Posted 9/02/2005 05:11:00 PM by Douglas

I'm beginning to understand why the looters in New Orleans were are so pissed off

He said the hotel had stockpiled food, "and we knew the people outside knew that. We could see them looking up at us. We were afraid they were going to come in after us."

Mr. Ledford said New Orleans residents had initially been happy that the levee had held. Then came word that it had started to breach.

He said, "We could see the water coming toward us. That is when the looting really got bad."

He said they were escorted by armed guards as they switched to a taller hotel, the plush Royal Sonesta. They were placed in a second floor balcony room.

Mr. Ledford said the hotel manager, Hans, had some connections and somehow was able to arrange for two tour buses to come to rescue the hotel guests. He said the bus had to come at night because the gangs on the streets did not want them to leave.

He said they got on the bus in the dark, and it started out along the water-filled streets. He said it was one of the first vehicles to leave the city.

Mr. Ledford said residents at one point built a barrier to block the buses, but police officers drew their guns and moved the barrier out of the way.

He said they and the other guests were peering ahead watching the driver negotiate the narrow streets of the French Quarter through the high water. "We knocked over a few things in getting out," he said.

So the guests of expensive hotels in the French Quarter had "connections" to get their busses in and out of the city under the cover of darkness, all before the marauding hoards found out about their food supplies inside.

I'm not naive enough to think that the poor and the rich are afforded the same luxuries chances for survival, but I just can't help but wonder how many empty seats were on that bus as it "knocked over a few things" getting out of the French Quarter.