FEMA is stopping rescue operation in NO

[Praxus]

"let's just say that your analytical skills are batting 1.000."

Yours are obviously much more advanced. Killing every looter, even the
ones just trying to obtain food and water, is such an awesomely superior
solution, I'm just in awe.

The point is that a massive deployment of armed forces would have gone
a long way towards preventing this situation from getting out of hand by their very presence.

[flarrfan]

WWL radio quoting Governor's office says no gunshots, no suspension of evacuation, blames mainstream media.

[soonertwister]

FEMA still has ongoing rescue efforts through NOLA, but they are temporarily suspending activities in areas where gunfire is being reported.

As crazy as some of these people are, they would probably shoot the rescuers. You can't rescue people if you've been shot.

[gabrielle01]

This is what happens when authorities send in "only" 3,500 National Guard troops directly to New Orleans. There are only 1,500 NO policemen working on 24/7 basis for 5 days now so they are physically and mentally exhausted. They are also overwhelmed and outnumbered by the looters (insurgents, imho) shooting at rescuers in the boats and helicopters forcing essential life-saving operations and evacuations to be suspended at this moment.

Rest of 10,000 NG troops and military assets are stretched thin across Mississippi coast dealing with search and rescue operations. It is obvious that Homeland Security Dept. was not prepared for full extent of this devastation in widespread area caused by Katrina, especially after flooding in NO.

Local police and NG troops are truly overwhelmed with trying to rescue tens of thousands of New Orleans citizens via boats or copters around the clock with limited number of resources to focus on law and order. It is no win situation for local authorities to determine which is most important priority in NO: 1) Fixing breaches in levees to minimize flooding. 2) Search and rescue & life-saving operations. 3) Law & order, i.e. stop looting and shooting by insurgents. Communications is still major problem between local, state and federal authorities and agencies due to Katrina's devastation.

Estimates are that at least 50,000 to 100,000 citizens and tourists which are still stranded in NO needing to be rescued from the entire city. There are thousands of citizens and tourists still trapped in upper floors of high rise hotels and office buildings in downtown area desperately waving bed sheets and towels outside windows. They are running out of food and drinking water right now, if not already in addition to 25,000+ in and around the Super Dome.

Pentagon is capable of deploying tens of thousands of armed forces immediately to NO before anarchy and chaos spread to other areas. Sending 4 Navy ships will NOT be enough. NO desperately need full-scale invasion of troops and military assets equivalent to D-Day to rescue all NO citizens and time is of essence. Insurgents (looters and shooters) are essentially holding trapped NO citizens as hostages.

Pentagon still have approx. 100,000+ troops from all the branches of Pentagon in addition to 75,000 NG troops in the rest of America available and ready to be mobilized if necessary, not counting those currently serving in Iraq. DO IT ASAP before hundreds, if not thousands of NO citizens die in next few days waiting to be rescued. Media has done their superb job bringing us full picture of this tragedy unfolding before our eyes and it is Pentagon's turn now.

[Josephine96]

This is flat out horrible.. They're even stopping the rescue efforts.. How many more people are gonna die!?