Think Progress

New Orleans turns to international aid.

By Nico Pitney on Jun 15th, 2007 at 3:31 pm

New Orleans turns to international aid.»

“The cash-strapped city of New Orleans is turning to foreign countries for help to rebuild as federal hurricane-recovery dollars remain slow to flow. Kenya Smith, director of intergovernmental relations for Mayor Ray Nagin, said city leaders are talking with more than five countries. He wouldn’t identify the countries, saying discussions were in the early stages. But he said the city is ‘very serious’ about pursuing foreign help.”




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60 Responses to “New Orleans turns to international aid.”

  1. Juan C Says:

    I remember Cuba offered to send doctors after Katrina. Those merciful bastards!


  2. big papa Says:

    …and why shouldn’t they be…

    …after having been abandoned by the al Cracker Bushites…

    …Viva Chavez…


  3. TripMaster Monkey Says:

    How pathetic. A city in the United Stated has to plead for international assistance, because the United States government can’t be bothered to help out, what with waging its idiotic war of imperialist aggression and all…

    I’m not at all surprised that New Orleans is considering asking for international aid. I will be very surprised, however, if anyone responds to that plea.


  4. Sharon Says:

    The pretend richest nation in the world, beholden to China and foreign money, run by evil neo-con war monger’s can’t even take care of one of our own state’s disaster’s…

    Hey slime bag piece of shit bush and all this whoring administration take a good look at what you have done to a once great nation….


  5. Frank J Says:

    Once on the welfare tit is awfully hard to get off it.


  6. Jane E. Schneider Says:

    I know that Hugo Chavez offered several million dollars in aid, but the Bushies turned it down.


  7. gummitch Says:

    I know that Hugo Chavez offered several million dollars in aid, but the Bushies turned it down.

    Comment by Jane E. Schneider

    I was thinking the same thing. Chavez will fork over a lot of money just to make GWB look like a putz.


  8. Texas Democrat Says:

    Frank J,

    True enough but I think defense and energy sectors are holding up quite nicely.


  9. Crump's Brother Says:

    Frank J

    “Once on the welfare tit is awfully hard to get off it.”

    Just ask the Oil Companies eh!!!


  10. Art Says:

    #3 “I will be very surprised, however, if anyone responds to that plea.”

    You might be suprised at how much was offered, and rejected by the federal government.
    See this link.

    http://www.gather.com/ viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976992429


  11. Sharon Says:

    Let me fix that for you troll’s….Once on warfare and killing the reich winged nut cases don’t know how to withdraw…A typical republican fault, soft hand’s weak, let every one else sacrafice and die for them while they fill their own pocket’s….GRRRRR.


  12. Buck Fush Says:

    “Well, this is working much better for them now, they were just poor anyway.” Mmmmm, where have I heard that before?

    IGNORE THE TROLLS - Debate good, Frank J bad


  13. nanlichi Says:

    That scum from New Orleans would do anything to make Dear Leader Bush look bad.

    They are just pretending to be in bad shape to get attention.

    Why, I remember when those people knew their place. Who the hell do they think they are that they think we are going to throw any relief their direction?

    Don’t they know there’s a surge on as we speak? I know I would rather see $600 BILLION go to destroy another country and create terrorists than help out some whiny neighbor.

    Let em eat cake.


  14. big papa Says:

    Once on the welfare tit is awfully hard to get off it.

    Comment by Frank J #5

    …Yeah,

    …your WASP corporate million/billionaire gods, red state farmers and corrections personnel…

    … wouldn’t know what to do…

    …without those government subsidies and contracts…

    …would they?


  15. Namtillaku Says:

    They should secede for all the ‘help’ we’ve given them.


  16. Zimzone Says:

    Trolls eat kittens.

    Cheney eats kids.

    Bush eats shit.


  17. spencers mom Says:

    I was thinking the same thing. Chavez will fork over a lot of money just to make GWB look like a putz.

    Comment by gummitch

    Agreed, but it certainly doesn’t take Chavez or anyone else to make bush look like a putz. He willingly does it himself ever single day.

    PEACE


  18. Pete Bogs Says:

    yet FEMA is asking for a ton of money back from Nawlins… until everything’s put right, not enough money has been put into the rebuilding…


  19. Art Says:

    #15 “They should secede for all the ‘help’ we’ve given them.”

    Part of the problem is that a lot of people in this country already think New Orleans is not a part of this country, but some 3rd world, poverty stricken, sub-tropical region where you sometimes go to on vacation, and they are just asking for a handout from the rich neighbors up north.

    “I just feel so terrible for all those New Orleans people down there. It’s too bad they are not part of a strong U.S. economy, and they don’t have access to the proper resources like we do right here in the U S of A.”

    Maybe it would be better if we seceded. Then we would qualify for foreign aid from the US.


  20. jimbo DUDE Says:

    SELLING OUT AMERICA DUDE

    THE FRIGGIN HOODLUMS THAT RAIDED THE LOCK BOX

    RAIDED FRIGGIN FEMA

    RIGGED

    DUDE

    FRIGGIN HOODLUMS, SWINDLERS DUDE

    IT AIN’T SLOW COMIN

    IT AIN’T COMIN DUDE


  21. jimbo DUDE Says:

    HIGHEST INTEGRITY HOUSE OF THE LAND - CORRUPT
    UTMOST INTEGRITY TRUTH (DOJ) - CORRUPT
    DEPT OF DEFENSE - CORRUPT
    EVEN THE FRIGGIN DEPT OF WISDOM (EDUCATION) - CORRUPT
    FAITH BASED FIASCO - CORRUPT
    EPA, FDA, THE HUGE BLOAT - WASHINGTON IS BOUGHT OUT - CORRUPT

    FOR YOU SCRATCH ME AND I SCRATCH YOU… YACHTS, LAND DEALS,
    K STREET, CEO’S, SMOOZERS AND CRUISERS

    ALL FRIGGIN - CORRUPT

    AND WE THE FRIGGIN PEOPLE GETS A COMPLETE CESSPOOL A FRIGGIN
    DUMP FOR SERVICE DUDE - LIKE THE FRIGGIN GREASE PITS DUDE

    AFTER THESE SHIFTY EYED, FAST SMOOTH TALKIN SMOOZERS HIJACK
    AND WHEEL/DEAL STUFFIN ALL THEIR PORK TO WHAT SUPPOSE TO
    SERVE THE PEOPLE - WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE LEFT WITH DUDE -
    60 FRIGGIN TRILLION DOLLARS BY SOME ESTIMATES AND MOST CERTAINLY
    9 TRILLION - RIGHT…. RIGGED… THE FRIGGIN BOOKS ARE COOKED!!!!!!!!!

    JIMBO DUDE ROCKS AND HAS TO TRY TO KEEP CHILLIN DUDE


  22. loretta Says:

    …more interesting is that Republican-controlled Mississippi has received something like 5 times the federal aid that Louisiana has….which has everything in the world to do with the fact that Louisiana has a female Democratic governor and New Orleans has an African-American Democratic mayor. That’s OK, the only one making George W Bush look bad is the man himself.


  23. Tobey Tall Says:

    Perhaps New Orleans should ask for help with donations from the rest of the world, to show the world how hopeless George bush Is, I would donate to a kitty so long as no goverment official was managing the donations………

    my heart feels for the people of New Orleans


  24. Tobey Tall Says:

    George Bush dont care about American citizens at all , the shit will hit the fan when Michael Moores film SICKO debuts soon


  25. Frank J Says:

    In 1906, the city of San Francisco was levelled by an earthquake and fire. Within a couple of years it was entirely rebuilt, better than ever. I don’t think a single dollar of public funds went into the effort, much less money from foreign countries.

    But then again, back then people weren’t accustomed to sitting on their butts waiting for the government to do for them what they should do for themselves.


  26. upside00 Says:

    Frank J,

    Glad to see you are so supportive of anyone not as well off as you. I am sure you never took a student loan, never had to use disaster insurance, never had any major medical emergency with no health insurance. Never inherited any of Daddy’s (or Daddy-in-law’s) money or his business.

    Glad things have worked out so well for you and of course you don’t have any relatives in Iraq, just like the rest of the NeoCon BushCo Cabal.


  27. upside00 Says:

    And by the way Frank, here is a bit of information to set you straight on San Francisco and not getting any help from anyone:

    “During the first few days after the news of the disaster had reached the rest of the world, relief efforts had reached over $5,000,000. London, England, had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Individual citizens and businesses donated large sums of money for the relief effort: Standard Oil gave $100,000; Andrew Carnegie gave $100,000; the Dominion of Canada made a special appropriation of $100,000 and even the Bank of Canada in Toronto, Ontario, gave $25,000. The US government immediately voted one million dollars in supplies which were immediately rushed to the area. (Charles Morris ed.)

    Insurance companies, faced with staggering claims of $235 million (equivalent to $4.9 billion in 2005 dollars), paid out $180 million on policyholders’ claims, chiefly for fire damage, since shake damage from earthquakes was excluded from coverage under most policies.[21] One company alone, Lloyds of London, paid more than $50 million in claims (more than $1 billion in 2005 dollars),”


  28. rfinca Says:

    1906 San Francisco Earthquake:

    Relocation and housing of displaced

    The Army built 5,610 redwood and fir “relief houses” to accommodate 20,000 displaced people. The houses were designed by John McLaren, and were grouped in eleven camps, packed close to each other and rented to people for two dollars per month until rebuilding was completed. They were painted olive drab, partly to blend in with the site, and partly because the military had large quantities of olive drab paint on hand. The camps had a peak population of 16,448 people, but by 1907 most people had moved out. The camps were then re-used as garages, storage spaces or shops. The cottages cost on average $100-741 to put up. Families would rent cottages for $2 a month. which went towards the full purchase price of $50. Most of the shacks have been destroyed, but a small number survived. One of the modest 720 sq ft homes was recently purchased for more than $600,000.


  29. upside00 Says:

    Why don’t trolls ever use real facts, instead of spouting bullsh#t without any backup?

    Reinforces why they are part of the 28%ers of low-IQ’s, droolers and mouth-breathers.


  30. criticalthinker Says:

    re#27 upside00

    Thanks for correcting the record for people who may have believed post 25 and Frank J’s LIE.


  31. upside00 Says:

    #30 - criticalthinker

    These trolls are just too easy to refute, kinda like we have an unfair advantage…. we can actually think for ourselves!!


  32. rfinca Says:

    Why don’t trolls ever use real facts, instead of spouting bullsh#t without any backup?

    Comment by upside00 — June 15, 2007 @ 5:57 pm

    Impossible. Facts support the truth. :-)


  33. upside00 Says:

    #32 - Trolls wouldn’t know the truth if it bit their asses. And notice how they slink away with no rebuttal when confronted with the truth?


  34. rfinca Says:

    Sorry, should have put my last post in quotes. Here’s the link:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ 1906_San_Francisco_earthquake


  35. rfinca Says:

    #33. That’s their game, disinformation. They’re are just hoping something sticks.


  36. jimbo DUDE Says:

    NOW LISTEN DUDE……

    NEW ORLEANS BEING LEFT A DUMP IS THE

    STATUS QUO

    FOR DON’T YOU KNOW EVERY FRIGGIN ONE OF US ARE RECEIVING

    A COMPLETE DUMP

    FOR SERVICES FROM OUR TRUSTED SWINDLERS

    AND HOODLUMS

    AND SMOOZERS WHO LIKE TO WHEEL AND DEAL DUDE

    THAT IS WE THE PEOPLE

    DONOT GET FRIGGIN RECIPROCAL SERVICE

    WE GET THE FRIGGIN GREASE PITS DUDE THE FRIGGIN DUMPS

    LOOK AT FRIGGIN CONSTITUTIONAL ADHERENCE

    LOOK AT THE FRIGGIN MESS IN IRAQ

    LOOK AT EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE AND THE FDA AND EPA

    THE HIGHEST CLASS HOUSE OF THE LAND, THE UTMOST INTEGRITY
    AND WISDOM AND SERVICE………..

    LITERALLY A BUNCH OF FRIGGIN SWINDLERS RAIDING EVERYTHING
    THEY CAN

    TO GO TO THEIR CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS CALLED LEGAL BRIBERY

    SWINDLERS DUDE

    SO YES WE THE PEOPLE GET A FRIGGIN DUMP FOR SERVICE DUDE

    A FRIGGIN GREASE WHILE THESE HOODLUMS GREASE EVERYTHING UP

    FOR FRIGGIN DRACULA AND LOBBYISTS AND CAMPAIGNS = PAYOFFS DUDE

    FRIGGIN BRIBERY DUDE


  37. upside00 Says:

    Jimbo, You are really wired and ready to spark today!!!


  38. jimbo DUDE Says:

    THE FRIGGIN WE THE PEOPLE

    GET FORMALDHYDE AND ARE TOLD TO KEEP THEIR WINDOWS OPEN DUDE

    FRIGGIN BUNCH OF SHIFTY EYED HOODLUMS DUDE

    YEAH RIGHT, KEEP THE WINDOWS OPEN

    AND OF COURSE CARNIVAL GOT SOMETHIN LIKE $200,000 PER PERSON
    FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS OR MONTHS

    IT IS SO FRIGGIN CORRUPTED DUDE AND TOTALLY RIGGED LITERALLY

    SWINDLING, BRIBING, SMOOZING AND SCRATCHING FOR ALL THE CROOKS

    DUDE

    HOW THAT FOR THE BEST GOVERNMENT MONEY CAN BUY AND THE
    CONSTITUTION IS JUST A GOD *** PIECE OF PAPER

    I’M SURE ALL THESE SWINDLERS WILL STALL OUT, KEEP THEIR DRACULA
    APPOINTING IN THE DOJ, AND KEEP APPEALING THE LAWSUITS FOREVER
    DUDE…..

    RIGHT, BEST GOVERNMENT MONEY CAN BUY, LITERALLY HOODLUMS DUDE
    LITERALLY A BUNCH OF SHIFTY, SMOOTH FAST TALKING CROOKS!!!!!!!!


  39. WaltTheMan Says:

    #25 - Frank J,
    In 1906, San Francisco was a wild west city where most structures were wooden frame houses slapped together by miners or merchants. There was no infrastructure for automotive transport. Mass transit was confined to the cable cars and the like. Major buildings numbered in the low hundreds, not the tens of thousands. There were no Interstate highways. No paved roads.
    Major building in San Francisco started in the 1860’s. Major building started in the 1810’s in New Orleans. There is a slight difference in construction backlog between 50 and 200 years.
    There was also a slight difference in population between the two instances. Another difference is that the US Army moved into San Francisco to restore order. In New Orleans, most of the National Guard and their equipment had been diverted to Iraq.
    Does the term apples or oranges mean a gnat’s butt to you?


  40. RUCerious Says:

    Frank Jackass, exposed for the misinformed frother that it is.


  41. upside00 Says:

    #39 WalttheMan

    We already blew Frank J up and he is long gone. Kinda like the neighbor’s dog who craps in your yard and then slinks away.


  42. Chris Says:

    New Orleans turns to international aid.Now if they would just turn to international police to solve their crime problems than everything would be ok.

    Whats wrong with a 3rd world chocolate city getting international aid?


  43. upside00 Says:

    #42

    If international police would come to this country, the first criminals they would round up would be the BushCo NeoCon Marching Band and Flying Circus camping out at the WH.


  44. Squonk Says:

    And Smirky just keeps on smirking.


  45. Jay Randal Says:

    Nagin > China has lots of cash, but New Orleans would not do well as a new China-town with chop suey restaurants.


  46. doctorj Says:

    I love these people from elsewhere talking about all the aid NOLA has received. Funny, I am from the area and have lived every moment since Katrina in the crisis of NOLA and the MS Gulf Coast and I have not seen ANYBODY get ANY aid. But you people in Kansas must know better because you heard it on conservative radio and TV. If disaster ever hits your home, let me tell you how it works. First it will take Congress 7 months to “allocate” (a lovely governmental word) the funds needed to help you. Then, because of the Stafford Act you will have to put up 10-15% up front and only re-embursed AFTER you have spent the money to repair the infrastructure. Now, if you have experienced a CATOSTROPHIC disaster, you have noo tax base to have any money to give. Then the government takes 21 months to FINALLY decide that they will waive the Stafford Act as they have done immeditaely after every other disaster including 9-11 and Hurricane Andrew. SInce nothing has been done in all that time it makes it look like it is a local problem, not a national problem. But YOU will never go through a catastrophic disaster. Or will you? This is our government and it is BROKEN. Change must come because this is NOT the country I was brought up to love


  47. david Says:

    Canadians travel to Cuba all the time. It’s not such a bad place. And must of the poverty is the direct result of the embargo. The USA just cannot allow Castro’s experiment to succeed so it must starve the island.

    As for New Orleans, I say it’s time that they rejoined France. I mean, what right did Napoleon have to sell it to Jefferson? I say Louisiana ought to hold a referendum on whether to remain part of the Union or to join the EU. It would be a good deal for New Orleans as the Euro is doing much better than the US dollar at the moment.


  48. Jay Randal Says:

    david > that is a good idea, but the French probably do not want New Orleans nor Louisiana back. I used to live in St. Augustine, Florida, and a few years ago the King of Spain paid a visit and we in the city hoped Spain would take us back.


  49. Karim Says:

    This speaks volumes with how incompetent and compassionless the Bush administration is.


  50. Chris Says:

    No this shows how liberalism has failed.


  51. tarazan Says:

    After two years,we still unable as a ‘Superpower’ to take care of our people in a small city like New Orleans.
    While you keep hearing about billions of government and charities dollars spent,the crisis still exists.
    It shameful to hear that people are now looking for help from other countries.
    What happened to all these billions of dollars budgeted?!!

    And the big question is, are we prepared for a bigger crisis to hit a bigger city that could happen in the future?,and what did we learn from what happened in New Orleans?


  52. tribalecho Says:

    Some people in this country love them some sectarianism.


  53. tribalecho Says:

    The Today Show is picking this up. Could happen.


  54. Bienville Says:

    In 1906, the city of San Francisco was levelled by an earthquake and fire. Within a couple of years it was entirely rebuilt, better than ever. I don’t think a single dollar of public funds went into the effort, much less money from foreign countries.

    But then again, back then people weren’t accustomed to sitting on their butts waiting for the government to do for them what they should do for themselves.

    Comment by Frank J — June 15, 2007 @ 5:40 pm

    Would you care to source this assertion?


  55. Chris Says:

    What do you expect from school bus nagan


  56. art Says:

    Chris, Whaaa? Make some sense please.
    Have you been to New Orleans since the flood?
    Have you seen the devestation?

    There was some money budgeted, not nearly enough to do the job, and only a little of that has made it through the pipeline to those that really need it.


  57. upside00 Says:

    #54 Bienville -

    Check posts 27, and on down. They totally refute his assertions and as usual, the trolls slink away without any response.


  58. Axel Says:

    International help for Katrina was a rather frustrating experience because the US, according to your diplomats, as the richest country in the world didn’t need it. And if you were from a country that didn’t support the Iraq war, everything was even more complicated. Nevertheless, there was a lot of international solidarity you’ve probably never heard of.

    Two German Army Airbus planes landed in Florida with about 25 tonnes of food rations to be transported to the disaster area. Germany also offered airlifting, vaccination, water purification, medical supplies including German air force hospital planes and emergency electrical power. Further planes were prepared. But the next German Air Force cargo carrying several thousand military rations for survivors of Hurricane Katrina was sent back by US authorities. The official reason? The NATO military rations US soldiers regularly eat during joint operations could carry mad cow disease. Of course they were BSE-free according to NATO and UN rules…

    Remember those estimates that it would take three to six months to pump the water out of New Orleans? Just ten days after those estimates were made, the city was more or less dry because a large contingent of German volunteers of the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), together with special equipment transported by four C-17 Globemasters and three C-5 Galaxies, played a major role in the rescue of New Orleans. They brought 15 high performance pumps - 10 pumps with a capacity of 15,000 litres per minute and 5 pumps with a capacity of 5,000 litres per minute - and 28 vehicles. At the end, the relief team had pumped out 185 Million Gallons of floodwater.

    http://tqe.quaker.org/2005/TQE133-EN-Thanks.html

    The reaction? An eight-paragraph press release from US Northern Command and the clear political request to leave the country silently and as far as possible…


  59. Evil Spaniard Says:

    Check these links about the foreing aid’s fiasco under the Bush management:

    Overseas Katrina aid rejected by America:

    http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/28926

    Most Katrina Aid From Overseas Went Unclaimed:

    http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/27859

    And many more articles in this link:

    http://www.citizensforethics.org/search/node/katrina

    All that only shows the incompetence and misguided overpride of the Federal GOP.


  60. Bienville Says:

    Comment by upside00 — June 16, 2007 @ 3:38 pm

    Thanks. I found those posts later.



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