Well we brought this up in another thread briefly and then I saw this CNN article and thought I'd share. This really irritates me to see this happening to them... *sigh*

The rest of the article is here: http://www.time.com/time/nation/arti...0.html?cnn=yes

It's frustrating how much control over what we pay attention to is held by the media. We hardly ever hear anything about New Orleans, but we have people down there who are literally loosing their minds.

What about the people in AL, MS and the rest of LA? They were devastatingly affected by Katrina, we NEVER hear about them.

you're definately right there.

when i was down there, the locals and volunteer groups were telling us to talk about it when we went home, so people wouldn't forget. i don't know how effective it was, or if very many people did it at all, but it seems the katrina thing has become a joke in itself. whenever people make comments about new orleans, it's humor. morbid, cynical humor, but i don't think people realize they still need help down there and in the other affected areas. it's kind of a footnote anymore, it seems, and i think that's a bad mistake.

No you're right and I apologize for not mentioning them. I always make the mistake of saying New Orleans assuming everyone will understand I'm referring to everyone affected by Katrina. I also sort of think the news is doing that as well... not necessarily forgetting about the other areas - just lumping them.

To be fair though, everyone should always include the other states that were hit.

Yes and that's why I got so irritated when people were picking on Anderson Cooper for breaking down and crying on air about the situation. He's one of the few reporters who has actually vowed (and stayed with it) to keep Katrina in our faces. It's horrible. It's just horrible.

Exactly, it is the media doing it. It makes me mad, I know it shouldn't, but I live down here and see how its affected people on a personal level and its fucked up. You might have heard about those dolphins at that aquarium in MS that were swept out to sea because of Katrina. I worked closely with those dolphins and their trainers. The trainers homes were completely destroyed, they now live in FL because there is nothing to go back to in MS. They lost everything.

I am incredibly sorry to hear that, I really am. I didn't hear about the dolphins (unfortunately) and I am equally as irritated at the media for not keeping this a bigger deal. I mean, I can't even fathom what it would have been like to have gone through what you all went through and for that I'm incredibly sorry.

Katrina didn't affect my area so much. I was suprised. It really fucked up Mobile AL which is about 60 miles away and we didn't get much at all. I couldn't imagine evacuating and coming home to nothing at all.

I agree, these people still need help. It's crazy how horribly wrong everything went during that storm.

We're still getting reports in Oklahoma here and there that Arkansas has 1,000s of FEMA trailers that were meant to be used for Katrina and just never got there. I'm so damned mad about that too! Not to mention... okay here is an aggravating story.

There are 1000s of trailers in Arkansas, just sitting there for people in New Orleans. Recently there was a little town in Oklahoma that was hit by a tornado that messed up around 6 houses (but they were still standing... just had structural damages, roof problems, missing roofs and stuff). In a frickin' split second FEMA was here to rush those white families trailers for them to live in. One hick woman was crying saying, "I just didn't know what we were going to. The tornader hit and then down the road comes FEMA with those trailers for us... it was amazing...".

... I was so mad. They STILL had houses... yet they were dealt with faster then people who are STILL homeless from Katrina...

I went down there just a couple of months ago and took some pics and I made a thread about it if anyone wants to see.

http://www.kittyradio.com/soapbox/showthread.php?t=4497

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I read an article in the LA Times a few months ago that mentioned that. It was so sad. It also talked about how people who had lost their homes in Katrina were being EVICTED from their trailers because they couldn't pay the rent or whatever. It was so upsetting... those people are just going to be homeless, and some of them had kids. FEMA is a sick joke.

FEMA accused my brother of fraud. my brother filled out the "primary address" as his work address bc he was living there the day before the hurricaine hit and the ten days following until the mandatory evacuation was called. his landlord was also his boss, so he thought he was doing the right thing. now hes mired in appeals processes. btw, his other residence was two blocks away, in the disaster zone.

not only does he still have lingering issues surrounding katrina, but FEMA wants to take money from him that he desperately needed and definitely does not have. he is still living with me one year later.

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When I awoke, the Dire Wolf
Six hundred pounds of sin
Was grinning at my window
All I said was "Come on in".
Grateful Dead

<<There are 1000s of trailers in Arkansas, just sitting there for people in New Orleans.>>

someone told me that while i was down there--i assume they'll start using those when the 12 or so prisons in arkansas are considered too full

Thanks for that link. I was looking at it, but decided to finish with these new posts first and then go spead more time there. I'm glad some areas are getting better - but it should have been a group effort for the whole city. I assume it's not much different now.

Oh absolutely, but at the same time I don't feel that everything can be blamed on FEMA. Bush and his administration were so lax with their concern, support and effort to do anything and because of it there are so many homeless people because there is no where else to go.

Again... should we kick them and talk about how they're too lazy to just get up and get a job?

I am so sorry to hear that and I really hope that everything works out for your brother... that's just horrible!

that really sucks, especially considering all of the actual fraud that went on undetected. Not to mention the 3000$ tarps and other scandals.

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That really sucks. I hope everything works out for him.