Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on August 29, 2008 at 7:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You forgot to mention how fast gas prices went up locally, in a patriotic response by oil companies to our plight.

Oh, I forgot. They can get the money so it's the wisdom of the marketplace. Well then, let's give oil and gas some more tax breaks. He,he!

Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on August 29, 2008 at 8 a.m. (Suggest removal)

OOOOPs, I didn't read very well, did I?

Posted by Lawrence08 (anonymous) on August 29, 2008 at 11:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Your editorial is written in ignorance. I was living in New Orleans during Hurricane George. My neighbors and I decided to stay so that our houses would not be looted. They opened the Superdome and the "people" who were sheltered stole and destroyed furniture, committed crimes, etc. They have done this twice so far! My wife and I were living and stayed in Waveland during Hurricane Katrina. We spent 12 hours in the attic with 10 feet of water in our house. We had spent the money to get flood insurance and did not expect anyone to bail us out. While I lived in New Orleans, I worked on the old houses and saw many ready to fall down while slumlords took the rents and never put anything back into the repair of houses. Now these people who wouldn't get insurance want the government to bail them out. And it is your taxes that will bail them out! You can also inquire how the churches in Brookhaven and facilities in Houston and other places were destroyed by these people. My wife and I got out of the attic and took hand saws and started cutting downed trees on our property by hand. We lost our vehicles but we got used ones. We have rebuilt our life without aid of the government or stealing from others. We asked for no congrats in the process. Get wise. Don't spout off about sharing and opening your doors. Lock your doors! You will be left with damages and destruction that most of these people readily hand out and they will leave you without a thanks or good-bye!

Posted by djarum_black (anonymous) on August 29, 2008 at 2:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

During the aftermath of Katrina, a church in Natchez that I'd worked a year for went WAY above and beyond trying to shelter families. This church had about ten women members working non-stop who served a buffet style meal three times a day. They kept snacks around, installed cable, and rebuilt the entirety of their interior so that each family group could have some privacy and their own room to be in.

The majority of the people who stayed there treated those church members like hell. They complained about everything, urinated in places other than restrooms, brought weapons, fighting, illicit drugs (if you have NOTHING, how do you have drugs?) into the church, and outright refused to mind their own children during their stay. The evacuees were being driven basically anywhere they wanted to go, their kids were being taken out for movies and such. Phones and internet access had been provided for people, and it was abused, at great cost to the church. Items were broken or stolen, and the church went into a great deal of debt to try and help these people.

Now, not ALL of the evacuees did this, but out of the almost 200 people helped by this church, I can't remember more than about five or six who actually took advantage of the help and made a genuine effort to get themselves or families on better footing or in their own housing. Most of them only moved because FEMA said they had to go elsewhere or into housing programs or they weren't going to get their checks.

I'm with Lawrence08. Lock your doors and let the "stay behind to loot" stragglers evacuate right on PAST Natchez and let Arkansas deal with them.

Posted by Lawrence08 (anonymous) on August 29, 2008 at 5:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I appreciate what you are saying. I agree that not all evacuees took advantage but having stayed for Katrina and having seen the aftermath I know that many did. My wife and I lived on the porch of our house until February using a camp stove, candles, and battery radio. We did get some meals from volunteer groups who were greatly appreciated by the locals. We had no transportation (lost our vehicles in the flood) but we also were staying with our home and our two dogs. We saw people who evacuated come for the free meals offered by various groups; reach out to take any money offered by FEMA, Red Cross, and others; come back into the area and load their trucks with MREs made available to the local people trying to hang on... We also had one couple return for a day and complain because the bottled water we offered them wasn't cold. The most wonderful experience we had was being given ice as we waited in line several days after the storm -- waiting to get water and apples! The police broke the windows of the local grocery so people could get some animal food and a few canned goods before supplies came in. I waded through days old rotting food in a non-air-conditioned, dark store to get a few cans of dog food and some provisions for elderly people. If anyone wants to know what it was like ask me or my wife. We still shed tears when we watch videos of the destruction. We knew people who died and lost all they had. We were fortunate. But, as I stated, lock your doors because there are many out there who will take what you have and destroy the rest without shame!

Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on August 29, 2008 at 7:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

My church helped a few refugees during Katrina and had similar experiences. This time, I have not had one person call, text or email and ask if i was going to come help set up for refugees...or more like refuse(ees)....I do not think they have been asked to help yet, but if we are, I hope we will volunteer to help the people IN THE COLISEUM in Jackson, not our church building.

Posted by hutto2007 (anonymous) on August 29, 2008 at 8:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree. A major city in central Texas has already made it clear that we would NOT be accepting busloads of refugees of any kind, and that any who come under their own power to public centers would be required to have criminal background checks before being taken in. Its sad that so many "good" people dont have a chance because of the ungrateful idiots who precede them. MCCAIN/PALIN !!! You have to admire a woman who when asked about the death penalty says LINE EM UP!

Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on August 30, 2008 at 7:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think we all were impressed by the criminal activity increases after Katrina, but aside from those, Natchez embraced a lot of people from New Orleans that have pumped money into our economy, started new businesses, and in many ways Natchez is a new place.

There is still more crime or so it seems, but the people who simply opened their homes and served these people is far less than those of us who accepted their Katrina dollars for goods and services.

The thought 5 or 6 years ago that we would have this many hotels full every week with folks of a higher "class" than refugees has got to be a good thing for this town, and it is a part of our post Katrina legacy. Having New Orleans so impaired continues to put Natchez on the map in several ways including tourism.

I think Katrina brought out the worst in a lot of people and the showed the worst aspects of Washington, government and some people. It brought out the best in people, too, whether the recipients of the aid were grateful or not.

But I think if you expect a bunch of polite well balanced people to make up the poorest displaced refugees of a major city you need your head examined.

Seems like a real effort to educate and advance the skills of the poorest -- before they are refugees -- will be the best way to see them grateful and well-motivated, and I don't think that has much to do with the death penalty. I also don't expect much of that from the Republican Party. They are too busy fighting oil wars, stealing us blind, and incarcerating folks to have money to train a bunch of goons.

Since Republican administrations have governed us 20 of the last 28 years, I don't see improvement of people as a reasonable expectation if they stay there. They are part of the failure. But once educated it will be up to people and their own values to pull themselves up.

Posted by 3on23 (anonymous) on August 30, 2008 at 7:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Thinking back on Katrina brings back memories of our new "neighbors" allowed to use the rent houses close by. Try explaining to your kids why these people are drinking beer and smoking dope out in the front yard before 8am. Not to mention the displaced "working girl" they had staying with them.

I also remember shelters that refused the homemade cookies my mom made. That was okay though, the linemen with the power companies weren't so picky and actually looked forward to us coming everyday. These situations bring out the best and worst in people.

Posted by 2008 (anonymous) on August 30, 2008 at 12:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Do all you christians and "so called religious people feel the same about people that live in California, along the Pacific coast, people that live in "tornado alley" in Texas and OK, do you feel the same about people that live along the gulf coast and florida. I moved here from New Orleans after Katrina and have been horrified with the racism and hatred toward humanity that is expressed on these ND blogs. Many people that have visited me here have asked about moving or living here (people with money and education)...I tell them all forget it...no sufficient medical facilities and just read the blogs then make up thier minds. Not one has opted to even consider moving to Natchez. I wonder why! I can only pray that for each a** that writes on these blogs there ARE many more folks from Natchez that are good people. These blogs show the outside world a window into this city, many people read them and don't comment, many read them from other areas, and as represenatives of this city you people are showing the worst of human kind

Posted by NatchezEnema (anonymous) on August 30, 2008 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Either way, I bet this time they will get off their butts and leave town before the hurricane hits. Self preservation is a natural human instinct. 98% of the people that got stranded were lazy. It's funny, they couldn't get out of town before the water came in, but they could wade through it rob and steal and shoot and bitch about why someone didn't actually pick them up and take them out of town. If I had to have walked I would have gotten out of there. I have friends that helped clean up the 9th ward. You would not believe the big screen tv's, plasma tv's, cars with 5000$ rims, playstations, 200$ sneakers, guns, and everything else that was in the trash. These were not people without means to get out, they had no drive to get out. If this happened in 1865 and their was no tv or radio, yes, I would understand. But when you cut the tv on and there is a big swirling cloud 2 days away? You get the hell out of dodge and take your grandma with you.

Posted by JohnQ (anonymous) on August 30, 2008 at 3:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Enema you get two thumbs up from Ferriday trash for preaching to the choir.