No evidence backs up reports of
rescue helicopters being fired upon

From Knight-Ridder courtesy of Eschaton:

Among the rumors that spread as quickly as floodwaters after Hurricane Katrina, reports that gunmen were taking potshots at rescue helicopters stood out for their senselessness.

On Sept. 1, as patients sweltered in hospitals without power and thousands of people remained stranded on rooftops and in attics, crucial rescue efforts were delayed as word of such attacks spread.

But more than a month later, representatives from the Air Force, Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security and Louisiana Air National Guard say they have yet to confirm a single incident of gunfire at helicopters.

And

Tales of snipers shooting at helicopters and rescue personnel were among many tales of violence that swirled around New Orleans in the initial days after Katrina. Accounts of murders and rapes in the Superdome and convention center have since been called into question by state and local authorities.

Click here for the rest.

Lemme guess. Images of mostly black looters in New Orleans on television scared the hell out of the mostly white rescue organization leaders who in turn found it very easy to believe freaky rumors of widespread shooting at rescue choppers. In other words, this is a clear cut case of racist hysteria. And while rescue teams were grounded, people were dying. Lame, very lame.

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