So has the free-loading began yet?Follow

Yes, I'm a cynic, and a bit of an ***-hole.

So I'm watching the local news while eating my dinner, and there's this heart-touching story about a family who runs a restaurant in Longmont (just north of Denver). They have some relatives up from New Orleans, who obviously didn't have a place to stay so they shacked up with family. To this point, I don't have a problem.

Word of mouth begins to spread, and apparently the family who runs this restaurant is pretty well-liked in the community. People begin calling and offering help, such as spare beds, clothes, donations of food, and even money. So I'm getting all warm in fuzzy in my cockles.

As the story moves on to another topic, I begin to think. When are the con-artists coming out to play? Or, very likely, they've already begun. Most of the regulars that post here are probably just as skeptical as I am, so many of you may agree. But I think I'll be asking for an ID with an address listed as New Orleans before I start handing over money or anything else. I foresee too many scum-bags trying to take advantage of the situation by trying to pass themselves off as Hurricane Kat refugees and trying to milk the American people's generosity.

Yes, I've got an icy cold heart and I'm going to Hell, but I for one am going to be a tad leery of anyone asking for help.

im sure it already has started.

but freeloading?

one million people have been displaced, and in all likelyhood, will remain so for months.

hundreds of thousands of americans, us, our familey, are without shelter, without food, without water, without any means what so ever to pay for it either.

it is not freeloading. it is taking care of our own. we are our brothers keeper. you hear those words, now it is really time to show what they mean to you. people are going to die if we do not.

for my part, i am taking out a loan to give more than i have on hand. the red cross is a good place to start if you dont know where. several baptist church groups are stepping up with feeding stations also.

if the government doesnt send in tens of thousands of guard troops, there is going to be rioting and mass looting in a few days as people get hungry and thirsty and it turns to a matter of life or death to get food and water form somewhere, ANYWHERE. the response so far has been inadiquite and dismal for the scope of the tragedy that has been handed to us.

everyone needs to do something, anything, as fast as they can.

I just saw a video of police officers who were helping themselves to all sorts of stuff from a Wal Mart.

These police are in place to stop the looting.

Human nature never fails to make me wanna puke.

Exactly.



Have you ever been to New Orleans? I would say the majority of people didn't have insurance. There's a lot of poor people in that town, far more than the middle to upper class. I'd be suprised if even 54% of the folks in that town had insurance*. I'm sure we'll be hearing more about that in the near future. My guess is a large portion of the population will be relying on disaster relief funds and charity.


* Indicating that every post looks more valid with a random statistic thrown in

Boiling it... now there's a smart idea. They can use their electr- oh, wait, power's out. Well, their gas- no, that wouldn't work either.

Darn it.

Mmmm, Boiling it... what do you think Firaga III is for... oh wait. Nevermind.

Anyways, seriously, the supermarkets should be loaded with bottles of spring water and jugs of spring water. They wouldn't last forever, but its a start.

--Xylia

Like maybe all the gasoline floating around that came out of cars and such when they got flooded? I'm sure that'd be real healthy.

As was already mentioned boiling does not remove chemical contamination. Think about it, 10s of thousands of cars completely submurged leaking oil, water, and antifreeze. Hospitals, waste dumps, even burger king greasebins all floating in that water.

Even if it were just biological contamination from the thousands of corpses and tons of sewage bobbing around boiling substantially increases the nitrate concentration of the water making it unsafe for pregnant women and children.

So is your house, neither is waterproof...