Nobody seems to be asking what to me is a nagging question: How many of the of thousands of rooftops barely showing above the water in New Orleans have people trapped underneath? None? Five? A hundred? A thousand? More? You'd think people would really want to know, but it's a question, which, so far, I have not heard any of the tv reporters ask. One reporter hinted at it when talking to a Coast Guard officer about the ongoing helicopter rescues, and the Coast Guard guy basically said the helicopter personnel had no way of knowing whether people were inside such houses, and that he hoped everybody was out.
It does look like people who have chopped their way out of their attics are being rescued, as are people who shout from attic vent holes to get the attention of boats. But I am worried that there may be lots of people who are not in a position to shout, or who have not been heard.
I am hoping that these inundated neighborhoods were lived in by people who had cars and who drove away when told to. Because the timetable for draining the water away seems to be weeks rather than days.
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