The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

[Casshew]

French Quarter, Garden District appear largely intact

Aerial shots indicate the city jewel -- the French Quarter -- remains intact and relatively dry, he said.

Café du Monde, the home of sugar-dusted beignets -- puffy, rectangular doughnuts -- is still there. Just across the street behind Jackson Square, the Cabildo and Presbytre museums still squat beside St. Louis Cathedral.

"By and large, the French Quarter seems to be dry," Foreman noted. "That's important. That's home to Preservation Hall.

"It's home to the streetcar named Desire. In the historic New Orleans museum, the Cabildo, they have the original maps that the Spanish drew of this nation. They have Napoleon's death mask. They have one of the last existing complete collections of [John James] Audubon's "Birds of America," the original collection.

"These are invaluable treasures to this nation and to the city," Foreman said. "That's what drew all these tourists here over all these years.... The French Quarter clearly has a lot of damage to it from wind and some from water, but it may be that it is largely intact at least in terms of the structures."


http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/03/katrina.french.quarter/index.html

 

[PrayersForMaura]

that is a great idea!!

I was wondering if some big hotels could do the same thing.
Maybe some of the donations received can help with covering some costs, and then tax write offs can help cover the rest.

room service and warm beds for families!

Hooray for carnival!!

 

[Casshew]

Wowza. Way to go Carnival Cruiselines*!

*please don't let kathy Lee Gifford sing anymore

 

[Casshew]

Wait a minute, hold the presses.... I thought Carnival was donating these ships... according to the article the Feds have 'chartered' them.

~~~~~~~

Federal officials are chartering three of Carnival Cruise Lines' ships for six months, part of a plan to provide shelter for as many as 7,000 people displaced by devastating Hurricane Katrina.

The three ships - the Ecstasy, Sensation and Holiday - will be pulled from regular use starting Monday.

Ecstasy, normally ported at Galveston for four-and five-day cruises, and Sensation, normally in New Orleans for similar trips, will both be pulled Monday and are scheduled to dock and house Katrina refugees in Galveston, Texas.

 

[concernedperson]

The fed said early on that cruise ships were a possibility. Just hope they stay in the Mississippi River and not venture out to sea. Too much worry there.

 

[Casshew]

CP, they are going to Galveston to dock and stay indefinately.

 

[mic730]

I just heard on Fox that Carnival is being compensated by FEMA.
What a way to step up Carnival! Thanks soooo much from the bottom of my TAX PAYING heart.

 

[concernedperson]

CP, they are going to Galveston to dock and stay indefinately.

Oh good, I feel better. I am sure these cruise ships are OK but some of the things I have heard recently are unsettling.I just don't want anymore trauma than is necessary.

 

[Details]

I just heard on Fox that Carnival is being compensated by FEMA.
What a way to step up Carnival! Thanks soooo much from the bottom of my TAX PAYING heart.

'Compensation' often doesn't mean paying the market rate. Carnival had to refund probably 10's of thousands of cruise passengers money to free up those ships - they're taking a direct loss here; I think it's OK to compensate them some for that.

 

[mic730]

'Compensation' often doesn't mean paying the market rate. Carnival had to refund probably 10's of thousands of cruise passengers money to free up those ships - they're taking a direct loss here; I think it's OK to compensate them some for that.

I hope youre right. Some clarification of comenesation would be nice.
However, it is not a pressing matter at the momment

 

[Mabel]

'Compensation' often doesn't mean paying the market rate. Carnival had to refund probably 10's of thousands of cruise passengers money to free up those ships - they're taking a direct loss here; I think it's OK to compensate them some for that.

It's okay to compensate them, but wouldn't it have been so much better if Carnival had absorbed the loss? Walmart donated $2mil. Other companies have donated more. If nothing else, it's good PR. Certainly worth tens of thousands.

 

[poco]

So how many people fit on one ship?

Sounds better than the Astrodome, I guess.

 

[Details]

It's okay to compensate them, but wouldn't it have been so much better if Carnival had absorbed the loss? Walmart donated $2mil. Other companies have donated more. If nothing else, it's good PR. Certainly worth tens of thousands.

I think it may be more than $2 mill to have those ships tied up, not serving customers for that long. A 3 day cruise is anywhere between 500 and 5000 per person (depending on the level of cabin, etc.), the ships hold thousands of people, and are continuously going out on cruises. I could easily see Carnival's losses here being more than 2 million (and they don't have the resources Walmart has).

 

[Liz]

I think if I could dream...
I would want New Orleans with its history, shops, resorts, nightlife (entertainment), fine restaurants. A place to be enjoyed and loved by everyone.

But no more residential areas, I wouldn't want to see this happen to anyone ever again.

Just a dream. What would yours be?

You nailed my dream for the city. I emailed my congressmen and the President two days ago, exactly what you posted.

However, that dream will never be fulfilled. It's like the impossible dream.

 

[Mabel]

I think it may be more than $2 mill to have those ships tied up, not serving customers for that long. A 3 day cruise is anywhere between 500 and 5000 per person (depending on the level of cabin, etc.), the ships hold thousands of people, and are continuously going out on cruises. I could easily see Carnival's losses here being more than 2 million (and they don't have the resources Walmart has).

Okay, I'll give you that.

 

[Casshew]

Poco.. I'd have to double check but probably 2000+ per ship, comfortably.

There is also lots of recreational space, for some 'elbow room' so they are not all crammed on top of each other. The cabins range from tiny 150square foot inside cabins (no windows) to large suites with balconies. It will be interesting to hear how they are assigned.

 

[Details]

And the space is well arranged, even a small cabin can easily enough sleep 3 on 3 beds - 2 on a queen, one on a sofa that converts to a bed. The bathrooms are small, but everything is in there. I could see living with 2 other people in one of those rooms for a few months if need be.

Take the larger rooms, and give those to large families - they often are made so you can convert the sofas and such to beds.

The main limit is the ships food and sanitation services - how many people can they feed in a reasonable time, how many people will make the sewage system on the ship go nuts.

 

[Liz]

My hat's off to Texas, for sure! Texas has stepped up to the plate and is truly going to bat for the evacuees! Bless the hearts of Texans! :clap: :clap:

It's hard for me to imagine - the Astrodome now has more than twice twenty times the population of the city I reside in!

 

[less0305]

'Compensation' often doesn't mean paying the market rate. Carnival had to refund probably 10's of thousands of cruise passengers money to free up those ships - they're taking a direct loss here; I think it's OK to compensate them some for that.

Ha....I've seen FEMA during a tornado. Carnival may as well be given a blank check. You've heard horror stories about people doing government contracts charging hundreds of dollars for a hammer and getting it. You've heard horror stories about hospitals charging the government an outrageous amount of money for a Tylenol for a Medicare patient and getting it. Well, I saw people get LOTS of money for nothing. One family had one piece of siding blown off their house. I think they got a remodel out of it.

 

[Casshew]

I would like to hear the logistics of this Carnival ship plan. It is not going to be like a holiday with room service & daily cleaning of cabins & fine dining with candlelight. I wonder who is going to be supplying the food & cooking the meals etc..? I doubt it will be Carnival chefs & servers