Well in 93 when I was there (Keokuk Iowa) we sandbagged miles of levies with boats, 4 wheelers, pickups, and dump trucks. We had hundreds of regular people filling, hauling, and stacking sandbags. We had the National Guard out in force with their heavy equipment and personel to haul bags. We even had inmates from several minimum security prisons and county jails who voluntered, out on the levies stacking bags, and in the sand pits filling them. Why did all these people do all this work? Because they live there and they take pride in their towns and the neighbors. I know of one guy that had lost his home in 93. A levie gave way and his home was gone. The resturant he owned was OK though. Even after he lost his home he was still bringing free food from his resturant out to people working on the other levies because it was something he could do to help. Others had lost everything and were living in shelters, yet they still came out everyday to help so other wouldn't go through what they were going through.
The differance between the midwest in 93 and now, vs New Orleans is that the folks in the midwest tend to do for themselves rather than wait for the gubment to do for them like in New Orleans.
That may sound harsh but its the truth. I've lived in both places and I know first hand the differance in how people from both areas think.
At least the flooding on the Mississippi river this time isn't quite as bad as it was in 93. It's close but it could be worse.
Yet again you mis the entire point about sand bags would do nothing.. The levies washed out, one was hit by a barge that got loose. No amount of sand bags was going to stop the flooding once the levies gave way. It's a entirely different scenario than in the Midwest and the Midwest isn't under sea level.
Hurricanes are also a much different animal and NO wasn't the expected target until the last min. With a hurricane you have maybe two days at best notice of where it will hit and then it's not certain until it hits where exactly it will go. With those two days you are lucky to get your house boarded up and get the hell out of the way because of traffic jams and gas shortages.
You damn sure don't have time to sit around filling sand bags.. N.O. was "the" worst case scenario and something that has never happened before.
The Midwest deals with floods every few years. N.O. has never been hit by a hurricane like that, so how can you expect them to be prepared when not even the federal govt was prepared for it. Again you talk about the National Guard helping you. Well again I will tell you the National Guard is never brought in "before" the storm with a hurricane. They are brought in after with N.O. it was days after.
Unless you have lived where a major hurricane has hit, well you just have no idea what it's like. Hurricanes and floods are apples and oranges and if you think people have time to sit around filling sand bags when a category 4 or 5 is heading your way you are off your rocker. I live in Florida and I've been though several Hurricanes and I can tell half you you guys itching have never experienced one.
