re: Craziest/Shadiest/Scariest thing you saw in Katrina Aftermath

Laying on the slate floor after fixing the roof, tent city, one legged chicken, puerto rican national guardsmen, fdny food, the guy who survived the towers falling, the chief claiming a pitbull from the dog pen and proceeding to train it, the FDNY that helped me with the branches, the NYPD\FDNY vs national guard football game, GWB sept 11th visit, the rotty that escaped from the dog pen and stayed by my side all night, the asian guy pissing in the middle of an intersection in gretna, the nights of helicopters and gun shots, the burned out levee car, the empty clothes racks where the busses stopped on I-10, the half drunk milk jug on the stump, the smell of St. Bernard at that first house party, the NOPD with the rifle standing behind the sandbags, that feeling when I knew I needed to go back.

It is weird the things you remember and the things you want to forget.

The worst thing was that smell. Everything stunk. We stunk our houses stunk, outside stunk.

Worst we saw was a rotted body in Mississippi.

My dad's co-worker was the father of a famous local musician. He died and someone tied is floating body to a pole.
Sad times.


I remember how we would go on hunts to find the National Guard so we can get MREs.
Also almost everyone was open carrying.

The day after happened the USA today headline said.

"Katrina takes aim at coast, New Orleans spared"

So were the SEALs really sniping looters?

I.Know JPSO and NOPD likely covered up some things. I actually am fine with killing anyone looting anything other than food and water.

Houston's crime rate spiked to an all time high, I lived there at the time and we were all pissed about it.

quote:

---

So were the SEALs really sniping looters?

---

I can't speak for every single thing that happened, but this is unlikely. The FBI sent a special team, whether it was HRT or a SWAT team, I'm not sure. The 82nd Airborne was armed "for self defense", but because there was no declaration of martial law, federal troops were not enforcing the law - at least not officially.

I can say that those NOPD units that passed through the dome were looking very tactical by Wednesday. The order came down, "Stop rescuing people. Start enforcing the law" - at least to law enforcement authorities around Wednesday or Thursday. Now, the Coasties and other resources (like National Guard troops) were still rescuing folks, of course. But NOPD were in jump suits and carrying rifles Wednesday and Thursday after the storm. I can verify that personally.

In fact, I had to dispatch a rescue mission for other national guard forces on Wednesday or Thursday (IIRC - could have been Friday, but unlikely). A truck was stuck in the front yard of Rep. Jefferson's house. Apparently, Mayor Nagin had loaned him one of our trucks and drivers to "go check on his house" and the truck got stuck in the softened soil. So, I had to send another truck out there to unstick them.

Recall this was after his D.C. area home was raided, but before his office was raided (not until 2006). My assumption was always that he feared there was a federal warrant for his New Orleans home and he wanted to clear it prior to any raid that might be done by the FBI during the chaos after Katrina. This was right about the time the FBI troops arrived.

quote:

---

My cousin told me years later that the first response group that she remembered seeing was an outfit of Royal Canadian Mounted Police!

---

I had a small group of military folks walking through my neighborhood a day or two after who were wearing all-navy coveralls—figured they were US Navy. I asked where they were stationed and they said they were Dutch. I welcomed them to America and told them that it usually looked a lot nicer around here.

quote:

---

In fact, I had to dispatch a rescue mission for other national guard forces on Wednesday or Thursday (IIRC - could have been Friday, but unlikely). A truck was stuck in the front yard of Rep. Jefferson's house. Apparently, Mayor Nagin had loaned him one of our trucks and drivers to "go check on his house" and the truck got stuck in the softened soil. So, I had to send another truck out there to unstick them.

Recall this was after his D.C. area home was raided, but before his office was raided (not until 2006). My assumption was always that he feared there was a federal warrant for his New Orleans home and he wanted to clear it prior to any raid that might be done by the FBI during the chaos after Katrina. This was right about the time the FBI troops arrived.

---

Was that when Jefferson went to pull the money out his freezer?

So the National Guard were just handing out guns to strangers without knowing if they had any experience with a firearm?

I was watching from the Pentagon and checking in with family on a daily basis...

my uncle and his partner lived out by 9 mile point and were one of the first to have an emergency generator...I'd call and check up and there were two good stories I remember:

the first - he went out to get his water, MRE's and ice in Westwego, said the MRE's were for the hunters in the family, half the water was in his refrigerator, and the rest of the water and ice were for the vigilantes down the street (he lived right up at the entrance to their area off River Road and the residents blocked entry and set up a guard force

his area was one of the last to get power back on and this one still makes me laugh (even though we lost both of them this year)...called him up and asked if he finally got power, said yes and they got the whole house working again...told me the first thing his partner (my other "uncle") did was to go back to his smoking room and the back to get away from my uncle...i was roaring with laughter when i told him "you old married couple you"...