Rita and the Net
p2p news / p2pnet:- With the effects of Hurricane Katrina still making themselves felt not only in the US, but elsewhere in the world, people are waking up to the reality that their biggest danger isn’t from drugs or wars. Rather, it’s from Mother Nature and people on America’s Gulf Coast are getting ready for the latest terror.
Rita.
The citizenry have have to be kept informed and, “Gulf Coast newspapers in the projected path of Hurricane Rita scrambled Thursday to finalize plans to keep employees safe and readers informed, mainly through Web sites,” says the Associated Press.
The Galveston County Daily News evacuated its barrier island offices in Galveston and Texas City but “For the duration of the storm we plan to continue publishing a paper each day,” says publisher Dolph Tillotson in a recorded message. “However, it will be small. Our ability to deliver it is very limited.”
So, “Tillotson, like other publishers in Rita’s path, said readers should go to the newspaper’s Web site for the latest news,” says AP.
The Houston Chronicle’s central plant in downtown Houston will try to keep the presses running but if that’s not possible, editorial and production operations can be elsewhere, Susan Bischoff, associate editor, is quoted as saying, adding:
“Our online product is going to lead in breaking our journalism.”
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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win
- Mohandas Gandhi
See:-
Hurricane Katrina – Bush pals cash in on Katrina, September 12, 2005
Associated Press – Papers in Rita’s Path to Inform Via Web, September 22, 2005
September 23rd, 2005 at 4:48 pm
The Houston Chronicle’s central plant in downtown Houston will try to keep the presses running but if that’s not possible, editorial and production operations can be elsewhere, Susan Bischoff, associate editor, is quoted as saying, adding:
“Our online product is going to lead in breaking our journalism.”
Already down, the next plant is in San Antonio. Houston Cronicle will not distribute til Monday is what I heard from some individual contractors that work for them.
September 24th, 2005 at 7:57 am
Having just gone through dealing with Katrina and all the headaches it caused locally, I wish the citzens of Lousiana and Texas the very best in dealing with this disaster approaching.
It was an eye opener to see just what occurs when the modern trappings of what we know as civilization break down. When services you are accustom to suddenly cease to exist, you are on your own and it seems everyone is out for themselves till communications return wtih the outside world. Thankfully, I don’t live in New Orleans were even law enforcement failed. The events surrounding the politicians in that area made for some strange headlines as all scrambled to claim those failings in planning and in their own preformances were to be laid at someone elses feet rather than where it belonged, in the area’s own leadership.
I can tell you that what is painted above isn’t true for all areas. Thankfully I can say that in our area no such looting took place. As soon as communications were available our local politicians were holding meetings to reach out to and deal with the problems this storm made for the community. Instead of slinging blame, they were co-ordinating help for individuals such as a lady that was running out of oxygen, of seeing that handicapped people had help that they needed, that retirement homes got power, water, ice, and other necessities that would not have come so fast without that co-ordination. Folks outside our area were calling because there was the sound of hope, of doing, and of taking care of our fellow man. Simply, they didn’t have elsewhere to turn in their own areas that could provide any sort of hope. While I am not big on politicians, it seems I had to re-evaluate my local politicains and their sterling preformances during this past disaster. It turned what could have been (such as was displayed in the New Orleans area) into something that showed people would look out for their neighbors and take interest in their well being for strickly humanitarian reasons and not for commercial gain. Our local mayor was on the radio, each and every day after those meetings telling the listenership what was going on, what was being planned, how those plans were proceeding, and what to expect next. Dragged from that meeting and following him usually were the power representive on where they were in restoring power, FEMA representive telling where ice or water would be setup, where help could be reached for a variety of common problems, explaining terms of curfew (which considering all that was going on was very leinent) and giving the community much needed information to plan with. That informaion included where gas stations were open which had gas, what area stores had ice, where generator shipments were expected, where to obtain food, shelter, or other necessities. Much of this information coming in was from the listeners themselves reporting to the radio station so that the station could give accurate information to the community.
To be honest, I am proud of the way our community responded to this disaster. Instead of falling apart, they pulled together to make it happen.