High Ground in New Orleans

A New York Times story about New Orleans residents who don't want to leave the city describes one especially well-provisioned couple:

They live on high ground in the Bywater neighborhood, and their house escaped structural damage. They are healthy and have enough food and water to last almost a year.

They have a dog to protect them, a car with a full tank of gasoline should they need to leave quickly and a canoe as a last resort. They said they used it last week to rescue 100 people.

"We're not the people they need to be taking out," Mr. Kay said. "We're the people they need to be coordinating with."...

Ms. Harris said she did not want to leave. "I haven't even run out of weed yet," she said.

Comments

Yogi | September 9, 2005, 11:36am | #

Enough food to last a year? I don't have enough food in my home to last two weeks. Who are these people, Boy Scout Troup leaders?

Twba | September 9, 2005, 11:38am | #

"I haven't even run out of weed yet."

Some people know how to prepare for bad times.

Twba | September 9, 2005, 11:40am | #

I think they have enough water to last a lifetime.

rvman | September 9, 2005, 11:41am | #

A year's food? Either they cornered the market on Spam during the looting, or we have an actual situation where being a survivalist serves someone well. Amazing.

Stevo Darkly | September 9, 2005, 11:42am | #

Enough food to last a year? I don't have enough food in my home to last two weeks. Who are these people, Boy Scout Troup leaders?

I only skimmed the article, but I wonder if they might be Mormons. Good Mormons are supposed to keep a year's supply of food handy, I believe.

Mark | September 9, 2005, 11:43am | #

"Enough food to last a year? I don't have enough food in my home to last two weeks. Who are these people, Boy Scout Troup leaders?"

Judging by the story, I imagine most of the food is Yoohoo and Cool Ranch Doritos.

David | September 9, 2005, 11:44am | #

Good Mormons probably wouldn't have any weed.

smacky | September 9, 2005, 11:48am | #

Touche, David.

David | September 9, 2005, 11:48am | #

Maybe they bought into one of the freeze-dried food programs that were going around for the Y2K nonsense and finally got to put it to use.

Twba | September 9, 2005, 11:49am | #

When the going gets tough, the tough get baked.

Ruthless | September 9, 2005, 11:50am | #

If they were "good" Mormons, why were they in New Orleans?

But, seriously, this is going to be the story to watch.

SPD | September 9, 2005, 11:50am | #

enough food to last a year

Does that estimate take into account the munchies?

Twba | September 9, 2005, 11:52am | #

A hurricane is bad, but running out of weed is a fucking disaster.

saw-whet | September 9, 2005, 11:57am | #

Jack Mormons.

JD | September 9, 2005, 11:59am | #

Sadly, this suggests a reason not to bother with the hardcore survivalist stuff: even if you have food, water, etc. for a year, the government will just steal it or chase you away anyhow.

Jennifer | September 9, 2005, 12:00pm | #

A year's supply of food isn't all that odd to me. I grew up in a hurricane zone (although the whole time I lived there we never got anything worse than the outer bands of a hurricane--a bad thunderstorm, in other words), and furthermore, we had aboveground electric wires that would fall over if you so much as sneezed on them too hard. So power outages were common, and we ALWAYS had a pantry filled with canned food, and candles and matches. And once I reached adulthood I've always had my cabinets and pantries stuffed full of food--not even from a survivalist standpoint, but because my upbringing was such that a cabinet or pantry with empty space just doesn't feel right.

If a major storm hit Connecticut today, our water supply would only last about a week but we could probably stretch our canned and dried food supplies to last about three months. And that's with me living in New England and not particularly worried about a massive storm. If I still lived in storm country I'd have a much more crowded food closet, and far more water onhand.

Cap'n Obvious | September 9, 2005, 12:01pm | #

Ms. Harris said she did not want to leave. "I haven't even run out of weed yet," she said.

My dad always told me, "Pot will get you through times of no money a lot better than money will get you through times of no pot." Seems oddly appropriate in this case.

Warren | September 9, 2005, 12:01pm | #

enough food to last a year

Or maybe they passed by a radio or television and heard there was a fricking hurricane headed their way and decided to stock up a day or two in advance. Ya think?

Great article Jacob. Every day that goes by, the top-down bureaucratic approach to recovery manages to make an already horrible situation even fucking worse.

JMoore | September 9, 2005, 12:06pm | #

Anyone who thinks having a year's supply of food on hand is unusual is obviously too young to know better. It used to be the norm.

Larry Edelstein | September 9, 2005, 12:11pm | #

Best topic on the web.

mediageek | September 9, 2005, 12:12pm | #

"I haven't even run out of weed yet"

I suspect that by 4pm this afternoon a SWAT Team decked out in full-on stormtrooper regalia will be swooping in on this den of craven drug fiends.

ed | September 9, 2005, 12:14pm | #

I try to always have at least 10 minutes worth of food handy, not counting beer.

Crushinator | September 9, 2005, 12:14pm | #

They certainly are on "High ground".

I wonder if they have enough weed to last a year.

I expect the NO police to be jumping all over those folks after they catch wind of this article (assuming one of them knows how to read).

Jennifer | September 9, 2005, 12:17pm | #

She should NOT have mentioned the pot. I forget where, but on one news source today, in a story about the mandatory evacuations, I saw a photo with a caption explaining that the guys looking for people were DEA agents.

If EVER I am caught in a similar situation, but somehow still have Internet access, I will make a LOT of posts along the lines of "This sucks. No pot, and the storm surge washed all my paraphernalia away!"

Don Mynack | September 9, 2005, 12:21pm | #

Let's hope they come to some kind of compromise for people like this, who, for whatever reason, don't want to leave and don't necessarily need to leave. The biggest risk they face is probably disease - troops and cops are starting to aquire various waterborne illnesses (chiefly staph infections) due to the horrendous crap in the water. There are also serious risks of West Nile and encephalitis, while I admire these people who were prepared, I sincerely hope they realize what kind of risk they are taking.

Jeff P. | September 9, 2005, 12:22pm | #

With all this talk of "mandatory evac" it's obvious to me that the gov't plans to do some major work without "witnesses." Probably use some DARPA chemical agent that purifies large quantities of dirty water, but at the expense of disolving any living thing near it, like in the original Godzilla.
Also, I hear toxic swamp land is excellent for growing pot...

A. Patriot | September 9, 2005, 12:27pm | #

Nagin is a bullsh*tting, incompetent punk [adjective: Slang: Of poor quality; inferior] whose only qualifications for the job is that he's as corrupt as the rest of the local government.

Blanco is a bullsh*tting, incompetent punkess [adjective: Slang: Of poor quality; inferior] whose only qualifications for the job was the (D) next to her name on the ballot.

I lived in the Gulfport/Biloxi area for four years from 2000-2004. I'm more then familiar with that whole area and New Orleans as well.

New Orleans is a turd bowl reeking of sh*t, piss, vomit and decay. Oh... did I mention this was before the hurricane.

The corruption of New Orleans local government and police force rivals the best (worst??) that Mexico has to offer (I lived on the Mexican border as well for 5 years).

I am all for spending federal funds (our tax dollars) to help in the aftermath, whatever it takes. However, I don't want one thin dime of my taxes going towards any rebuilding of that turd bowl city. Not one dime.

Common sense says don't build below sea level in hurricane prone areas. By the way, don't forget to thank the French for New Orleans (and also thank them for the couple of tents and cots their donating now).

I applaud House Speaker Dennis Hastert for having the gonads to say publicly what I and many others feel about rebuilding that turd bowl city.

It would take many Billions of dollars, possibly 100's of Billions to rebuild. It would surpass the Big Dig in Boston for the amount of corruption, scams, cost overruns, thievery and once again, incompetence.

And after all that waste of money the following week could bring another Cat 4 or Cat 5 hurricane.
I say NO!

Give the Big Easy the Big "Final" Rest.

JMoore | September 9, 2005, 12:28pm | #

Don & Jeff

Remember the times we live in. I can almost forgive govt for forcing evacuations. Suppose a hold-out drowns the next day? Can you hear the baying of the lawyers? "Did your parents drown because they refused to leave their home? You may be entitled to a cash settlement! Call 1-800-LAWYERS for a free consultation. Get the money the government owes you."

Jennifer | September 9, 2005, 12:28pm | #

I sincerely hope they realize what kind of risk they are taking.

I was just saying on another thread that if I were in New Orleans with an undamaged house (and sufficient supplies of food and water), I'd rather stay and risk disease than leave and risk looters. There are plenty of cheap and effective drugs to cure the diseases you might get down there, but I know of no drug that will make vanished property reappear in a looted house.

xray | September 9, 2005, 12:29pm | #

Federal Emergency Marijuana Access for all!
mmmmm cool ranch.

blammo | September 9, 2005, 12:34pm | #

The government wants people to leave so they can freely do whatever they want to expedite recovery, including destroying perfectly good houses in the interest of cleanup and recovery. They don't need to worry about people's property if nobody is there to defend it.

mediageek | September 9, 2005, 12:34pm | #

There are also serious risks of West Nile and encephalitis, while I admire these people who were prepared, I sincerely hope they realize what kind of risk they are taking.

Hopefully they've got a year's supply of Citronella candles as well.

Of course, cigar smoke tends to drive flies and mosquitos away, I have to wonder if potsmoke does the same.

RexRhino | September 9, 2005, 12:39pm | #

Yeah... look in houses built before 1950 and you will find a big stinkin' food cellar. And people who lived though WWII or the Great Depression all keep 6 months food stocked away.

It is actually a bit insane how utterly dependent people are nowadays on society/government functioning properly. People who stock up on canned goods and bottled water are considered "survivalist crazies".

ChicagoTom | September 9, 2005, 12:42pm | #

mediageek asked :
Of course, cigar smoke tends to drive flies and mosquitos away, I have to wonder if potsmoke does the same

Sadly, It does not

Jennifer | September 9, 2005, 12:47pm | #

Rex and JMoore--

I remember reading an article on the BBC (LONG before the London bombings) that said the British government, or maybe the London city government, was trying to convince people to prepare for an emergency by always making sure they had at least THREE DAYS' worth of food and water. Three days! I can't wrap my mind around the idea of a reasonably prosperous person having only a day or two worth of food on hand, or of so many people having so little food that the government has to come right out and say "It would be a good idea of you could stretch your personal food supplies to last more than five hours."

You don't have to be a paranoid survivalist to imagine situations where you can't get to the store because of a blizzard or a power outage, or even because you're feeling too ill to go out and don't have anybody to do the shopping for you.

I'm beginning to sympathize more and more with those people who complain about how modern life has made people too "soft."

JMoore | September 9, 2005, 12:54pm | #

Jennifer

yep, I agree. We have become a bit soft. With fresh produce available year-round, we never stock up for winter (remember canned preserves?). A home dinner party (if anyone still has them) is something that has to be planned weeks in advance--whereas my mom could feed a small army with 1 hour's notice. And people think that smoked and salted meats are made that way just for the taste.

I don't have enough food (or smokes) to get through one day. Why should I? Won't all the lovely restaurants and 24-hour grocery stores always be there? And these people automatically get labelled survivalists. Ah well....

Mr. Nice Guy | September 9, 2005, 1:01pm | #

It's been mentioned here before, but what are the chances there will be an armed standoff with these pigs?

If there is one, what are the odds we will actually hear about it?

Jennifer | September 9, 2005, 1:05pm | #

JMoore--

Funny you mention your mom's recipe prowess. A couple of weeks ago Jeff asked me what I wanted for dinner, and I recommended some Chinese stir-fry. Turns out we couldn't do it--for all the canned and frozen food we had, we didn't have any stir-fryable vegetables. Which I took as a personal affront, so I went to the store that minute and bought several dozen cans of things like baby corn and water chestnuts and shredded carrots. And that's not even from a survivalist standpoint, but because I, too, like to have enough on hand to whip up something tasty without first having to make a special shopping trip for ingredients.

However, this thread, and all the news from New Orleans, is edging me more and more toward a survival standpoint. Tonight's grocery trip will be more expensive than usual, I think.

JMoore | September 9, 2005, 1:08pm | #

Jennifer

don't forget batteries, candles, and TP :)

and cigarettes!

Nikos A. Leverenz | September 9, 2005, 1:11pm | #

Can't wait for the story about their evacuation to a federal prison, courtesy of the authorities in charge of the evacuation and the DEA.

Hope I'm left waiting, though.

Wild Pegasus | September 9, 2005, 1:14pm | #

Hell, I have a week's supply of beer coursing through my veins right now.

- Josh

andy | September 9, 2005, 1:17pm | #

"To reduce the risk of violent confrontation, the police began confiscating firearms on Thursday, even those legally owned"

They'd have to pry that shit out my cold dead hands. Un-fucking-believable.

Kwix | September 9, 2005, 1:18pm | #

Having lived on the Gulf Coast and been hit directly by 4 hurricanes in the last decade (Erin, Opal, Ivan and Dennis) you learn real quick to always have your pantry stocked, plus a couple of Rubbermaid totes full of dry goods stashed away. About the only thing I lack on a regular basis is bottled water simply because of the space it takes up. Too bad my place was built after the days of running water, and as such has no cistern.

As for preserved foods, it used to be a staple in these parts to cast a net and catch mullet (yes it's a fish) and smoke or salt it in big crocks. It would keep better than a year that way, and so long as you had water to wash it off with, it wasn't too bad. Nowadays, you can hardly find anybody how has had salted mullet, and smoked mullet is considered a delicacy only available at State Fairs. Not for a lack of the fish mind you, but simply a lack of foresight.

Jennifer | September 9, 2005, 1:18pm | #

JMoore-

Candles are never a problem in my house; I go for Dramatic Lighting.

Are the cops going to at least compensate people for the guns they confiscate? Somehow I doubt it.

dhex | September 9, 2005, 1:20pm | #

"we didn't have any stir-fryable vegetables."

you can turn any vegetable into a stir-fryable vegetable via steaming.

Kwix | September 9, 2005, 1:29pm | #

As for A. Patriot's comments on New Orleans:

I agree that tax money should not be spent on rebuilding. Shoring up the levees sure, but houses NO. Those fools who opted not to cover thier houses with insurance should suffer. Those insurance companies who opted to cover the losses knew the risks.

As for everything else in the post, eh, you don't like New Orleans don't go. That simple. Go to Singapore instead. Cleanest city on the planet. Of course, chewing gum is illegal, but you have to have priorities. I would personally rather go to a city that tells the world to "f*ck off" and live it's own unique life than conform to the tourist idea of paradise.

The Lonewacko Blog | September 9, 2005, 1:33pm | #

Celine Dion... vindicated! On le show de Larry King, she dit que les peoples need to get into their kayAKs and get out of there tout de suite.

Celine Dion was right!

Kwix | September 9, 2005, 1:34pm | #

Dhex,
Yeah, but if it doesn't have bamboo shoots and fern heads, it ain't real stirfry.

Stevo Darkly | September 9, 2005, 1:34pm | #

Good Mormons probably wouldn't have any weed.

Maybe they're just half-baked Mormons, then.

smacky | September 9, 2005, 1:57pm | #

mediageek asked :
Of course, cigar smoke tends to drive flies and mosquitos away, I have to wonder if potsmoke does the same

ChicagoTom responds:
Sadly, It does not

In fact, the mosquitos bite all the more, for some reason. They become outright ravenous. But they fly slower. Much, much slower.

zach | September 9, 2005, 2:02pm | #

some of us just can't afford to stock up on that much food. or, we elect not to keep that much in the house, because certain friends are just going to eat all of it while you're passed out on the couch anyway.

a lot of it is context. if you live in a place like new orleans, you ought to being storing some food for emergencies like this. same if you live out in the country somewhere. but there's just no point in storing all that food if you live in or near most cities in america.

smacky | September 9, 2005, 2:21pm | #

Yes, zach, but what's the point of an empty drygoods pantry? Especially if you don't have friends who are mooches? Disasters strike anywhere they want to. Widespread rolling blackouts, anyone?

TallDave | September 9, 2005, 2:29pm | #

It's surprisingly easy to have a year's worth of food. I've got a half-dozen bags of protein powder and a couple hundred soup cans, enough for a good six months for me and my gf. Total cost probably around a thousand.

Will I ever need it? Probably not. But it's cheap insurance, and I sleep better.

mediageek | September 9, 2005, 2:38pm | #

In fact, the mosquitos bite all the more, for some reason. They become outright ravenous. But they fly slower. Much, much slower.

Smacky, thank you for the first good laugh I've had today.

zach | September 9, 2005, 2:39pm | #

a thousand dollars? cheap insurance?

i hereby nominate myself as poorest H&R poster.

Twba | September 9, 2005, 2:49pm | #

Zach,

Buy your ramen in bulk and quit whining.

B.P. | September 9, 2005, 2:50pm | #

Note to Jennifer about the 3 days' food in London article: I would imagine many folks in London don't have a place to stock large amounts of food for the long term, unless they wanted to make end tables and chairs out of stacked cans.

And I didn't RTFA, but where do these folks plan to crap for a year?

Jennifer | September 9, 2005, 3:03pm | #

B.P.--

Three day's worth of food is not very much, spacewise. Depending on what you buy, you could live on two (largish) cans per person per day. And peanut butter is cheap protein. So let's say, for one person, six cans of food, a small box of crackers, a small jar of peanut butter, and one or two gallon jugs of water will keep you going for three days, and you'll probably have leftovers when you're done. That doesn't take much space at all.

R C Dean | September 9, 2005, 3:06pm | #

To reduce the risk of violent confrontation, the police began confiscating firearms on Thursday, even those legally owned

Trying to confiscate my firearms, especially in a lawless environment like NO, will increase the risk of a violent confrontation with me to a near certainty.

Fucking morons.

R C Dean | September 9, 2005, 3:08pm | #

Oh, and wtf was the NYT thinking, to print that woman's remark about her stash. While its a funny bit, you would think someone at the NYT would rub two synapses together and figure that this puts a big ol' bullseye on this couple.

Fucking morons. Or did I say that already?

Jennifer | September 9, 2005, 3:10pm | #

RC--

You said it already, but it bears repeating.

Jennifer | September 9, 2005, 3:11pm | #

RC--

You said it already, but it bears repeating.

dead_elvis | September 9, 2005, 3:41pm | #

I would imagine many folks in London don't have a place to stock large amounts of food for the long term, unless they wanted to make end tables and chairs out of stacked cans.

I've been wondering about this, as the topic of personal disaster preparedness hass suddenly become foremost on everyone's mind just when my wife and I have moved to a really, really small place in So. Cal. But I guess you just have to prioritize. One large kitchen drawer could probably hold enough MREs for a month, and we'll just have to make do with that much less other stuff.

dead_elvis | September 9, 2005, 3:41pm | #

I would imagine many folks in London don't have a place to stock large amounts of food for the long term, unless they wanted to make end tables and chairs out of stacked cans.

I've been wondering about this, as the topic of personal disaster preparedness hass suddenly become foremost on everyone's mind just when my wife and I have moved to a really, really small place in So. Cal. But I guess you just have to prioritize. One large kitchen drawer could probably hold enough MREs for a month, and we'll just have to make do with that much less other stuff.

Mac Daddy Hoon | September 9, 2005, 3:50pm | #

One large kitchen drawer could probably hold enough MREs for a month, and we'll just have to make do with that much less other stuff.

Just be warned that a diet of those things is like eating a cork...if you catch my meaning.

Mac Daddy Hoon | September 9, 2005, 3:54pm | #

One large kitchen drawer could probably hold enough MREs for a month, and we'll just have to make do with that much less other stuff.

Just be warned that a diet of those things in like eating cork in a bag...if you catch my meaning.

Mac Daddy Hoon | September 9, 2005, 3:55pm | #

What is with the double posts?

Kwix | September 9, 2005, 4:02pm | #

dead_elvis,
In Germany, it is quite common for the dining room table to be surrounded by an "L" shaped bench tucked into the corner. The seats of the bench lift up and there is storage space underneath. In Japan, a number of the apartments utilize the space under the floorboards as a pantry, just about the right height for most cans. There are a number of other clever storage techniques I have seen, but this gives you a start.

smacky | September 9, 2005, 4:14pm | #

mediageek,

much obliged!


69! Oh yeah, giggity giggity.

Jennifer | September 9, 2005, 4:21pm | #

Mac Daddy--

It's just the regular daily Reason Server Meltdown.

jackgcuz | September 9, 2005, 4:49pm | #

Since I dont eat Spam, I never really have more than 7 days worth of food, since thats about as long as anything decent will last. Maybe a month for a few things I have frozen( but if the power goes out so does that).

TallDave | September 9, 2005, 6:08pm | #

I blieve the FEMA guidelines clearly state you should have at least a month's worth of weed.

Pig Mannix | September 10, 2005, 1:37am | #

And I didn't RTFA, but where do these folks plan to crap for a year?

Considering they're currently surrounded by the world's largest cesspool, probably pretty much any damn place they want to.

Ruthless | September 11, 2005, 11:49am | #

smacky,
69 and chicken soup are veritable conucopias of nourishment, eh?
At least, for the soul.