Geesh, in this time of crisis, what's the problem anyway? No one in desperate need of help should be using Mac or Linux computers for anyway. I mean, if you're smart enough not to use windows, you're most likely would've been smart enough not to move to a town that is (a) surrounded by water, (b) is below water level, (c) uses a complex system of levees and pumps just to keep you dry, and (d) sits right on a coastline that is struck by fierce storms year in and year out.

Oh, and you all complaining about the lack of help and slowness to move, just remember that all those people stuck in New Orleans are all poor. And no one gives a damn about them. Why waste money on them, dammit, when those poor heirs of billionaires are forced to pay estate taxes on money they didn't actually do anything to earn themselves. Making sure Paris Hilton doesn't ever have to get a real job is much more important then worrying about a bunch of sick and injured people living off the state anyway.

BTW, I feel sorryest for Mississippi. They finally get hit by a huge hurricane, causes widespread devestation. This should have been their moment to shine, be in the spotlight, have everyone focused on them. But noooooo. New Orleans had to get flooded. Now no one even knows that Mississippi exists, let alone is in as bad, if not worse shape, then over-hyped New Orleans (if you can't gain distinction for any worthwhile reason, throw a big party, let everyone get drunk, and encourage women to show their b******, that'll bring in the tourists).

Finally, I'd just like to point out that New Orleans never flooded under Clinton! And this never would've happened under Gore or Kerry! Its all Bush's fault!

The report is correct. I use Safari Enhancer and set the program to mimic IE 6 for PC. I thought it was working, but a javascript message box came up saying that I did not have javascript enabled which is patently false since it is enabled.

Even Omniweb does not work.

I am getting so tired of fighting Microsoft's monopolistic and often abusive behavior. And this behavior sometimes transfers to Microsoft supporters.

At Microsoft, the employees even treat each other at the corporate level like dirt. Their dominance has created an arrogant and downright cruel monster. I think their own behavior will eventually bring them down. In case you couldn't tell, I don't like this company or their avid users who act like them very much.

Great idea, except have you tried to reach FEMA by phone lately! Impossible with endless waits. And even then, a long wait does not guarantee access.

The computer is a critical access tool and needs to be available to everyone.

So the phone thing is no excuse for not making the web site available to everyone.

Why should their handling of web services be any more competent than anything else they've been doing? All my Indian coworkers are amazed at the inanity of the response. But what else did you expect from this government? People get put in place by our corrupt, criminal president just because they were pals in party school. Bush and Cheney and all their cronies should be on trial for treason right now.

Nobody blames Bush for the hurricane itself. The complains are about the federal government's response to it, which last time I checked is under Bush's control.

Regarding the website access issue, I think that's unforgivable. The nature of FEMA is that its services are open to all people in a time of crisis. Making basic access to their site brand-dependent strikes me as counter to the reason the agency exists.

That there is even a disaster relief claim system in place. They haven't even managed to put together a cogent distributed system allowing people to register so that they can be found by family members. How absurd is that? A competent programmer could put together a system like that in an hour. It will probably take FEMA millions of dollars and months to do it. And, hello, why doesn't it already exist?

Obviously, Katrina is nothing but a racist plot by Bush himself. Black leaders across the nation should unite, march, and protest against Republican hurricanes so as to draw attention away from the actual causes of minority poverty. Why accept blame yourselves when there's a wealthy white man out there to pin the blame on instead?

On another note:

"A javascript message box came up saying that I did not have javascript enabled."

I wonder if the developers who put in the code for that message box realize the irony of this (for the less technical readers, a JavaScript message box alerting you that JavaScript is disabled could never show up if JavaScript was, in fact, disabled).

You have a very foul moth there climac. Dissrespecting your dad, dissrespecting the President. Is there anyone you respect?

he's about 17. With a mental age of half that. In time he may grow up, but I'm not holding my breath.

"George Bush doesn't like Mac (or Linux) users."

(yes, I've heard he uses a Mac.)

I think the main complain of people is that this President claims he has never made a mistake and plans to investigate the problem himself.

Reagan always took full responsibility because He was president. He was in charge of everything under him. He didn't blame previous administrations for everything wrong in this country. Kid's do that.

Now with FEMA anyone and everyone should be able to access their site. That is just poor decision making with OUR tax dollars.

After all this money thrown in the toilet to improve our responsde to terrorist attacks, does anyone feel better about our preparedness. Someone got rich and I know it wasn't me...:(

From what I gather, the online site allows you to put in a claim for relief right away.

The phone # gets you a packet to fill out forms to start the claim process.

Problem is how are you to get the packet? They can't deliver it to your house under water. They arn't going to deliver it to you, one of the 500k+ at the various shelters....

These types of things should be available to EVERYONE, not just those who use the latest & greatest from MicroShaft.

Everyone should read this: http://www.nydailynews.com/09-06-2005/news/wn_report/story/343727p-293493c.html

>>Reagan always took full responsibility because He was president. He was in charge of everything under him. He didn't blame previous administrations for everything wrong in this country. Kid's do that.

Perhaps you don't remember Iran Contra, one of the most important illegal acts ever committed by a sitting President, yet one he passed the buck on.

This story (sadly) doesn't surprise me, but FEMA's complete implosion and President Bush's callous disregard of the information HE HAD IN ADVANCE is nothing short of a crime against humanity. Please don't give me any of your RNC-supplied talking-point s*** about local/state officials: I have a copy of the FEDERAL declaration of emergency (issued TWO DAYS before the storm hit) right in front of me, and it says the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT has, by that declaration, assumed ALL responsiblity for coordination of disaster relief efforts, SUPERCEDING state and local authorities.

BUSH IS RESPONSIBLE. End of story. And I hope to God they not only impeach him, but put him and his senior staff on trial in the Hague.

"The federal government consists of executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The federal legal system is based on statutory law...with the exception of Louisiana (based on the Napoleonic Code due to its time as a French colony)" Wikipedia

Bill Clinton cheated on his wife in the Monica Lewinsky s** Scandal and was going to be impeached for his actions. We all seem to forget that. Al Gore lost the election in 2001 due to corruption in the Florida ballot pole. John Kerry lost the election in 2004 because he did not talk about the specifics in his debate. He kept leading us around in circles and if we wanted to know about the issues we could read his website.

New Orleans-Katrina aftermath was a reflection of the upper and lower class struggle, out dated systems of protection, ignorance of the threat, and poor leadership by state and local officials. The tragedy in New Orleans can only show us what happens when a city(country) is out of control, desperate for food and water, and there is no morality. It's own people were looting, rioting, raping, and killing each other.

I agree with the guy who said something about color. There are plenty of places in other cities such as libraries, public buildings, and so on where you can access information. Anyone tried IE 5 for Mac?

Here in Houston helping out the Katrina victims.

IE 5 for mac and safari does not work. So far I have been able to access the online application through Opera.