Breaking News : 200 Ft breach + Looting out of control

[dgparent]

Break in 17th Street Canal Levee is now 200 feet wide and slowly flooding the City of New Orleans. Huge sand bags are being airlifted to try to stem the rush of water in that area. The expectations are that the water will not stop until it reaches lake level.

11:04 a.m.: Looting Out Of Control
New Orleans police say looting is out of control in many parts of the city. Officials are focusing on the rescue effort, but a crackdown on looting is expected after the martial law declaration. -- WDSU anchor Kriss Fairbairn

[DESTRUCTION5]

Break in 17th Street Canal Levee is now 200 feet wide and slowly flooding the City of New Orleans. Huge sand bags are being airlifted to try to stem the rush of water in that area. The expectations are that the water will not stop until it reaches lake level.

How long will this take?

[RichG]

Does anybody know what the lake level is now? Thanks

[dgparent]

Break in 17th Street Canal Levee is now 200 feet wide and slowly flooding the City of New Orleans. Huge sand bags are being airlifted to try to stem the rush of water in that area. The expectations are that the water will not stop until it reaches lake level.

How long will this take?

No idea that is all they have for info

[Florida_brit]

This is old news! This has been major news for the past 12 hours! There is also another major breach too not sure of location.

Admittedly the sandbagging is new.

[dgparent]

The news is that it is now 200 FT wide

[Ola]

The expectations are that the water will not stop until it reaches lake level.

That would be like........................... really bad according to the graphihc.

[Ola]

[alicia-w]

http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/la/hydro.html

This says the levees protect New Orleans to 20 feet. Apparently a lot of the water levels are well above that.

[HouTXmetro]

The expectations are that the water will not stop until it reaches lake level.

That would be like........................... really bad according to the graphihc.

This can't be happening. Until they plugg the breach there is no way they can pump water out of the city.

[sweetpea]

Hubby and I were just talking about the looters. We actually have some sympathy for the ones stealing FOOD. If there houses are gone they have no food. Help can't get in to them. How else are they going to survive? Hubby said if he was in their shoes he would do the same thing. The ones that are stealing material things ought to be arrested and the book thrown at them. (TV's, stereos, etc....) I feel for these people. I seen video with a older woman carrying food that won't perish. The one's stealing frozen food aren't to bright. But maybe there are some that will eat frozen pizza. First time I ever thought I would have sympathy for some looters. Debbie

[dgparent]

11:58 A.M. - Homeland security chief optimistic that 3,000 pound sandbags can plug 200 foot levee break at 17th Street Canal.


11:55 A.M. - Super Wal-Mart in Kenner open for supplies.


11:54 A.M. - Kenner mayor asking for more National Guard. Asks anyone with the guard to call 468-7200.


11:53 A.M. - Two dead in Slidell in rising waters after attempting to get back to their homes. The victims had initially evacuated.


11:52 A.M. - Entergy reports 1.1 million outages in Mississippi and Louisiana.

[Rainband]

Shoot looters on sight. They have enough to worry about

[canegrl04]

I hate to say this,but if the rising waters are not stopped soon, looters won't matter.Everyone will be dead

[frankthetank]

Yup..how are the looters suppose to escape when the only way out is by boat?

[fuzzy]

How about we try some pity for those looters? They must have NO IDEA what's happening to their city.

If what I'm reading here on this forum is correct, the last thing they need to be worried about is scoring a free tv. They'll likely never get to watch that TV or even eat much of that food.

...And honestly, the last thing the store owners may be worried about tomorrow is stolen inventory.

[DCmetroraleigh]

WHile there is no moral excuse for looting, I still have sympathy for their plight. Likely, they were the people "left behind," too poor to drive or fly out. The rich people rolled out while the poor were left to scavenge for survival. In this situation, they are victims more than they are criminals.

[Stormy1]

Likely, they were the people "left behind," too poor to drive or fly out. The rich people rolled out while the poor were left to scavenge for survival. In this situation, they are victims more than they are criminals.

Whatever their socio-economic status, I sincerely doubt that the majority of those people are looting for personal gain (at the grocery stores anyway) and I cannot fault them for doing it. They are reacting to their immediate and desperate situation in survival mode. I would probably do the same thing.

[Zadok]

1:05 P.M. - (AP) -- With much of the city emptied by Hurricane Katrina, some opportunists took advantage of the situation by looting stores.
At a Walgreen's drug store in the French Quarter, people were running out with grocery baskets and coolers full of soft drinks, chips and diapers. When police finally showed up, a young boy stood in the door screaming, "86! 86!" -- the radio code for police -- and the crowd scattered.
Around the corner on Canal Street, the main thoroughfare in the central business district, people sloshed headlong through hip-deep water as looters ripped open the steel gates on the front of several clothing and jewelry stores. One man, who had about 10 pairs of jeans draped over his left arm, was asked if he was salvaging things from his store. "No," the man shouted, "that's EVERYBODY'S store."

[Canelaw99]

While I can sympathize more with those who are taking diapers and food, there was a producer for CNN talking about his first hand account with looters on Canal St. in N.O. He said that there were people taking electronics, and they were trying on clothes, shoes, etc. in the middle of the street. These are obviously people taking advantage of a situation, and it's those that I have absolutely no sympathy for whatsoever.