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| Hundreds of photographs were posted showing the devastation of the city the group refused to abandon. Photos Courtesy of Directnic.com / Michael Barnett & Sigmund Solares |
NEW ORLEANS
- The Associated Press has reported that Superdome and convention center are now empty and the New Orleans central business district has now been left for the dead. But that is not true. There is life in downtown New Orleans. As a matter of fact, there is at least one business that is up and running and, even in the worst of the nightmare, has never skipped a beat.
That company is Directnic.com. As the storm approached their city, a handful of employees, Michael Barnett, Sigmund Solares, Donny Simonton, Brian Acosta and Crystal Coleman decided that they were not going to abandon their customers by evacuating – and they were not going to abandon their city. Directnic.com manages the domains of thousands of websites around the world.
One employee, Barnett, decided to start a web log – also known as a blog – to communicate with friends and family during and after the storm. The company was equipped with food, water and a diesel generator well supplied with fuel. They hunkered down and got ready for the worst. From his own words, Michael was a trained member of the military and a Gulf War vet. It wouldn’t be long before he would begin to rely on that experience. He eventually named his office Outpost Crystal and over the course of the week began to think of it in terms of mission success and defense.
In a sense Michael’s words were a reverse sort of relief effort. To an increasingly horrified American public, the people in that office were showing themselves to be an island of hope in a sea of hopelessness.
Michael’s words tell the story. And that story began even before the storm hit.
"Hmmm. This could actually be a nasty storm." – Sat. 8/27 11:05 pm.
Those were the simple and prophetic words that began the blog the world was soon to see.
"Two police snipers just came into the building. I know m24s when I see them. That’s very disconcerting. I guess they’re preparing for the worst." - Sun 8/28 9:51 pm
Michael set up a web cam so people could see what was happening both inside and outside of their office. And people on the Internet soon began finding him. Michael went on to talk about his fiancé (who decided to weather the storm with him and the other employees) cooking chicken on a George Foreman grill and having a few windows blown out but otherwise being secure. He also responded to questions that began coming in from the web.
"A lot of people have been asking what company I work for that has such a huge data center in downtown NO. I ought to take this opportunity to plug the company, huh? directnic.com - hosting hundreds of thousands of domains through Hurricane Katrina. Now if that’s not a reliable company, nothing is."-Mon. 8/29 2:53 am
But then things began coming apart. Michael began to fall back on his military training.
"Ok, it’s a good thing I went to field sanitation school in the Army (before I was Special Forces). I’ve had to implement guidelines for water rationing and hygiene. We’re gonna be fine. Good morning from Ground -1."- Tue. 8/30 8:12 am
And then went from bad to worse.
"Ok, the looting is getting nuts out there. The water is creeping, but very very very slowly. I’ve got the feed aimed at the street where it’s coming from, and you can sort of see it. It looks like a shadow on the street right now.
I have a lot of people telling us to abandon ship and get out. Guys, that’s not gonna happen. I’ll eat roaches and drink the funky Quarter sludge in the gutters of Bourbon Street long before I abandon my city. I’ve got resources and will and so does my team, and we’re here until this is over."- Wed. 8/31 5:04 pm
And then worse yet.
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| To thousands of people around the world, this man is an island of hope in a sea of hopelessness. Pictured above is Michael, one of a handful of employees that kept their company running throughout the nightmare that engulfed New Orleans. |
"In case anyone in national security is reading this, get the word to President Bush that we need the military in here NOW. The Active Duty Armed Forces. Mr. President, we are losing this city. I don’t care what you’re hearing on the news. The city is being lost. It is the law of the jungle down here. The command and control structure here is barely functioning. I’m not sure it’s anyone’s fault — I’m not sure it could be any other way at this point. We need the kind of logistical support and infrastructure only the Active Duty military can provide. The hospitals are in dire straights. The police barely have any capabilities at this point. The National Guard is doing their best, but the situation is not being contained. I’m here to help in anyway I can, but my capabilities are limited and dropping. Please get the military here to maintain order before this city is lost." - Thu. 9/1 11:50 am
In amongst the ongoing drama were occasional business messages about payroll. The CEO of their company had announced that all employees, both hourly and salaried, would continue to be paid.
In some cases he took exception to what the media and the occasional celebrity had to say about the situation in which they were living. Jesse Jackson, upon visiting the city had apparently made a comment about looting and lawlessness not being the true problem. This comment is directed at Jackson:
"Dear Sir: Respectfully, I submit that you should shut the hell up. Looting and lawlessness IS the problem. The National Guard choppers are BEING SHOT AT. The NOPD are BEING SHOT AT. You want to focus on the levee? So do they, but check this out: THEY CAN’T UNTIL THE MOB STOPS ATTACKING THE RESCUE OPERATION.
I know you’re looking at this situation with concern for the racial implications of the deterioration of civilization out here, but this is bigger than whether people are going to be racists after this is over. This is about rescuing the masses i.e. life and death." - Thu. 9/1 5:24 pm
In some cases he reinforced what was being reported to the nation and filled in some of the gaps. They were, of course, living in the nightmare.
"Bigfoot is a bar manager and DJ on Bourbon Street, and is a local personality and icon in the city. He is a lifelong resident of the city, born and raised. He rode out the storm itself in the Iberville Projects because he knew he would be above any flood waters. Here is his story as told to me moments ago. I took notes while he talked and then I asked some questions:
Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out of the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and waited for the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or Alabama or somewhere else, out of this area.
It’s been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear.
Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000 people are packed into and around and outside the convention center still waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no medicine for the last three days, until today, when the National Guard drove over the bridge above them, and tossed out supplies over the side crashing down to the ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed from the drop. Many people tried to catch the supplies to protect them before they hit the ground. Some offered to walk all the way around up the bridge and bring the supplies down, but any attempt to approach the police or national guard resulted in weapons being aimed at them.
There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water and the like — all of them in dire straights.
Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least one murder and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a freezer in the area, and 2 of these dead people are kids.
The people are so desperate that they’re doing anything they can think of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that would show the people are not barbarians.
The buses never stop.
Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to break into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for their families. There was not enough. This spurred many families to break into cars to try to escape the city. There was no police response to the auto thefts until the mob reached the rich area — Saulet Condos — once they tried to get cars from there... well then the whole swat teams began showing up with rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and told people to get back.
He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and utter misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific."
He says it’s the slowest mandatory evacuation ever, and he wants to know why they were told to go to the Convention Center area in the first place; furthermore, he reports that many of them with cell phones have contacts willing to come rescue them, but people are not being allowed through to pick them up.
I have Bigfoot’s phone number and will gladly give it to any city or state official who would like to tell him how everything is under control." - Thu. 9/1, 10:46 pm
Michael reported what they all saw and tried to tell others. By now, literally thousands of people were reading what they had to say:
"During the recon, I spoke to some Federal Marshalls and NOPD. Morale is LOW. Very low. They’re not seeing the military presence they say they were promised. I told those guys they can’t possibly imagine how much we (the world) appreciate their dedication. I asked what civil rights the citizens have and the US Marshalls looked at me like I just fell off the turnip truck and chuckled. I asked if citizens can have guns for protection and he said if someone thinks he needs a gun, he should have already evacuated. He also said they are setting the city on fire.
The NOPD wants to know where "the two active duty brigades" were that he says they were told were supposed to arrive today. When I asked him what he would want to tell the world, he said Everyone keeps talking about the military presence in the city, and then asked me," Do you see any military around here" in disgust." - Fri. 9/2 10:01 am
But like the media, words began to fall short of what they were seeing and living.
"I think it finally hit me when I was on our roof 27 floors up looking down at my city. This place will never be the same — and I don’t mean in that "can’t step into the same river twice" philosophical sense. I mean in the "We won’t even recognize the place" sense. This place is completely coming apart. The hopelessness on the street breaks the heart. The old, the tired, the sick seem resigned to their presumed fate. Death. I’m pretty much running out of words for my commentary. I’ll try to stick to just the facts. Thanks so much for the moral support, guys. I only wish we could pass it on to the people who need it more than we do." - Fri 9/2 11:45 am
By Friday night, their Internet connection was being threatened by a lack of fuel – not just for themselves but also for their Internet service provider down the street. Somehow, miraculously, they arrange for a fuel drop in the midst of what had become downtown Hell.
"There are basically 3 types of people: Optimists, Pessimists, and Realists. In a crisis situation, it can be difficult to tell the difference between the pessimists and the realists. I consider myself a realist. Brian, the guy who restored our VOIP outgoing phone and has been managing connectivity issues up here since this all began is an optimist.
When I pressed him for an answer, he told me that he honestly gives us a 75% chance of getting fuel to arrive down the street to our provider in time. I hope I was just being a pessimist earlier.
Anyway, we’re supposed to get our truck here at 6am — 2 hours and 10 minutes from now. It’s been a long, rough day, so I’m gonna lie down for a few.
Oh yeah, and today is my dad’s birthday. I hope he’s still hanging tough in Harahan.
Wake me at 5:45.
Night, world. Love you." - Sat. 9/3 3:44 am
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| Despite losing power and having windows blown out in their office, a handful of employees managed to keep the company running. |
Throughout the storm and the nightmarish aftermath, they kept their company running and continued to document – through words and photographs – the unbelievable events taking place just outside their windows.
And those words contained an honesty that could only be found in ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances.
"Now this is something that requires tact, and I do not have much experience with reporting, but I think the world needs to know how overwhelmed the police are out here: I have reports from 3 different police sources that 2 police officers have committed suicide. Out of respect for their families, I will not name them or go into detail. Truly tragic how bad things are. I sincerely hope I did the right thing in reporting this." – Sat. 9/3 2:10pm
Throughout the nightmare that shocked and horrified America, Michael just wrote down his thoughts and observations. As more people found his words, they began to look to him to support their cause or purpose. Michael was more concerned about people than politicians.
"Slept in til 7am today. The police and military still control the streets and they’re patrolling in force by vehicle — you can see this on the cam. A lot of people have asked about the vehicles and who’s in them. They’re all police vehicles now — commandeered.
Let me address the political situation for a moment. I noticed that the responses I’ve been getting on the blog and the stuff I’ve been reading in the mainstream media has become very politicized. I’m not going to get into politics here — I’m just going to do my work and then report what I see and hear throughout the day. If you guys want to play Democrat vs Republican vs Independent, go right ahead, but I’m really weary of the permanent election season this country’s turned into. Honestly, these are politicians you guys are getting so excited about. Politicians. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t trust people who want to tell other people how to spend their money and what they can read or see on television and what they can do in the privacy of their own homes.
So yeah, I’m not going to support or condemn anyone specific for what’s going on here.
And another thing to think about when we start pointing fingers is this. The government is never equipped to handle a crisis like this. There’s too much bureaucracy — initiative-stifling bureaucracy which prevents swift, effective action. I would like to hear from government employees on this. The nature of that bureaucracy is such that you have very specific guidelines to follow for even the most minute tasks. You need approval for just about everything, and the person you need approval from usually needs approval to give you the approval.
It’s not as easy as say rounding up 4 of your co-workers and saying, "We’ve got someone at such and such an address, let’s go grab her and get her out of there."
You (as a civilian) don’t need "Approved" stamped on 3 different forms before you can run into your neighbor’s house and pull them out. I hope this makes sense." - Sun 9/4 7:55am
It makes sense now, Michael.
This was just a small sample of the words that provided a sometimes uncomfortable view of the unthinkable. The more you read, the more you get to know them. The more you get to know them, the more you worry about them.
In a sense they are, indeed, heroes. During the worst single tragedy in modern American history, during the deepest, darkest moments of dispair when it appeared that all was lost, the small crew kept at their jobs - they provided a sense of normalcy in the chaos.
More than anything else, they proved that life does go on.
As of this writing, Outpost Crystal is still operating in downtown New Orleans. You can follow Michael and the rest of the office by visiting the weblog at http://mgno.com.
As a side note, Michael’s father did survive the storm and flood and was last reported volunteering to help cook for disaster workers.
