos to Gulfport’s mayor Brent Warr. When the local hospital needed gas for its power generators, he had his chief of police steal a fuel truck. “Can we hot-wire it?” he asked. Barnes said, “I wasn’t cut out to be a crook; that’s why I went into law enforcement.” “Well, can we get someone from the jail [...]

By filosofo | Posted in Current Events, Gulfport, Katrina | 1 comment

Hurricane’s Danger Not What You Might Think

September 19, 2005 – 12:37 pm

There’s an interesting tidbit buried in this CNN.com article. Apparently doctors are concerned that they won’t be able to handle the increase of accidental injuries that will occur as people return to New Orleans and try to clean up. Here’s the tidbit: this kind of injury forms a significant part of hurricane casualties. After [...]

By filosofo | Posted in Hurricane, Katrina, New Orleans, Society | 2 comments

Galveston Historian on Katrina

September 10, 2005 – 12:57 pm

History News Network interviewed historian Erik Larson, author of Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History. I think he has some interesting observations that are relevant to understanding Katrina. The Katrina Death Toll Also, I�d be cautious about anticipating a huge death toll in New Orleans. I heard a report on [...]

By filosofo | Posted in Biloxi, Current Events, Erik Larson, Gulf Port, History, Isaac's Storm, Katrina, Media, New Orleans | Please write a comment

CNN.com Ready for the TV Movie

September 10, 2005 – 12:12 pm

No doubt about it: the story of the Este family, trapped in their attic while New Orleans flooded, is moving. But something seems slightly inappropriate about how CNN has photoshopped the images of these evacuees into a slick, Reader’s Digest-like promotional banner, while they’re still homeless and their dead grandmother lies unburied.

By filosofo | Posted in Internet, Journalism, Katrina, Media, New Orleans, Society | 1 comment

Google Maps of Katrina Damage

September 10, 2005 – 11:35 am

Check this out: go to Google Maps and search for “New Orleans.” Click “Satellite” to see the city before hurricane Katrina, then click “Katrina” to view the flooding. I think the amount of water is amazing.