During the much more minor flooding after Hurricane Lili (the deepest I saw on campus was about 2 or maybe 3 feet), almost all the kids at my college who decided to go play in the water ended up pretty sick the next day.

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I think there's a big difference between taking what you need (like food or medicine) and taking what you want (like 30 pairs of jeans or CDs). A lot of the stores in NO are little mom and pop places and you are essentially robbing your neighbor.

Signed
Mom Had a Small Store

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Info that may be useful to Dana:

Thanks, Dylan. I'm hoping I'll be able to get through to them tonight, or that they'll get internet access. My uncle who evacuated to Arkansas called me because he hasn't been able to get in touch with anyone who evacuated to MS.

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fire ants, poisonous snakes, and dead bodies

Oops, forgot about those. Mainly the fire ants.

If it's any consolation after the earthquake there were far far more stories of people risking their lives for strangers than there were of abuse and looting and crime. Almost all of the first-at-the-scene rescuers who dug people out of the freeway collapse were the poor people who lived in West Oakland.

What scares me is that I have seen the hearts of Seattleites, and they are blacker than black. Sure, they act all nice, but they're petty, arrogant, passive-aggressive thugs when pushed.

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The Hudson River is salty pretty far north, well past West Point: [link]

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The Hudson River is salty pretty far north

Bother.

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Yeah, but I'm arming myself to the teeth in addition to food and water.

That is arming yourself for survival, in my book. I wouldn't take a gun personally, because I'd likely shoot my own foot off, although I might take knives. My real point was, it's easy to say people are horrible, but their situation is more horrible than I can imagine. This is basically devastation, we're talking about here. I can't get my knickers in a twist that people are stealing jewelry and stuff I like to *think* I wouldn't steal.

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You may have a higher tolerance than I. I'm not saying it would kill you right away, but all of that crap isn't going to cure cancer.

I've just been to Third World cities where the water is very much not potable, and what's in NOLA now is about like that. People deal with that water every day. People get sick from disease thanks to the water, but it's not the "toxic soup" the media is saying with much overblownness.

Again, don't drink the water, but this isn't a secret blend of eleven acids and carcinogens that kills on contact.

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Baby panda pictures: [link]

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Bless you, Tom Scola.

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