Baton Rouge Coffee House

[dan326]

^Dang, where did she end up going?

[Mr. Burnham]

Dan, I'm so sorry to hear that. Godbless. If any of ya'll need help PM me.

[Mr. Burnham]

Went to Denham today to give out water and food. The devastation is tragic and my heart goes out to these people. I pray we rebuild into something greater than we ever were before. 

[richyb83]

16 hours ago, dan326 said:

^Dang, where did she end up going?

I had given her flashlight & emergency radio for her stubborn self to stay an extra night...next day firefighters other workers were in process taking her away...i came & got her and found her a car to buy

Her son finally made it down from Arkansas & found her an apartment yesterday

Had the water gone up a few more feet they'd be ripping up the roof-top Katrina-style to save her...thnkfully that did not happen...she's a praying women.

[Antrell Williams]

Sorry for such a late reply everyone. I was in Seattle and Vancover on the 13th-17th without my laptop. We thankfully did not get any water, however our next door neighbors did. We are on McCrory 1 Rd in Prairieville and close enough to Bayou Manchac apparently. It's truly a blessing that we stayed dry and got to come back from MSY at 11pm with a place to stay. I've been busy today and yesterday, as well as tomorrow helping out as many people as I can. 

If anyone here needs an extra set of hands, feel free to ask me. 

Good luck everyone and stay safe. #LouisianaStrong

[dan326]

Thanks all. Luckily we have insurance on everything so it'll work out.

Glad she got out Richy.

[cajun]

Quote

 

Viral letter indicts national media over response to Louisiana flooding

http://abc13.com/society/letter-indicts-media-over-response-to-louisiana-flooding/1477307/

A letter by a Baton Rouge attorney is going viral after her indictment on the national media's response to flooding across the state of Louisiana.

Quote

Dear CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC News, CBS News, Good Morning America, the Today Show and whatever other news organizations professing to employ people who refer to themselves as Journalists:

cc: all Facebook Friends (as promised)

FYI There is a flood in Louisiana.

You've met us before. You came and camped out over here during a very painful period in our existence about a month ago. You went into a neighborhood you've never been in, in a state it's quite possible that you've never visited (despite that you are "very well-travelled"). Although, I realize you are sophisticated, and accepting of "other" cultures, you managed to pass judgment on an entire community in your own country, who were mourning and struggling to figure out - what the hell just happened - and where do we go from here - all of us (well most of us) - in good faith. You didn't offer help, you didn't offer support, you offered criticism - and then you left.

Oh you came back, a few weeks later, a lunatic, who also had never been here, showed up and murdered three of our finest citizens. In broad daylight. In the middle of town. You came back. With more criticism. More speculation. More side taking. When in the community I live, we were basically all on the same side. We're all in this together. I hate to pull a hashtag, but seriously #unBRoken.

Not one person I watched on the national news during the weeks following Alton Sterling's death, or the murder of three police officers gave my friends, my family, my neighbors - any credit or the benefit of the doubt. Nope. The entire news media looked for someone to blame. Depending on what network you watched the target of blame was Sterling himself, the cops, the South, the guns, the whatever. Not one person I watched on the national news assumed that the whole city was by and large, and in good faith, just trying to wrap our brains around what happened, and trying to make our city whole again.

I think you people are stone cold silent about this flood, because really, there's no agenda to push. There's no side to take. There's nobody to blame. So even though you don't seem in the least bit curious, here's what's been happening around here since you left.

The full letter is at the link.  It's long, but worth the read.  National media has certainly picked up the story the past couple of days.   It's good that the needs of flood victims and the scale of human suffering is being communicated.  

I'm actually flying down tomorrow for a few days to help out a family member with a business in Denham Springs.   My wife is already there.

I'm so impressed with how well Louisiana has come together to help each other.   

#unBRoken

 

Edited August 22, 2016 by cajun

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting that letter Cajun...most media is vile with their hidden agenda in plain sight....we won't get into George Soros....

Hannity was just on FOX telecasting from Greenwell Springs Baptist church....went into different neighborhoods to see the devastation(mostly Livingston) ....Billy Nungesser, Garrett Graves & Central Mayor Shelton were also interviewed...

Stay safe....this storm/flood brought out the Best & Worst out in people....too many stories to tell...that Cajun Navy was on their "A" game rescuing thousands

They just announced EBR Schools won't be opening on Wednesday as expected...but Sept 6th...Ouuch!

Even Alabama brought donations/supplies to LSU

[dan326]

That was a good article.

Yeah like they said, there's no way to spin the story and everyone is remaining civil so they can't blow up the sense of chaos. Also too much love is being shown, the antithesis of most media.

Edited August 23, 2016 by dan326

[Mr. Burnham]

On 8/22/2016 at 11:35 PM, dan326 said:

That was a good article.

Yeah like they said, there's no way to spin the story and everyone is remaining civil so they can't blow up the sense of chaos. Also too much love is being shown, the antithesis of most media.

Love is only acceptable to the media when it is in relation to dogs. Human being's can't love other human beings <sarcasm>

[cajun]

I'm hearing that a repair program similar to the Rapid Repair Program in New York and New Jersey after Sandy is in the works for Louisiana's flooded areas.    

http://www.nyc.gov/html/recovery/html/resources/rapid.shtml

Quote

 

Rapid Repairs provided free, emergency heat, hot water, and electricity so that homeowners could shelter in place while making more permanent repairs to their homes.  

This basically guts the house, sets up electrical, and makes any necessary window/door/roof repairs.   It does not completely repair the home.  It does make it inhabitable and very quickly.   This enables the homeowner to make repairs while inhabiting a climate controlled residence with working electrical and plumbing.    They are going to try to do all of this within 60 days, which is going to take a massive amount of manpower.  

Edited August 26, 2016 by cajun

[dan326]

Neat! I'll have to read it fully when I get home.

[richyb83]

8 hours ago, cajun said:

I'm hearing that a repair program similar to the Rapid Repair Program in New York and New Jersey after Sandy is in the works for Louisiana's flooded areas.    

http://www.nyc.gov/html/recovery/html/resources/rapid.shtml

This basically guts the house, sets up electrical, and makes any necessary window/door/roof repairs.   It does not completely repair the home.  It does make it inhabitable and very quickly.   This enables the homeowner to make repairs while inhabiting a climate controlled residence with working electrical and plumbing.    They are going to try to do all of this within 60 days, which is going to take a massive amount of manpower.  

That's cool!  FEMA response has been swift for some...BUT...dragging their feet with some wating for the "Go" to start hanging sheet rock

[dan326]

^So if you don't wait on them what will they do? Make you tear it back down?

[cajun]

Quote

 

Baton Rouge rebuilding rules for flooded structures may be re-examined

http://www.theadvocate.com/louisiana_flood_2016/article_2874c7ee-6bd1-11e6-a698-97f789b53aa4.html

As thoughts turn from mucking out flooded structures to rebuilding following the recent floods, an obscure East Baton Rouge building code is throwing a wrench in the plans.

The letter of the law states that buildings everywhere in the city and unincorporated areas of the parish must be built "one foot above the record inundation." However, despite record-smashing floods the past month, authorities say it's too early to panic or begin entertaining thoughts of houses on stilts throughout the parish.

 

I can't imagine a way to stall redevelopment of flooded areas more efficiently than using a 1000 year flood as the new benchmark for development.  This is exactly why flood insurance exists.     It's a very unlikely event.   If you want to get down to brass tax....the entire state is in a flood zone in some way or another.   Should we just not live there?  

 

Quote

 

 Though FEMA offers some money to help people raise their houses, if a home is found to be too dangerously low, it's often cheaper to just knock it down and start over.   

Edited August 27, 2016 by cajun

[dan326]

OK, so I have an insane theory about the flood. What if they used a weather machine like supposedly HAARP can do to cause the area to flood. Some of my evidence is that:

*The way the President accidentally called Baton Rouge New Orleans the first time he visited

*Couple that with the fact that Beyonce was drowning in "New Orleans" in her "Formation" video. Couple that with the way the video also depicted a police situation like the Alton Sterling thing (clues to future events?)

*Then consider how the Mayor's catch phrase is "America's Next Great City". Maybe he made a deal with John Bel and the President during their late night limousine rode to transform BR into the next great city which is why he's been ashamed to show his face on TV recently

The way I figure it, mostly middle and low income people will be affected because they will be least likely to rebuild. Then the big developers will be able to buy up all the depreciated land in Central and Livingston with trailers and piecemeal developments and redevelop it with tightly packed, high end development. 

If you think about it it's the perfect spot for something like this, development that is. It's closer and has more available land than Ascension and is along I-12. And it'd really pay off if Disney was seriously looking to build a park because they will have a lot of cheap depreciated land and people would welcome them because a lot of businesses were lost.

Then consider this Business Report article stating how the Millerville development at Old Hammond will be purged and redeveloped:

https://www.businessreport.com/business/tenants-one-baton-rouge-shopping-center-lost-leases-flood-entire-neighborhood-losing-local-businesses-helped-create-sense-community

The tenants of one Baton Rouge shopping center have lost their leases after the flood—and an entire neighborhood is losing the local businesses that helped create a sense of community

Edited September 15, 2016 by dan326

[Antrell Williams]

I think this is totally plausible. Look at how Katrina changed New Orleans, tragedy is usually an economic boost. Except for Disney, it would make more sense for them to locate in the Texas Triangle. We're pretty close to Orlando.

[dan326]

∆Thanks for your input Antrell. Hopefully I didn't offend anyone, I figured I could bring up since I was affected too. Yeah, hopefully this tragedy will be a blessing in disguise.

That definitely makes since, I only brought it up because of that rumor that was circulating a while ago.

Also I wanted to say I went to Dallas last week and got a chance to visiting Frisco and Flower Mound and must say I was impressed. It was like a suburban version of Dubai, everything was new and beautiful. Sigh, maybe one day we'll have something like that. Willow Grove and the High Grove are a nice start! Maybe Central will turn into our Woodlands/Allen.

[Mr. Burnham]

On 9/15/2016 at 5:12 PM, dan326 said:

OK, so I have an insane theory about the flood. What if they used a weather machine like supposedly HAARP can do to cause the area to flood. Some of my evidence is that:

*The way the President accidentally called Baton Rouge New Orleans the first time he visited

*Couple that with the fact that Beyonce was drowning in "New Orleans" in her "Formation" video. Couple that with the way the video also depicted a police situation like the Alton Sterling thing (clues to future events?)

*Then consider how the Mayor's catch phrase is "America's Next Great City". Maybe he made a deal with John Bel and the President during their late night limousine rode to transform BR into the next great city which is why he's been ashamed to show his face on TV recently

The way I figure it, mostly middle and low income people will be affected because they will be least likely to rebuild. Then the big developers will be able to buy up all the depreciated land in Central and Livingston with trailers and piecemeal developments and redevelop it with tightly packed, high end development. 

If you think about it it's the perfect spot for something like this, development that is. It's closer and has more available land than Ascension and is along I-12. And it'd really pay off if Disney was seriously looking to build a park because they will have a lot of cheap depreciated land and people would welcome them because a lot of businesses were lost.

Then consider this Business Report article stating how the Millerville development at Old Hammond will be purged and redeveloped:

https://www.businessreport.com/business/tenants-one-baton-rouge-shopping-center-lost-leases-flood-entire-neighborhood-losing-local-businesses-helped-create-sense-community

The tenants of one Baton Rouge shopping center have lost their leases after the flood—and an entire neighborhood is losing the local businesses that helped create a sense of community

This is hands down the best thing I have EVER read. I wish our leaders were this smart/evil.

But I will say this. Nearly every major city during a boom time experienced a major tragedy that resulted in great rebuilding that led to it becoming a major city. Chicago, London, San Francisco, Houston, etc.

[Antrell Williams]

40 minutes ago, dan326 said:

∆Thanks for your input Antrell. Hopefully I didn't offend anyone, I figured I could bring up since I was affected too. Yeah, hopefully this tragedy will be a blessing in disguise.

That definitely makes since, I only brought it up because of that rumor that was circulating a while ago.

Also I wanted to say I went to Dallas last week and got a chance to visiting Frisco and Flower Mound and must say I was impressed. It was like a suburban version of Dubai, everything was new and beautiful. Sigh, maybe one day we'll have something like that. Willow Grove and the High Grove are a nice start! Maybe Central will turn into our Woodlands/Allen.

The rumor about Katrina and the levee being blown? 

Your description of Frisco makes me cringe lol. I really wish we could build more like Seattle. I'd hate alot of the effort being on a "The Woodlands" type of development out in Livingston or Central. 

[dan326]

Yes, that and the suggestion that this flood was intentional.

What about Seattle would you like to see emulated?

[Antrell Williams]

Seattle's density, although geographically necessary, is more efficient and attractive than Dallas'. 

[dan326]

I can see that. It'll take a lot for BR to get to that state though.

[Antrell Williams]

If half of the growth that Livingston and Ascension were seeing, were concentrated in Baton Rouge, it would make a world of difference.

[dan326]

21 hours ago, mr. bernham said:

This is hands down the best thing I have EVER read. I wish our leaders were this smart/evil.

But I will say this. Nearly every major city during a boom time experienced a major tragedy that resulted in great rebuilding that led to it becoming a major city. Chicago, London, San Francisco, Houston, etc.

Sorry Mr. B, I just now saw your response. Haha, thanks. Hopefully that's not what's happened but it does seem to fit together coincidentally. But yes, like you and Antrell said, hopefully this'll be an economic boost.

One thing I hope they continue to do is build and rebuild schools like they did for Lee High. I think that would be a population growth draw.

Edited September 19, 2016 by dan326