I see loads of misinformation here, not your fault. The media has been spreading a load of poop to the world on this one. A few corrections are in order.

The levee that failed on the 17th street canal was concrete center with earth on both sides. And that section was just redone within the last few years. My parents lived maybe a half mile at best from the break, and I used to work down there. Until last week that is. The bridge a hundred yards from the break where the president was a few days ago? Both my folks and I crossed the canal there while evacuating, 36 hours before the storm. I grew up playing on that levee.

As far as the evacuation order, it was given locally, and as soon as they could. After the evacuation for Ivan, with it's screw ups, the state and local plans were redone. What it called for was a 50 hour plan, with the lowest lying parishes (counties) going first. Katrina's track started to be projected for here late Friday with low confidence. Saturday morning confidence grew, and the lowest parishes (plaquemines and St. Bernard) ordered evac at 9 AM. Jefferson and Orleans (New Orleans) followed the plan, and ordered evac at 4 PM. This time the evac went mostly smoothly.

What was lacking from the Dome or Convention Center was not food or water, but information. You can live for a while without the former, but lack of information causes panic, and the subsequent anarchy. Our Governor, Mrs. Doubtfire, should have had people there, or gone herself to calm the situation, not hold another bloody press conference.

Yes, we are threatened by mother nature here. Hurricanes affect the Gulf and East coasts, the west coast earthquakes, midwest tornados, northern blizzards, southwest desert, volcanos in hawaii. Instead of complaining about our situation, maybe join the thousands from around the country risking life and limb to help.

The media has overplayed much of the situation. Don't get me wrong, it's been damn bad. Some of those bodies at the dome and elsewhere did not die there. Routine deaths still happened, and family members brought the bodies there, where they could be identified and safe, rather than leave them to the flood.

Yes, some of our people behaved badly. When faced with the greatest natural disaster in this nation's history, they behaved badly. Anywhere else in the English speaking world, if there's a sports championship, or loss, there are riots and arson and looting. It took a titanic disaster to cause that here. We hold, and will hold, the greatest, largest street party in the world annually with very few problems. Anyplace else that tries to hold Mardi Gras in the US, they get riots. "civilized" LA went up in flames over a court verdict a few years ago. All things considered, we've done Damn well, thank you very much.

The west bank of the river is battered but shoul be back in operation in a few weeks, businesses all over the area, less Orleans, Plaquemins and St. Bernard parishes, are reopening. The northshore is recovering nicely. Estimates were from two weeks to eight weeks to get power back in my area. We're ten days in, and over 70% of the notrhshore has power, almost all of Baton Rouge, and even parts of the city itself. I still don't because the line here only supplies four homes and has six breaks in it. All the town of Amite, and the main roads have power.

As far as the firearm debate, they can be a bad idea. Unless you get proper training, and practice regularly, you will probably be more of a danger to yourself and your loved ones. Many people who have legal concealed carry permits show up to requalify with weapons that obviously haven't been out of the case for years and the owner obviously hasn't handled or practiced safe weapons handling for those four years either. Scary.

Peanut