1. Not breaking into a place to get food, water or medical supplies necessary for survival when the place will be flooded in a short period of time and the life saving supplies ultimately destroyed, is sort of stupid.
Frankly, I think that there should have been arrangements made between the city and business that had critical supplies. Had someone REALLY been in charge at the Superdome, they could have conscripted a group of strong, healthy people to head out to these places and collect the supplies and then controlled the distribution. It's called planning and common sense.
2. Those caught breaking into a place to get jewelry, non-essential clothing (read Gucci purse here) or electronic equipment (outside of wakie talkie, generators or batteries), shoud be stopped and the perps re-located to an area that is last to be evacuated, (we should have had enough clear thinking national guard on duty to discern the difference between 1 and 2 and to stop 2).
3. Line of sight sexual or other types of assault during a disaster - the perpetrator should be shot in the act.
4. Line of sight assault of emergency personnel or theft of emergency equipment in route - the perpetrator should be shot in the act.
If by chance anyone who committed 3 or 4 should be shot and live, they should be last evacuated and last treated.
Professionals who's job it is to assist in emergency operations should have been taking their orders from the same general/[person in charge] and have had their general orders MONTHS in advance. Civilians conscripted to help should have been given clear and concise instructions.
Of note and something that I did not think of until I heard the mayor's speach, hospitals should have on hand an emergency supply of methedone. Addicts, through what ever channels that one can use to reach addicts, should have been made aware of it. I recommend this more as a practical solution to maintaining order during a disaster and it does not imply that I condone heroine addiction. It's just a practical matter - there ARE addicts and they WILL look for, steal and possibly kill for drugs.
In another thread I read about looting beginning in areas that hurricane victims had been evacuated to, but that were only marginally damaged by the hurricane.
In cases like this, I frankly think that if there are not enough law enforcement personnel to arrest them then private citizens should be conscripted to take over other less dangerous law enforcement duties and that sworn officers should deal with these looters in a "no tolerance manner", in that if they don't stop, drop and raise their hands for arrest, they should be shot on sight. Not necessarily as a matter of punishing them for theft but just to maintain order which is essential in an emergency.
....just my two soggy american cents.
