Media Obstruction in Galveston-"They Do Not Want Us To See Images Of Potential Fatalities"

[kpete]

Media Obstruction in Galveston
Press denied access in the wake of Ike
By Curtis Brainard Thu 18 Sep 2008 09:07 AM

And fear of Internet gossip should not prohibit responsible journalism. The ABC News affiliate in Houston carried a video of investigative reporter Wayne Dolcefino confronting Texas governor Rick Perry about temporary “no-fly” zones for TV helicopters over parts of the Bolivar peninsula and west Galveston, the hardest hit areas. Later in the video, Dolcefino tells the ABC anchors:

After Katrina, we were able to go to Waveland, Mississippi, and Gulfport, and Biloxi, and places that were devastated, where there were, sadly, bodies on the road. Now that’s a horrible thing to see and a horrible thing to show, but people who live there, who have friends there, who have relatives there, have a fundamental right to know that stuff. They have a fundamental right to know, not just from the words of a politician or public official, but from the news media, which are independent of government and have also the responsibility of trying to help the public evaluate response…

We couldn’t get crews back on Galveston last night and this morning until we complained on the air for about twenty hours. And it’s not because we want to sightsee, guys, it’s because we have the responsibility of telling people… I made it as clear to (Gov. Perry) off camera as I did on camera that this is not going to be tolerated. You know, we hear about disasters in other countries—what was it, Burma, Myanmar—where they won’t let people in to see and you know, this is the state of Texas; this America. And we’re not trying to interfere with rescue and search operations, nor did anyone suggest we would be.

When asked why he thought the government was obstructing access, Dolcefino did not mince words:

I don’t think they want us to see images that may remind people… of the images that we saw in New Orleans. I don’t think they want us to see the images that were seen in Waveland, Mississippi or Gulfport… I think that’s the reality; they do not want us to see yet, until they can control what we see and how we see it. And that is simply, at least in my career, unacceptable. Maybe a lot of reporters won’t say it, but I will. I think they do not want us to see images of potential fatalities that may be on land or on water.

more at:
http://www.cjr.org/the_observatory/media_obstruction_in_galveston.php?page=2
ABC VIDEO:
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=6391294

[K Gardner]

1. Be careful, KPete..you'll be castigated like I was yesterday for promoting

hysterical conspiracy theories :hi:

Good article ! K&R

[dogday]

7. No conspiracy theories.. Check out this list of news that also

feels something isn't right....




http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news;_ylt=A9j8eu4ZY9JITbYABjjQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBlM21mM3ZrBHNlYwNwYWdpbmF0aW9u?p=90.000+people+stayed+for+Ike&c=&ei=UTF-8&xargs=12KPjg1i9SroGmmvmnEOOIMLrcmUsOkZ7Fo5h7DOV5CtdY6hNdE-IfXpP0xZg6WO8T7xvSy7HBreVFdJGu277WVk0qfeO_Iebq3oqGnNVmI6zVAeBHI4Mfl7n8nfJLHU82&pstart=4&b=11&fr=&xargs=12KPjg14tSr4e9mvinEOOIMLrcmUsOkZ%2Dx8bo%5FXIR7GtYq8DtcV%5FwmXuHJwPUmEK7O2A94%2D8jXqfZUf6uZzbjPTkrNEmGMGpIe64mP%5FI1%5FZwGcWqXPtrGg9gbJrYNYeiZTJXcNS2aaMs3VZORRBH4rzssh%5Fh7t%5FORsx9EC9BQoGK%5FaRnN7jwTlIT803vF6lM%2D3Ibs5eg%2E%2E&pstart=4&b=1">Check it Out

[malaise]

10. We we did say this since Sunday

didn't we. How are things in your neck of the woods? :hi:

[dogday]

18. Most of my friends still do not have power and will not

have it until next week.. I have not heard from family and friends on the coast.. We are checking everywhere from San Antonio to Austin to Dallas for information...

We were lucky, but my neighborhood is full of fallen trees and limbs.. Each and every house on each and every street has a mound of debris...

I am cooking hot meals and freezing as much ice and frozen soda bottles filled with water to give to them... Trying to do what I can and check on missing friends and family....

[malaise]

32. That's wonderful

After hurricanes, we usually make a big pot of split peas and corn soup three times a week and share with the 'windshield wiper' young men. You're a good person. Hope things improve soon. :yourock:

add

[trthnd4jstc]

92. My G-d Almighty Look after their souls. Wow. You are right.

My sense is that a lot of people are missing. There is something not right. I can sense that. The pictures are powerful. I pray that the loved ones have loved ones to place arms around one another.

Peace!

[libodem]

118. Clicked the first article

Where are the 404 missing persons form hurricane Ike? This article can not be found.

[Jamastiene]

123. It has been moved.

http://www.thetandd.com/articles/2008/09/18/news/doc48d1f3528b153153452988.txt

The 404 file is standard when a link is broken, not 404 bodies.

[Junkdrawer]

9. "You're just not going to be happy until 900 people are dead, are you?"

"One reply to all you ghouls who want more death..."

"ok. i'll say it. some du'rs want the 900 to be dead. they need 900 to be dead..."

Actual quotes from unnamed DUers on unnamed threads.

[kpete]

12. no, not at all

only worried

I want everyone (animals included) to be ok.

peace, kp

[Junkdrawer]

14. You do understand those are not my words...

I responded to several of those posts in kind, reminding the posters of the families who would never know whether their loved ones were alive or dead.

:hi:

[snappyturtle]

69. We were worried sick and still get little info about Houston. We live

north of San Anonio so we have SA for our local news. It sucks. Our relatives, lots, in Houston have had a very rough time and lots of damage but we're so-o thankful they weren't hurt. The one family in Baytown evacuated to College Station the others are all on the northside of Houston and stayed put. Two are Houston cops.....put back in uniform and working 12 hour shifts for looting. They don't get much info there either from what we can tell and are still looking for Reliant trucks....anywhere. Miserable situation. They all are pretty self-sifficient which is a blessing since our gov't. doesn't seem to be on the ball.

[WatchWhatISay]

103. North side of Houston is nothing to worry about

Lots of trees and limbs down, many damaging roofs and houses, but not likely to cause serious injury or death. But many, many homes are still without power. Mercifully, a coolfront that came in Sunday is still enormously helpful. But most people dont have phone (and therefore internet) service. We got our power on Tuesday afternoon. But then power went off on the street for all but four homes - of which we are one. Still, phone service is on again off again for us, non-existent for many.

By today most grocery stores and some gas stations are open, so overall people are doing OK. Just no communication, refrigeration, hot meals, and piles of debris in most every yard. But we try not to complain since most of us dont have serious damage to, or water in, our homes.

We had planned a trip to San Antonio anyway, so we did that Sunday through Tuesday. We found and bought a generator there, after quite a bit of searching. We never were able to find gas cans needed to bring back large quantities of gas needed for the generators. One auto parts store we stopped at had a "no gas cans" sign posted on the front door. But on our way home, neigbors called to say the power had come on. The generator is now being used by a neighbor down the street, who once again does not have power. I have invited them all to come to our house if they need to wash a load of clothes, cook a hot meal, rest a while and watch TV, or use the internet.

So don't worry if you can't reach people north of Houston. We're busy cleaning up, getting to know each other better, and trying to keep the frustration level down, but we're OK.

[snappyturtle]

115. Thank you for your input. They don't live north of Houston but on the northside of Houston.

They've found out that their zip code will be serviced next Monday. One had a generator but that became impossible with no gas available near them. There is no power in old poorer neighborhoods in Houston where my mother-in-law is. Thank God she got phone service back yesterday!

[K Gardner]

15. LOL ! Yes, I've seen those quotes :-)

[dogday]

16. Check it out and understand what is being said

http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news;_ylt=A9j8eu4ZY9JITbYABjjQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBlM21mM3ZrBHNlYwNwYWdpbmF0aW9u?p=90.000+people+stayed+for+Ike&c=&ei=UTF-8&xargs=12KPjg1i9SroGmmvmnEOOIMLrcmUsOkZ7Fo5h7DOV5CtdY6hNdE-IfXpP0xZg6WO8T7xvSy7HBreVFdJGu277WVk0qfeO_Iebq3oqGnNVmI6zVAeBHI4Mfl7n8nfJLHU82&pstart=4&b=11&fr=&xargs=12KPjg14tSr4e9mvinEOOIMLrcmUsOkZ%2Dx8bo%5FXIR7GtYq8DtcV%5FwmXuHJwPUmEK7O2A94%2D8jXqfZUf6uZzbjPTkrNEmGMGpIe64mP%5FI1%5FZwGcWqXPtrGg9gbJrYNYeiZTJXcNS2aaMs3VZORRBH4rzssh%5Fh7t%5FORsx9EC9BQoGK%5FaRnN7jwTlIT803vF6lM%2D3Ibs5eg%2E%2E&pstart=4&b=1">Check it Out

[Junkdrawer]

24. Thanks for the links

I was slapped down during Charley when I suggested bodies were being hidden...

Ditto Katrina and now Ike.

One of my childhood best friends used to be a mid-level executive with FEMA. He quit when the focus became "provide political cover" instead of "provide disaster relief".

[harun]

68. I think this is why you are seeing some reports of them saying the bodies probably

got swept out to sea.

[Hugabear]

20. Exactly. Because we see the criminal negligence on display, we are fucking ghouls

Because we don't simply accept the storyline that is being handed out, because we're not being good little Germans and we're questioning authority, it means we want to see lots and lots of dead bodies. Not just dead bodies, but bloated bodies.

[Junkdrawer]

22. IF bodies are being disposed, it is an unspeakable cruelty to all of the families involved.

One can only hope that, in an attempt to temporarily reduce death tolls, bodies are not being permanently disposed of.

[Occulus]

25. Two questions

1) Where the hell are those people on this thread?

2) Where the hell are their apologies to everyone?

[Junkdrawer]

26. 1.) Waiting for new talking points. 2.) ROFLOL - Hell will freeze over first n/t

[intheflow]

46. Disgusting, isn't it?

The lack of compassion or care for the truth on this board sometimes just sets my brain spinning sometimes. :crazy:

[readmoreoften]

47. God forbid we should make sure our fellow citizens aren't disappeared.

[cui bono]

70. That's disgusting.

And sad that those people think we are supposed to just believe government controlled information. In THIS country? Under THIS ADMINISTRATION?

Where the fuck have those people been living the last 8 years.

:grr:

[Jamastiene]

89. Yup. I saw that too. n/t

[sce56]

96. I think the whole thing is that we do not trust the goverment to tell us the TRUTH!

They lied to us about Iraq they lied to us about Katrina they lied to us about how sound Wall Street is! And who knows the truth behind 9-11! As for being there and seeing it I have before in 92 before they screwed up FEMA now you here stories of truckers sitting around for days waiting to deliver the relief supplies that is not right! No one here wants to see massive casualty lists we already have that from Iraq, Anyone that expresses that I would suggest is a freeper and needs to be tombstoned! We just want to know the truth and if it is being with held from us I can only guess why and it sounds like political BS to me!


Hurricane Iniki 1992






Below Typhon Omar Guam 1992

[malaise]

13. Chertoff is on again

discussing everything else. I don't understand why every journalist is repeating the same question - where are the missing people.

http://www.maroonspoon.com/wx/ike.html

[dogday]

19. I think he is moving here... He has been here every day and

I am getting sick of seeing America's first vampire on TV all the time... It creeps me out...

[Sam Ervin jret]

111. Unfortunately with this administration it has become - Distrust MUST Verify

[dogday]

2. Wayne Dolcefino has been an investigative reporter here in Houston

for years.. He has uncovered many stories, and has even been attacked because of his reporting. I hope he continues to fight for our right to know.. I live here, and I have seen Ike's devastation first hand and I do not believe the death toll is correct....

[K Gardner]

3. I watched him confront Rick Perry.. he seems to be one of the good ones.

[peekaloo]

6. question

any mention of Galveston's historic district? I believe it's along Broadway to the east Seawall? I hope I'm remembering the name but there were all those old houses and a few shops, etc. I used to take that route to East Beach (the rowdy end :D ) from Houston.

Thanks. :hi:

[dogday]

8. They got about 7 feet of water and mud.... But the opera house

and others look ok from the outside, the inside is a mess on the first floor....

[begin_within]

4. It's Katrina II, except we can't know about it. The only mention of it on my local news yesterday

was about a tiger on the loose.

[Hugabear]

5. There does appear to be a deliberate attempt to deny the media free access to certain areas

One has to wonder why that is? The only reason to deny the media access is if you don't want them to see something or report on it. Something seems awful fishy here.

[bdamomma]

11. they just do not us to see the carnage in an election year.

again, total incompetence and negligence, and again the American people pay with their lives.

[meow mix]

17. all of the deniers, you can now go to hell

ty

[dogday]

21. An Associated Press survey shows that in three counties alone, some 90,000 people

have chosen not to leave despite dire warnings from forecasters


where are these people when only 2,000 have been rescued....

[liquiddaddy]

23. Where's the Tinker Bell Squad Now?

Why aren't they apologizing for being such rude bores? I think Dick, I mean Ricardo said something about going away forever under these circumstances.

Buh Bye!

[Psyop Samurai]

27. Planning the next op with the straw man brigade?

Welcome back, btw.

:hi:

[Bluebear]

35. Well, something good could come out of all of this after all.

:)

[dogday]

28. The destruction of Gilchrist, Texas

The destruction of Gilchrist, Texas

From the blog:
Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Wednesday, September 17, 2008


We're in day three of my promised 7-10 day lull in Atlantic hurricane activity. That prediction is still looking good. There are no threat areas to discuss today, and the earliest any model foresees a tropical storm developing is Sunday, when the NOGAPS indicates something developing in the western Caribbean. The GFS model predicts this development will occur on the other side of Central America, in the Eastern Pacific. The GFS also predicts development of a tropical depression by Tuesday off the coast of Africa.

The destruction of Gilchrist

Many of you have probably seen the photo of Gilchrist, Texas showing complete destruction of the town of 750 people, save for one lone home. High-resolution satellite imagery made available by NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (Figure 1) confirm that of the approximately 1000 structures existing in the town before Hurricane Ike, only about five survived the hurricane. Approximately 200 of these buildings were homes, and it is thought that some of the residents attempted to ride out the storm in their homes. According to media reports, about 34 survivors from Gilchrist and the neighboring communities of Crystal Beach and Port Bolivar have been fished out of Galveston Bay in the past few days. Rescuers who have reached Gilchrist have not been able to find any victims in the debris because there is no debris. Ike's storm surge knocked 99.5% of the 1,000 buildings in Gilchrist off their foundations and either demolished them or washed them miles inland into the swamplands behind Gilchrist. Until search teams can locate the debris of what was once was Gilchrist, we will not know the fate of those who may have stayed behind to ride out the storm.






Figure 1. The town of Gilchrist, Texas before and after Hurricane Ike. Image credit (top): Googlemaps.com, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Houston-Galveston Area Council. Bottom: National Geodetic Survey.

Why did Gilchrist get destroyed?

It's rare to see a town so completely destroyed by a hurricane, to the point where you can't even see the wreckage. The neighboring towns of Crystal Beach, to the south, and High Island, to the north, were also mostly destroyed, but weren't swept clean of nearly all structures and wreckage. This is because Gilchrist was built in an unusually vulnerable place. It's bad enough to situate your town on a low-lying peninsula, as was the case for Crystal Beach. But in Gilchrist's case, the town was located at the narrowest point of the Bolivar Peninsula, at a point where it was only a few hundred meters wide (Figure 2). Not only did Gilchrist suffer a head-on assault by Ike's direct storm surge of 14+ feet, topped by 20' high battering waves, the town also suffered a reverse surge once the hurricane had passed. As Ike moved to the north, the counter-clockwise flow of wind around the storm pushed Galveston Bay's waters back across the town of Gilchrist from northwest to southeast. This second surge of water likely finished off anything the main storm surge had left.

Will Gilchrist be rebuilt?

I hope the government will see fit to buy up the land that was once the town of Gilchrist and make it into a park. Building a town in Gilchrist's location makes as much sense as building a town on the sides of an active volcano. (Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who have done just that, such as on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius in Italy). If past history is any guide, Gilchrist will be rebuilt, and it will take another mighty hurricane to permanently take down the town. That was the case for the town of Indianola, Texas, which lay in a vulnerable low-lying location on the shores of Matagorda Bay in the mid-1800's. Indianola was the second largest port in the state of Texas, and home to 5,000 people. In 1875, a powerful Category 3 hurricane piled up a huge storm surge as it came ashore in Indianola. The surge destroyed 3/4 of the town's 2,000 buildings, and killed 176 people. The city was rebuilt, but in 1886, a devastating Category 4 hurricane swept almost the entire town of Indianola into Matagorda Bay, killing another 250 townspeople. The people of Indianola finally gave up and moved elsewhere, and the ruins of their town now lie under four feet of water in Matagorda Bay.

http://asp.usatoday.com/community/othervoices/default.aspx?bbPostId=Cz7vhbtljpCP3Cz2fE1bkgeSPFBCRqo8G4DgjjB4b7N241PXtJ&bbParentWidgetId=B9FHRN3iSsOJzBNXupwDnKmA&loc=interstitialskip&req=blogburst&tag=news">Rest of Story

[crickets]

31. That second picture is the stuff of nightmares. How horrible. -nt.

[dgibby]

29. Two things

First, there are several good AP articles on AOL today, including pictures of the damage (and the lioness in church). I don't know how to post the link, but go to AOL under hurricane news. Second, I am appalled by some of the posters in other hurricane related threads who, instead of showing empathy and understanding, have made it their life's mission to castigate the op, to the point of mental cruelty (imo). It disgusts and sickens me that some DU's can be that callous in the face of such suffering. Everyone here refers to DU as a family, and I agree, but right now, it's a DYSFUNCTIONAL family, at best. At worst, I am beginning to think some of the "family members" need a serious intervention!:mad:

[malaise]

33. Good post

Even GEM$NBC is asking questions this morning.

[dgibby]

34. Thank you

Can't remember the last time I was this upset. Pogo was right-"we have met the enemy and he is us". Talk about eating your young! Disgusting!

[EFerrari]

38. The way to post the link is:

Go to the page where your article is. Copy the address in the address bar, then paste it in your post.

[dgibby]

40. Thanks!

:hi:

[hootinholler]

30. I don't understand the No-Fly zone meme...

There's a 2000' ceiling on the TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction), which means there is positive traffic control from the ground to 2000' above 2000' is open to general aviation under VFR (Visual Flight Rules).

-Hoot

[EFerrari]

37. Perry announced the air spaced was closed on Saturday.

That must have changed -- maybe on Monday? I don't remember them opening it up on Sunday. Maybe someone else has a clearer memory.

[Bluebear]

36. Stop! Another "hysterical ghoul" wanting "more death" at DU!!!!111

Thank you for this story, kpete.

[kpete]

39. Some of Ike's missing may have washed away

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26765035/

[Karenina]

43. With CERTAINTY some of Ike's missing

were washed away. Who and how many is the pertinent question.

[EFerrari]

44. And with the exception of that one reporter, the media just went along

with being told what to say, what to show and what to write.

That's where we are.

[Karenina]

48. Ya know, Beth, 6 years ago

I thought it had gotten pretty bizarre, as many of us here then did. We are now SO FAR beyond T-H-E O-U-T-E-R L-I-M-I-T-S!!! :crazy:

[EFerrari]

53. I know. And people still don't believe it.

Maybe they're lucky. :)

[EFerrari]

54. Dupe

[tbyg52]

41. Exactly right. Thank goodness someone in the media is doing his job. nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

42. I heard there was a secret Navy ship filled with hundreds of secret dead bodies.

But it crashed and sank when it hit an ice berg made of thousands of secret dead bodies from Hurricane Gustav.

And then they sent a helicopter out to rescue the crew, but that crashed into a mountain made of millions of secret dead bodies from that train crash in California.

God damn our evil media!

[Junkdrawer]

50. Filed under: "You just can't make this stuff up", Patent 6729247 - Mobile crematorium....

...

BACKGROUND

It is an unfortunate reality that disasters occur which result in large
numbers of deaths. Disasters can be natural; such as hurricanes,
earthquakes, etc., or they may be induced; such as acts of war or
terrorism. When such disasters occur it is often necessary to lay large
numbers of human remains to their final rest.

Mass graves are sometimes used wherein large numbers of human bodies are
entered into a common grave and covered for burial. This is undesirable
for many reasons including the difficulty associated with obtaining
portions of land which are suitable for such mass burials. Cremation is
possible yet this is unpractical since the bodies must be transported at a
high cost and any transportation across borders may require excessive
paper work and administrative expense at a time when most individuals are
not prepared for such efforts.

....


http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6729247/description.html

[cwydro]

58. Yeah, I heard that too!

[Hugabear]

60. Mock all you want...

But it does make perfect sense that they wouldn't want people to know the full extent of the horrors of what happened. Hell, they were warning that anyone who stayed behind faced certain death, and we know for a fact that tens of thousands of people stayed behind.

So why is it so hard to fathom that the death toll could be MUCH higher than reported?

[onenote]

86. Serious question and some additional facts

If they warned people that they'd die if they stayed behind, why would it make perfect sense for them to hide the fact that people who stayed behind died?

People died. And the number of dead will go up as the effort to sift through the debris continues. I can't imagine anyone thinking otherwise. I also agree wholeheartedly that the effort to control the media's access has been ham handed, overbroad and ultimately will be self defeating.

HOwever, I don't expect that the death toll will be as high as some here seem to be certain it is, with claims of 900 bodies floating in the water off the Peninsula and 1500 bodies hanging from trees, etc. Those claims are unsubstantiated and, imo, not credible. I don't know what the final toll will be. I hope its smaller rather than larger, and I imagine that sentiment is shared by everyone, even those insisting the toll will be very large.

Finally, yes tens of thousands stayed behind. But that is over a very large area -- Galveston County alone has over 250,000 residents. And the areas where "certain death" was warned were not the entire county, but the areas along the immediate coast -- areas that suffered extreme devastation, far greater than most of the county where most of the people reside. Given the reports that there were survivors even on the peninsula, it is hardly likely that thousands of people further inland died.


Just trying to inject some logic and reason into the discussion.

[TheWatcher]

84. Ah, it seems one of you decided to crawl out of the slime.

And after seeing who it is, I couldn't be less surprised.

It is kind of surprising to see you walking around with your head exposed like that. Usually it's well tucked away from sight.

:eyes:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

116. LOL

What is that even supposed to mean?

[TheWatcher]

122. Which part confused you? The observation that you showed up to mock, giggle and snicker

Or that you usually have your head up your ass?

[EFerrari]

45. County judge Jim Yarbrough is saying that the coroner is in possession

of 7 bodies, 6 from the island. They are going through debris piles today. There is now some cell service on the island, 5 of 7 ATT towers back in operation.

[intheflow]

49. ",,,they do not want us to see yet, until they can control what we see and how we see it."

Almost the exact words I wrote last Sunday. People who have been questioning what's in it for FEMA if they keep reporters away are either incredibly naive or incredibly gullible.

[TheWatcher]

51. SO Where are all the "You are Ghouls wishing for a high Death Count"

Brigade From yesterday?

Are you all hiding in a bunker with the person who started the thread castigating everyone about the Stock Market?

Or perhaps you all car-pooled down to Target to get your prescription for your Rose-Colored Glasses changed.

[Name removed]

57. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TheWatcher]

81. Delete.

Why give trash the attention after it's been disposed of.

[HEyHEY]

52. They try this shit up here too

It's all about control. Most people don't understand the media, and think it wants in those places to get "Wham bam" action shots. While there are lots of media who are there for that, there is also media there as watch dogs. In such circumstances it is needed. Without reporters on the ground the public can't really know what is happening.

I remember going "Behind" the lines of a forest fire once. Everyone who lived there was allowed to be there, but the police tried to say the media couldn't. If it's public property, and there hasn't been an evacuation ORDER, the cops can't tell me I can't go there. So, I went behind and drove around the fire zone and some cop tried giving me shit, to which I had my recorder rolling the whole time then he saw it and said, "Are you recording this?" I told him I was recording cow sounds, fucking douche.

[EFerrari]

55. One of the first things our gestapo did in St. Paul was raid

the people there to monitor police behavior. They obviously weren't terrorists or even "anarchists". They were that much worse thing, videographers.

[EFerrari]

56. Galveston mayor with hold a joint press conference this afternoon @ 4pm

with FEMA.

[EFerrari]

59. Bolivar residents had a protest in Winnie this morning

because they weren't getting the information they wanted. Officials seem to be making arrangements to get them in to see their places and out again.

[MrScorpio]

61. Ah, the cover-up

The last refuge of the guilty

[City Lights]

62. The press corps could learn a thing from Dolcefino.

They have a fundamental right to know, not just from the words of a politician or public official, but from the news media, which are independent of government and have also the responsibility of trying to help the public evaluate response…

[EFerrari]

63. The press corpse seems to be the first casualty here. n/t

[KeepItReal]

102. Roger that.

<eom>

[DangerousRhythm]

105. Yep, Wayne Dolcefino has done us proud.

Now I'm the first one to slam local media (like some of the ridiculous "stories" I've seen on KPRC for instance), but Wayne Dolcefino seriously did some good work and I couldn't question his integrity after this. He deserves a raise or something. :D

[barbtries]

64. Wayne Dolcefino today:

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=weather/hurricane&id=6393943

authorities have finally, apparently, said that they will now be searching for the bodies of the dead.

[EFerrari]

65. The county judge said they're going to look through debris today

maybe that's why Skeletor will be managing the message today at a 4pm briefing.

[barbtries]

73. man i can't even watch that slime

HOW can he still have a job after katrina?

[EFerrari]

74. He seems to be just the kind of control freak they want.

I'm going to force myself because you can tell a lot from tone and proxemics and stuff like that.

[tnlefty]

77. Thanks for posting that link.

Absolutely devasted. My thoughts are with those who are worried about family members and friends.

[uppityperson]

66. 3 things. They will find some bodies, won't find some, it will take a while.

The search and rescue has been focused on the living. Sounds like now it will change to the dead. Yes, some washed away, may never have an accurate number. There is a HUGE amount of debris, flattened buildings, etc to look through and it will take months, yrs, to get through it all. And bodies will continue to be found.

No, I am not hoping for anyone to be dead, but just stating a fact, as proven by other large disasters like this.

Finally, restricting media while initial search and rescue is happening is understandable but still wrong. Restricting it now is just wrong. If they were smart, they'd get media out filming and reporting and showing wtf is going on while squashing rumors.

If if if if if.

[Two Americas]

67. thank you

Thank you for pursuing this. Thank you to everyone who endured the abuse and kept on this story. The way you have been treated here is unspeakably disgusting.

[countryjake]

71. "Before media became a capitalistic controlled propaganda machine"

that was a statement which accompanied a posting of citizen-obtained photos of West End damage to homes on Galveston Island. Here is the rest of the message:

"Before media became a capitalistic controlled propaganda machine in modern times, reliable communications were among the citizens via word of mouth, smoke signals, etc, which has extended to CB radio and now the internet.

If the citizens would fulfill their ancient traditions the dysfunctional propaganda machine we call "media" would dissolve.

Here's an example of the citizen's media for Terramar Beach (West End) on Sunday when some responsible citizens at their own risk, and "illegally" came in by boat and photographed their fellow citizens homes, relieving anxiety and neutralizing big media's reports that they were wiped out, that to this date the government controllers have not provided...."

Here are the photos:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=obabwqo.6ebw2aus&Uy=-ryuquf&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=583591576061_993374330308&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

and here is the link to the blog where I found it:

http://brazosportnews.blogspot.com/2008/09/photos-from-galvestons-terramar-beach.html

[EFerrari]

75. I can see why people want to live there. It's a beautiful place. n/t

[countryjake]

76. I'm beginning to think that "wealth" has more to do with restricting access...

more than anything else. As in those pics of Terramar, they appear to be on a higher scale of living, perhaps vacation homes also, and that West End of Galveston Island development, much like Seaside Resort, Pirate's Cove, and Sunset Cove, suffered very little structural damage or water damage. Judging from other things I've read on local blogs, the fear of the looting of such homes on that end of island has been very high, plus I just heard that so far, 11 people have been arrested for "trespass" on Galveston. So putting some things together, it makes me think that the release of photos of that type of "money", sitting vulnerable and empty, may be more the reason why the media hasn't been allowed out there.

You know, according to what meteorologists were saying about the surges, as Ike hit, that inlet there in Galveston Bay, southeast of Smith Point, was where most everything would end up, taking into consideration both the inward surge and the back of the eye surge. It's largely bayou and swamp, and reports have already stated that there are literally mountains of debris along the shores of Chambers County. They also made rescues on Saturday of people from the sea in that area, who'd been washed off the Bolivar Peninsula. I believe that is where the incredible heartbreak will eventually be found, not on Galveston Island, where preliminary "totalled" structural damage has been estimated at only 1%.

[EFerrari]

78. The thing is, most of the people on the island are not wealthy.

But, you have a good point and it seems possible that the money on Galveston were supportive of the restrictions. That makes sense. I wouldn't be that mayor for love or money.

[countryjake]

79. I really pity her at this point...she has the normal citizens aching to go home...

and the "vacation property" owners demanding that she keep "those people" away, off the island, worrying about looting of their "second home on the beach". That's what she's up against.

It all boils down to class...until officers are available to actually guard those resort areas and vacation houses, since they are all now probably busy trying to clean up and aid in recovery of the big mess they've got on Galveston, she probably won't be letting folks who actually live there and call Galveston home to come back. It's a pisser for sure.

I know that most who live on the Island are not wealthy...poverty is at around 12% and average income is very low, in comparison to other Texans. That is the crux of it...the ones who can little afford to shelter elsewhere are being kept from their homes.

[EFerrari]

80. The poor always suffer first and most.

They're in a briefing right now with F(uck) Em A(ll.

In truth, the wealthy and the upper middle class always get the most attention from the city/county. That's how Gavin Newsom governs here. If you can't afford him, he doesn't talk to you.

If I hear anything of worth from this presser, I'll put it up.

[countryjake]

82. Never fear, the marines are here!

:crazy:

[EFerrari]

85. So, the coverage now is totaling all the stuff that was handed out

and not a single word about the results of the search today. :shrug:

ETA: The other shiney thing was that the SBA is taking applications for loans up to 2 million dollars.

And, the Navy is here!

The body search today? Not a word. :shrug:

[southern_belle]

72. Please keep this in the news.

:grouphug:

[EFerrari]

83. I don't have the link to my own post on Sunday

but today listening to the joint briefing of Galveston officials w/ FEMA, it sounds like the press isn't being mic'd again -- it's hard to hear their questions. Ditto last Sunday. Is that something? I don't know.

[SteveM]

87. Rick Perry's gas is already being pumped by local media (nt)

[cyberpj]

88. Kick and Rec it up.

[Jamastiene]

90. Kicked and Recommended n/t

[Imagevision]

91. potential fatalities are probably black and Mccain would be finished if Bush did it again

Too little too late!

[onenote]

106. based on what?

Bolivar Peninsula - the area that suffered extreme devastation, is less than 1/2 of one percent African American -- around 20 people.

[malaise]

107. Check the racial demographics of the area

One more thing - they were people.

[Laelth]

93. It's called censorship.

Censorship by the government is strictly forbidden by the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The Republican party has become a criminal enterprise, ignoring the Constitution whenever it suits them.

Thank goodness one reporter is willing to speak the truth and fight. Most are too afraid. This is not the country I want my children to inherit. I hope we can undo the damage. It may be too late.

-Laelth

[deidara]

94. What is a 'potential' fatality?

:shrug:

[rcsl1998]

95. This Is Awful - I Hope Things Aren't Nearly As Terrible As It's Beginning To Sound nt

[KoKo]

97. kick!

[juno jones]

98. Some major compendiums of pics at this site

(along with some local news about the storm)

http://snarkfood.com/coast-guard-fly-over-of-galveston-island-texas/

[LonelyLRLiberal]

100. Here's one item on the site you provided talking about people looking for missing family members.

9/18/08: Looking For Loved Ones, Getting Nowhere. Look And Leave Not Allowed For Those Looking For Missing Family. Video. Family members are having to resort to posting names on news forums and creating Facebook groups to try to get information on what/where they are. Galveston JUST created (9/17/08) a hotline for the unincorporated areas to list the missing. The phones have two actual people manning the lines! WTF! The number is 1-866-898-5723. Unincorporated areas of Galveston County include Bolivar Peninsula, Bacliff/San Leon, Freddieville and Algoa. Those calling should have their contact information available, as well as information about the person they are searching for, including: Description of the individual, Address, Last time they were in contact with the individual, Plans the individual had for the storm.

[lilyannerose]

99. The Same Basic Thing

Was done with the rivers flooding in the Midwest over the past summer. How much follow up has been done on that catastrophe. Unfortunately, it seems to be able to forget people.

[seafan]

101. Before and after images of Bolivar Peninsula; September 9 and 15

LINK

[OakCliffDem]

104. So the media is protecting Bush (again). Who would have guessed?

[dogday]

108. How Many Dead in Galveston?

The mainstream news media’s lack of interest, given the ferocity of the hurricane, is curious.


Here’s a question for you. Given the many people who refused to leave Galveston, Texas, how many died as the result of Hurricane Ike?

If you cannot find any reports than you are not alone. There is a virtual news blackout regarding casualties and deaths from the devastation the hurricane inflicted on Galveston.

The official death toll, according to an Associated Press, September 17, report was 49 “with most of the deaths coming outside of Texas.” The same report cited nine deaths in the Houston-area, but there was no word from Galveston, a place that currently resembles the surface of the Moon.

The most recent news report about Galveston that I could find was on the MSNBC website, updated as of Sunday. It cited two cases of Texans killed by the storm without reference to Galveston. It may have been too soon to know, but by Wednesday, there still was no word.

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/5088

[codjh9]

109. Uh, I don't think 'potential' is the right word here.

[dogday]

110. Where Are The Missing People from Hurricane Ike?

Five days following a direct hit from Ike, search and rescue teams have evacuated many people and recovered five dead. Still, many are missing and even believed to have been washed away. And the common question remains: "Has anyone seen.....?"

Since a few days following Hurricane Ike's devastation to Galveston, TX, there has been some speculation about the rising death toll and those who are still missing. In a news report today, it was said that some may have simply washed away. With around 90,000 people who ignored the mandatory evacuation order in three affected counties in Texas and viewing the devastating effects this storm left behind, it leaves some wondering why the toll isn't higher.

excerpts from articles)

According to the AP report:


Nobody is suggesting that tens of thousands died, but determining what happened to those unaccounted for is a painstaking task that could leave survivors wondering for months or years to come.
Authorities concede that at least some of those who haven't turned up could have been washed out to sea, as at least one woman on the peninsula apparently was, and that other bodies might still be found.

With search and rescue efforts geared towards saving those who were still alive, the death toll could rise as the focus turns towards the missing. Strong reliance on Red Cross shelters and workers to connect the missing with queries about loved ones will likely begin as they have access to information regarding individuals who have evacuated or have been evacuated. It isn't unlikely that many individuals and families haven't been able to make contact with extended family members around the nation just due to the nature of having to file claims, move from shelters to hotels and just try to make some sense of the event. The Red Cross is setting up registries and running the welfare checks in conjunction with Texas Task Force 1, who has been going from door to door to see who does or doesn't answer.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/259987

[dogday]

112. Some of Ike's missing may have just washed away

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — The death toll from Hurricane Ike is remarkably low so far, considering that legions of people stayed behind as the storm obliterated row after row of homes along the Texas coast. But officials suspect there are more victims out there and say some might simply have been swept out to sea.

Exactly how many is anybody's guess, because authorities had no sure way to track those who defied evacuation orders. And the number of people reported missing after the storm, whose death toll stands at 17 in Texas, is fluctuating.

Search-and-rescue crews cleared out Wednesday after plucking survivors from Galveston and the devastated Bolivar Peninsula, and authorities are relying on Red Cross workers and beach patrols to run welfare checks on people named by anxious relatives.

"We don't know what's out there in the wilds," said Galveston County medical examiner Stephen Pustilniks. "Searchers weren't looking for bodies; they were looking for survivors."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iGMMtnFZHl98JcNtk9G_9MSay_KAD938S9H80

[chill_wind]

113. "Discrete stickers." Early first-hand account from 2 resident reporters who stayed behind--

September 15th

Authorities are still in search-and-rescue mode. About 24,000 people didn’t heed evacuation orders. Rescuers are leaving the dead in houses and moving on to look for the living.

Unlike in New Orleans after Katrina, they are not spray painting a giant "X" on a building when they find bodies. Instead, they are putting discrete stickers on the buildings. On the one hand, government officials seem to be trying to keep the media from portraying the true extent of the disaster, but on the other hand officers are tipping off reporters about deaths and rescues.

Rhiannon said the amount of buildings reduced to rubble suggests that more bodies will be found and the magnitude of the disaster will become clearer in the coming days.

http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20080915/NEWS01/809150284

[JeffreyWilliamson]

114. Devastation, but no bodies...

Good Morning,

Another DUer messaged me and asked for my input regarding the media blackout and "body" issue, since I rode out IKE and have been to the island since.

I can confirm that it is a war zone there. The military has set up shop in every available parking lot and school. There are yachts and sailboats in the streets. Houses and businesses are now piles of timber. Broken up piers and garbage litters the seawall and floats just off what used to be the beach.

However, in all the devastation, there is one thing not littering the avenues and waterways--bodies.

There are green stickers and paint on front doors of houses of those who evacuated or rode it out and stayed safe. There is orange spraypaint on the doors of a very few cars and houses marking the places where people did not stay safe. Thankfully, the "green" houses far outnumber the "orange" houses. In fact, you have to look hard to find the few "orange" houses that are there.

The city itself is destroyed, but one thing, thankfully, that has not turned up are piles of bodies. And I was there 2 days after IKE passed over--if there were stacks of bodies the authorities would NOT have had time to remove them all before I arrived.

As for the media blackout, I suspect it has been imposed, (by the mayor, governor, and FEMA we are hearing), in order to keep the images of physical destruction under wraps. Remember, it was the Mayor that as late as Wednesday evening before the storm was on air telling everyone to stay, that the storm was not coming here, and that people only needed to board up if they really felt they should.

They are definitely hiding something all right--the damage they could have helped prevent, and the deplorable sanitary conditions that set in afterwards.

In short, they are covering for the Mayor Thomas and Governor Goodhair's mistakes.

Jeffy

[chknltl]

121. Thank You for this.

I hope this accounting helps assuage some of the concerns which were aired throughout this thread. Thanks again
c

[dogday]

117. Rescuers Fear for Those Stuck on Texas Peninsula

CHAMBERS COUNTY, Tex. — The rescue trucks and ambulances, neatly arranged in a double column, sat waiting at the point where State Highway 124, the road to the Bolivar Peninsula, disappeared underneath a storm-bloated ocean. Early Sunday afternoon, that was the closest the rescue workers could get to the string of little towns they had fled two days before as Hurricane Ike approached, leaving behind what they estimated were a few hundred holdouts


As they waited, stymied, for the waters to recede, their minds were occupied with visions of the worst. “There’s going to be substantial deaths,” said the emergency medical services coordinator for High Island, Robert Isaacks. “It looks pretty grim, to tell you the truth.”

He added, “The water’s slowly but surely going down now, but it’s not going down fast enough for us.”

The Bolivar Peninsula is a barrier island-like finger of land east of Galveston Island; between the two is the entrance to Galveston Bay. It is normally reached by ferry from Galveston or via the rice-farming country east of Galveston Bay, where on Sunday drowned cattle were half-buried in piles of debris along the gravel roads.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/us/15scene.html

[K Gardner]

119. Thanks for updating us.. been looking for news.

[chknltl]

120. Eye witness account by fellow DUer-Post #114 this thread

Please check it out if you havn't already. DUer Jeffrey Williamson was there within 48 hours of Ike checking on his home quite close to Galveston bay. His home is fine but most of his neighbors did not fare so well.

Here is his first DU OP and discussion on the topic after he got back: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4019418

[HopeforChange]

124. IT IS TRUE --- Watch and Read

watch this http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge0dxJfxsa8

and listen to the people http://www.khou.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=57

I have it from a reliable source... that the death toll is closer to 2,500