Sunday, August 31, 2008

They Lie

I am livid with the information we are receiving from the authorities and the media about traffic on I-59. We left our home at 3:45am and didn't get to Hattiesburg until 1:00pm. The contraflow, which we took, was a joke. It only lasted about 10 miles or so, and was bumper-to-bumper from start to finish.

And authorities and media keep saying how wonderful contraflow is and keep downplaying the reports by drivers that there is serious traffic problems on I-59. It is irresponsible and potentially fatal to families to continue to tell them to evacuate at this time and to tell them that it is safe to go down I-59. People will run out of gas. People will not even be able to outrun the storm at this point.

It is a travesty. They are lying. And I'm tired and angry.

3 comments:

Ken said...

Jimmy,

You, Michele, and the girls be careful out there. (The SCABC hurricane blog is online, so please check in and let everyone know that you are ok over the next few days.)

jeffrey said...

They only want to cover their asses. I sat in that same traffic and was beside myself listening to officials hold multiple press conferences for the sole purpose of congratulating one another. The damn storm hadn't even made landfall yet but every elected official wanted the world to know that they had done a good job. They lied from the get-go. They lied to see if they could get everyone to jump. They are lying now about who can come back and when. Will anyone trust them when the next storm comes?

Anonymous said...

This is Adam Lynch, a reporter with the Jackson Free Press, doing a story on the government's reaction to Gustav. Sounds like not everything was roses and perfume. Somebody give me a call with their comment if they're not afraid of reporters. My number is 601-362-6121 ext. 8.