Katrina Survivor Story

After 9/11 fake tales of heroism and survival soon began to pop up, so it's inevitable that after Katrina people will also invent stories. A tale that's been posted on a gamer's site has some people suspecting a hoax. I have no idea if it's real or not, so you'll have to decide for yourself.

In the story, Naomi tells of how life on the coast of Alabama has descended into a state of primitive lawlessness. She claims to be living on the second floor of a house (the first floor was flooded and is covered in mud), keeping her gun close at hand to fend off looters. She's running a generator that allows her to connect to the internet (her electricity is out, but her telephone connection seems to be fine). She observes a couple of times that it all reminds her of a video game:

People are getting looted and mugged, it's no different than in a video game where all you do is run around and do whatever you want. I'm not afraid to die, but I don't want to die here in this sunken city....
Like I said before, it's like a video game. I don't know what it was, the flood, the hurricane, or the death that has husked these people of their minds, but the people here have died, it's just that they still walk like humans. There's no place for us here, and they just walk, looking for something. Home, family, pets, someplace cool.. You bump into them, and they say one thing to you, maybe two. But that's it, that's all they can muster. If you say hello, it's like being in an RPG.

I suppose what makes people suspect the story as a hoax is that a) the video game analogy sounds a bit odd, and b) she has no power, everything around her is a wasteland, but she still has internet access? If her phone is working, why not just pick it up and call for help?

Places

Posted on Mon Sep 05, 2005


Comments

Also, Alabama, while still hurt, is not the worst hit, and to my knowledge neither MS nor AL have had as much looting as NO. In any case, she would definitely be in contact with emergency personnel by now.
Posted by boatboy  on  Mon Sep 05, 2005  at  11:10 PM
This is highly amusing. I LIVE in coastal Alabama. We lost power where I live for maybe 3 or 4 hours (though some places did lose for much longer). The area here is pretty much back to normal. No large amounts of damage happened. I rode out the storm here. I work on Orange Beach (Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, within 8 miles of each other, ARE the Alabama coast). In fact I work at a condo overlooking the coast (3rd shift front desk). I'm back to work, and have been for over a week. The storm put us out of business for 2 days. There has been no looting or rioting. I live close to Mobile, which had more damage. My friend works there every day and is going to work later this morning. There is nothing going on here out of the orginary. This story is pretty much bunk. Gulf Shores took some damage, and some of our buildings there are not up and running, mainly because of lack of power or pools filled with sand, but my company owns a hotel right on the main strip and it's up and running. We even had guests check in 3 days after the hurricane. The only problems we have here are gas shortages that make us wait in line for gas, and I know that's not just here.

Anyways, I call it a hoax.
Posted by Dean  on  Tue Sep 06, 2005  at  04:28 AM
Another thing, I haven't heard of any deaths in the area because of the storm. All the Walmarts i know of in the area (including the one in Gulf Shores where I just bought my groceries) didn't get flooded. She mentions MCPD which may be Mobile County Police Department? Anyways, Mobile isn't underwater, there were a few streets near the bay that got flooded (some pretty high) but the day after the storm there were people in the news broadcasting from those same streets, so how is she swimming through town looking for supplies? So, I'm still going for blatant lies.
Posted by Dean  on  Tue Sep 06, 2005  at  04:36 AM
I have to agree with the posts already here. I'm taking claims from the people in LA, and MS, b/c of the flooding, but AL claims are mostly wind & debris dmgs.
Posted by Maegan  on  Tue Sep 06, 2005  at  05:19 AM
I think this is just a re-hash of one of the "Night of the Living Dead" movies, if you read it closely.
Yeah, it's fake.
Posted by Big Gary in Dallas  on  Tue Sep 06, 2005  at  10:52 AM
Somebody has either got a wild hair up their ass or they're Geraldo copycat. BAD GIRL, NO DONUT
Posted by silly-er  on  Tue Sep 06, 2005  at  06:32 PM
Well, I did a little reasearch (well, I asked some people) and a place called Bayou Labatrie (which is on the other side of the bay almost into MS) did have some major flooding and were waiting on aid. This could be where she's talking about... but there haven't been any massive looting reports that I've seen or news of deaths. Also, she says she's from china and the area does have a lot of foreigners (compared to other areas) though that doesn't make this definately the place. It is also in Mobile County still, making MCPD correct. Only problem is that the closest Walmart is in a city 10 miles away... that and I still haven't heard any awful stories from there in the local news (except that they were mad that they didn't get aid quick enough).

Anyways, I still say hoax, but maybe she's basing some of it on fact.
Posted by Dean  on  Wed Sep 07, 2005  at  07:20 AM
I still say she's a Geraldo wannabe! I think she forgot to take her medications and things just got bigger than life in her head, she's an 40 pound lightweight. Listen up though, Ms., you're welcome to come to San Francisco and help protest the presence of priest pedophiles, Registered Sex Offender priests who are living at 1100 Franklin St., and who plan to help out with the evacuees from New Orleans, need to be exposed and you may just be the gal who could do it. There are small rat holes in the Tenderloin and you could sit in your little corner and make up what ever and then send it out to everybody...it's fun, come on by...St. Mary's Cathedral is the place to be....harass the evacuees with the press...it's fun...you'll have lots of fun
Posted by pants on fire  on  Wed Sep 07, 2005  at  12:36 PM
Whoaa,ass... Keep yo pants on 😊
Posted by alter Igor  on  Mon Sep 19, 2005  at  07:13 AM
I personally was there as a contractor for Entech. We provide gensets during outages such as these. I can vouch that 7 walmarts were lost due to the storm in the new orleans area as they are a customer of mine. I have seen first hand the reactons mentioned here by people. Every store on Manhattan street in new orleans was looted. The local police advised us to arm ourselves heavely. That was the first couple of days. Now a simblance of order has been restored to the area. Some looting continues but nothing along the lines of the first couple of days. A total of 7 gangs have been detained or arrested in connection with looting, and murders in the New Orleans area. Don't believe it. Drive downtown New orleans and ask a cop. Otherwise take it for what its worth.
Posted by jared Brown  on  Mon Sep 19, 2005  at  01:04 PM
Alabama didn't get hit very hard at all. However, "ground zero" was the Biloxi/Gulport area of MS. Even though there WERE a lot of problems with gangs coming out of the wood work, lots of looting, and other general lawlessness because the police were understaffed and overworked, I don't recall having heard of anything so very bad as to be anything like a video game.

I had my own personal experiences of having to pass through areas under "gang leadership", in which there was gunfire now and then, or you might get mugged. But it really wasn't all that horrible.
Posted by Rachel  on  Tue Jan 10, 2006  at  11:25 AM
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