Why is is that your neat little map doesn't name even one of the cities located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast? Couldn't you have paid a little extra and had your graphic arts department squeeze "Gulfport, Biloxi or Pascagoula" in its proper place? Maybe y'all just conveniently forgot that Mississippi got hit by Katrina at all. Perhaps because our neighbors to the south did not squeal loud enough. They just picked themselves up and started putting the pieces back together the best they could. Rather shameful and inconsiderate on your part, I'd say.

We hope that nobody has died in that area, and for those who had no television they had neighbors to help them. We are glad that you were able to get into these smaller towns to get into what happened, but be safe there Bob, and Andrew too.

Yes unfortunately there will be some cows that are no longer part of the living, but hopefully not too many. As for the flood waters, why in such low lying land anyway that is mainly marsh...why would people with cows and such a warning of a storm not get their cows out, or other farm animals? If a day warning (24 hours) is that not enough time to get animals to higher ground? Now we have to risk human lives because of snakes and such to get to those stranded animals or, the cows or other hooven animals can end up with hoof rot or other ailments and may have to be killed anyway. Hopefully there are no dogs and cats or other pets NOT being rescued as in previous blog. Someone mentioned the General leaving them to die, which I do not believe he would. That particular story was about the cows but I am sure General Honore would rescue all animals.

Again about the cows though, or other farm animals, why not get out when storm warning issued? Or better yet have the farm on higher ground where there is not too much worry about storm surge? Is it because the land is cheaper and people cannot afford to have their farm in a more practical location? They can afford these animals but not the land? The government will now likely have to pay their losses with our tax dollars, which I do not agree with as our tax dollars should go to rebuilding UP the land so that it does not sit so low. Or perhaps better yet to pay relocation costs for those with farms in low areas to higher areas. Just some ideas we discussed here amongst my family, some of which were farmers. Whatever the outcome of this we hope it is a lesson to those with animals, get them out and don't leave them to fend for themselves when storm warning issued. Our friend who is a farmer always has an evacuation plan and when warning issued he does not sit around waiting to see what the storm is going to do before it becomes too late for him to do anything. He has his farm in low area too, but takes a back road (more like dirt trail) he and his neighbors get those cows to higher ground. Does not take him 24 hours either as he has left before during warning and has plenty of time to corral them. Now again, he will evacuate with pets and all, (cows, sheep horses and a few goats and his cats and dog) and has plenty of time to get it all together. He does have a corral that is on common land though. (city owned and used for this purpose). What about if the city where such low lying farmland is perhaps have corrals set up for just this purpose? Would it be nice to know that you could take your cows to the location so they'd be safe and not wondering around just so that people could waste time and risk their lives rescuing them and not searching for people ? Maybe this idea can be shared with the mayor or other official of the towns? Also, neighbors who have their land higher above ground maybe, if they had it in their hearts to do or could possible have enough room on their land to do this, could allow a corral or two to be used by their evacuating neighbors cows? Again, if evacuating WHEN the warnings are issued shouldn't that be enough time to get something set up?

Again, just ideas and NO we would not expect the mayor of every town to set up corrals (just maybe to work with city/town land owners or use land that is city/town owned. We hope that the next time flooding from storm surges and those with land in the lowlands, marshlands will use this experience as a lesson to get out. Neighbors hopefully will help their neighbors to do this. Hopefully those who waited through the warning and did not leave UNTIL the actual evacuation orders came so the time was not available any longer for them to make ready plans for their pets will learn to leave early enough. There will be a next time, and many people will not relocate to higher ground because they want/need cheep land or simply cannot afford to move elsewhere (though hopefully the government will offer relocation funds). For those who lost everything hopefully they will relocate where the ground is higher. We are sure they will be given money from the government to do so. To you survivors, our prayers with you all. We hope that something can be done in the planning process for next time so that your animals will have a safe place that is set up for evacuation purposes. We cannot understand why in such areas prone to hurricanes, flooding from excessive rain, areas that are in marshland, why is there no plans in place for evacuations? Maybe there are but as evidenced by the stories, if there were then why were there cows simply wondering through the waters to get hoof rot or seriously injured so badly as to have to be put down. We know that these animals cost a lot of money, these are people's livelihood, this we understand, so why not protect investment by having pre-arranged safety locations for evacuating them? Hopefully in the future this will be done so that people will not have to look at the pictures of lost life for one and for two and more importantly, people will not - as said- risk their lives with snake infested high water, swamp water, etc or with injury trying to save someone else's livestock. Bless you all and be safe. If you have an opportunity to get out of low areas and begin anew from higher ground do so. Or again, at least have plans for your animals and get out when warnings are announced, do not wait until too late.

"There's nothing left"...hopefully the human lives are what is left, and their resolve to build better and upon higher ground than before. As we said in previous reply hopefully if they cannot afford to move the government will help. Hopefully they at least had their wallets or handbags with their identification card, driver's license with them)....Additional information that should be shared, so thank you Bob and Andrew for posting this. As for everything lost in the towns, we hope and pray for the survivors to be able to recover, to rebuild better and stronger than before. We just read this information (though we already follow the advice (as we live in earthquake-prone California)so we have dying declarations (what to do with us if seriously injured), as well as all of our documents in triplicate and then some so that wherever we end up in an emergency our paperwork is handy...so here is the info we just read, for those in areas prone to flooding maybe a safe such as a bank vault can help keep your documents..."Emergency experts say copies of important papers should be handy in case of an evacuation. Copies should also be kept away from the house, at friends or relative's houses in other cities.

"You are going to want some basic financial records, some insurance records," said Gayle Falkenthal, of the American Red Cross. "You're going to want to prove where you lived before the disaster."

Local resident Tami Wilcox keeps a simple three-ring binder with important phone numbers, medical documents, deeds and titles next to the phone. She also keeps the documents in a separate, fire-safe safe.

"I'm that much closer to being able to recover my life if there's a major emergency," Wilcox said.

Having insurance, medical and bank account information can also help speed up the recovery."

We thought to share this-though perhaps too late for some to get to their personal records, but for next time. There will be a next time so hopefully this info helps to preserve what you have as for paperwork. For those who did not lose paperwork and if they do not have a plan for such hopefully this gives them ideas. Thank you again and you two Bob and Andrew, as well as everyone, be safe our prayers with you. Assalamu alaykum (peace be upon you.

My biggest fear is that after the destruction of hurricane Katrina, the folks devastated by Rita will be forgotten. Rita was, at one time, the third strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic/gulf region. FEMA and the Red Cross are making efforts to do their jobs concerning Rita, but will an America, already weary of giving to Katrina victims, make the same effort in helping Rita's victims? This worries me especially since Rita did not hit a major city like Houston. Cameron Parish, Beaumont, Lake Charles, Vidor, Orange and Port Arthur are only a few of the areas devastated by this disaster. Will the media report appropriately on these areas? Will there be any concerts to raise money for Rita's victims? Or will America decide they have had enough of hurricanes and the victims of gulf coast in SW LA and SE TX? I sincerely hope that two major hurricanes in a row doesn't slight the victims of Rita's wrath. Sadly there are many without homes, jobs, and no way to survive without financial aid.

Wow - one cannot even imagine the destruction. I guess one has to BE there to even try to comprehend the enormous scope of devistation. My heart goes out to all those who were affected.

I feel so sorry for all of the animals. Poor cattle: what have they done to deserve this? It would be much better for us not to eat mammals, then the cattle would not have to go thru this. I know these animals will get to heaven before humans will.

Now here's something I am wondering about. From what I know the feds cannot declare a state of emergency upon an independent state or city in the nation, unless it has EXPLICIT permission to do so from the mayor of the city or the governor of that state in question. THAT IS THE LAW, AND THE FEDS MUST STICK TO IT. So far, the area around Cameron, Louisiana was NOT declared a disaster area by the feds, at least not the my knowledge by the time Rita took her unexpected shift to the east. My question really is, when it became obvious that Rita had turned to the east, why didn't governor Blanco get all worried about the southern region of her state and hop on the phone and call Mr. Bush and ask him to declare the southwest of Louisiana a disaster area? Why didn't she do that when New Orleans was at risk under Katrina and why didn't Mayor Nagin remain with his people in New Orleans (instead of disappearing to Dallas to rent a house for himself and his family) and ask the Feds for assistance? Instead, the night before Katrina hit, the Feds were pleading with Nagin and Blanco to have southern Louisiana declared a disaster area, and Nagin and Blanco, according to my understanding, would not consent?!!!! The deposed FEMA chief was NOT suited to head an operation such as Katrina. However, as a lawyer, he knew one thing: he could not override the law and commit a dictatorial act by "invading" a independent state of the union and rescue that state's citizens. He had to have the governor's and the mayor's explicit permission to do so (which to my understanding he did not get). Hence, I would consider the mayor of New Orleans who spent valuable time renting a house in Dallas, and not sticking it out with the nurses, doctors, police officers and other key personnel in New Orleans riding out the storm, guilty of treason towards his people, especially those stuck in the projects (the project people, in order to "qualify" for residence in the projects, may not own any assets, and that includes ... transportation). He, as mayor should have known that project people didn't have transportation, and that nursing home people didn't have transportation. That is his job as a mayor. And when he realized that these people could not get out of New Orleans ahead of the hurricane, it was his job as a mayor to harrass the feds until he got them out, or at least should have tried to find out immediately what scope of assistance could be provided by the feds and what the laws were governing intervention by feds into state affairs, and then made a public call for help. My point is, that both Nagin and Blanco were captains of their shipsat the time, and the captains are supposed to stay with their ships and sink with them, after making certain that everyone down to the last mouse got safely off the ship. That is the role of a true leader: one for all. Instead, he got the hell out of Dodge (or New Orleans) leaving his poor and old people behind. I'm sure he didn't have any project people in his SUV, when he disappeared out of New Orleans to rent a house in Dallas. And where was Blanco? She didn't set foot into New Orleans until Mr. Bush showed up there?!!!! What kind of leadership is that????? I am afraid that Stephen Rowlett of Texas (see comment above) is right: the folks hit by Rita will be forgotten, and so will the betrayal of thousands of poor project people of New Orleans. Oh, granted, many of the project people are there by their own bad decisions, but so many more are there by no fault of their own, and no-one had the right to deny them the safety accorded to every other citizen of the City of New Orleans and the less spectacular parishes of Louisiana (and that includes pet family members like dog Snowball). The former FEMA chief messed up badly, but let's not forget the other parties who betrayed New Orleans.