Via the NYT: Police and Owners Begin to Challenge Looters

Across New Orleans, the rule of law, like the city’s levees, could not hold out after Hurricane Katrina. The desperate and the opportunistic took advantage of an overwhelmed police force and helped themselves to anything that could be carried, wheeled or floated away, including food, water, shoes, television sets, sporting goods and firearms.

Many people with property brought out their own shotguns and sidearms. Many without brought out shopping carts. The two groups have moved warily in and out of each other’s paths for the last three days, and the rising danger has kept even some rescue efforts from proceeding.

While certainly disasters bring out the best in man, so too do they often bring out the worst.

And if looting isn’t bad enough, some idiots are shooting at military helicopters, which has caused a suspension of the evacuation of the Superdome.

Further, people in local hotels were rushing the buses intended for the Superdome evacuees, according to NPR.

No doubt more and more people still in the city will start to panic and further, some of the looting is likely linked to people looking for food and water.