Jeffari-al-Texani wrote:
Let's look at the facts instead of tossing around a lot of misinformation....
The people at Quaalcom were there because they followed a mandatory evacuation order. Quaalcom was not in the middle of the fires, but actually in a safe zone. The roads into Quaalcom were not closed due to the fires, thus people could get to them. The relief effort at Quaalcom was run by the local authorities, and staffed by hundreds of volunteers (not the Federal Government).
The people at the Superdome chose not to listen when told to evacuate when a mandatory evacuation order was issued (I'm sorry, I find it hard to believe that they couldn't figure a way out, poor or not). The Superdome was in the middle of the path of destruction. Roads were closed due to high water, thus it was much more difficult to get supplies into New Orleans. Finally, the State of Louisiana and the local authorities seemed to stand by and wait for the Feds to come in and do their jobs for them...but hey, let's just say it comes down to the have and the have nots...much easier than looking at the facts...
I would also add there is a different mentality here when it comes to evacuations. I was stationed at Parris Island, SC when Hurricane Andrew came through. I was one of 9 Marines that stayed on the base, to clean and fix up the aftermath so everyone could get back on base when they returned. After everyone evacuated, I drove out to my house to pick some alcohol (sitting in a room for 4 days with nothing to do can get boring) and board up the windows of my home. When I did, the winds were up to 75 mph. There were families that still didn't evacuate. Instead their children were playing in the street (which was a bit funny, as this one kid was chasing his ball as it lept 20 ft between bounces; one kid riding his bike turned in the wind and was blown over quite violently), while the parents were acting as if it were a normal day. Granted they were poor, and I've heard the excuse that they had no where to go....but they were making no preperations, no concerns, and who in their right mind allows kids to play outside in 75 mph winds?
Here, if they say evacuate....everyone...regardless of income, evacuates. No one questions it, no one blows it off. Granted a few people stay behind longer, but they are trying to get a few more things out of the home and have every intention of evacuating.
Mentality towards disasters really plays a part.