Katrina Live Thread, Part XIII

Various ^ | 1 September 2005 | Various

[NautiNurse]

28,000 National Guard troops are deployed to the disaster areas in Mississippi, Alabama, and to Louisiana, where SWAT teams are working to combat the looters and shooters in New Orleans. Additional 1400 National Guard troops are being deployed daily.

Shootings reported at a New Orleans hospital, rescue boats, and a military helicopter, while conditions continue to deteriorate at the SuperDome amid refugee deaths and chaos. Evacuation of New Orleans continues.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert has voiced serious doubts about rebuilding New Orleans with federal funds, while assuring the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida that the United States Congress stands ready to help them in their time of need. New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin issued a "desperate SOS."

Doctors at two desperately crippled hospitals in New Orleans called The Associated Press Thursday morning pleading for rescue, "We have been trying to call the mayor's office, we have been trying to call the governor's office ... we have tried to use any inside pressure we can. We are turning to you. Please help us," said Dr. Norman McSwain, chief of trauma surgery at Charity Hospital, the largest of two public hospitals.

The Port of New Orleans is now open to shallow draft vessels. Congress is reconvening in an emergency session. International offers to assist the U.S. have been received from Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Honduras, Germany, Venezuela, Jamaica, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, China, South Korea, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, NATO and the Organization of American States.

Jesse Jackson has arrived in Louisiana...

Links to various news, local and state government websites:

WLOX TV Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagula has link to locate family and friends
2theAdvocate - Baton Rouge Includes Slidell, St. John Parish, St. Bernard Parish updates, and other locations.
NOLA.com
Inside Houma Today includes shelter and volunteer updates
WLBT.com Jackson MS
WALA Channel 4 Mobile, AL Includes links to distribution centers, Emergency Ops, etc.
Sun-Herald Gulfport MS Includes link to town by town reports
Gulfport News via Topix.net
WAFB Baton Rouge
Mobile Register via al.com
Mississippi updates via Jackson Ledger
Lafayette LA Daily Advertiser
Pensacola News Journal
St Bernard Local Government
Alabama Homeland Security Volunteers can sign up online
Alabama DOT
Alabama.gov
Louisiana Homeland Security
Louisiana State Police road closure info
State of Mississippi Website has traffic alerts, emergency contact numbers

Streaming Video:

WWL-TV (via CBS): WWLTV via CBS
WWL-TV Now via WFAA Dallas **NEW LINK**: http://www.wwltv.com/cgi-bin/bi/video/makeadplaylist.pl?title=beloint_wfaa&live=yes
WDSU-TV: http://mfile.akamai.com/12912/live/reflector:38843.asx
WPMI-TV: http://www.wpmi.com/mediacenter/default.aspx?videoId=113739
WKRG-TV: mms://wmbcast.mgeneral.speedera.net/wmbcast.mgeneral/wmbcast_mgeneral_aug262005_1435_95518
WTOK-TV Temporarily Not Live Streaming (follow the link on the home page): http://www.wtok.com/
WJTV-TV: mms://wmbcast.mgeneral.speedera.net/wmbcast.mgeneral/wmbcast_mgeneral_aug262005_1435_95563
Louisiana Statewide Katrina Network (WJBO-AM Baton Rouge): http://ccri.eonstreams.com/ccri_la_batonrouge_wjbo_am.asf
Gulf Coast Storm Network (radio): http://www.stormalert.net/main.html#
Louisiana Scanner

Related FR Threads:

FYI: Hurricane Katrina Freeper SIGN IN Thread FReeper Check In thread
Discussion Thread - Hurricane Katrina - What Went Wrong?!?
Post Hurricane Katrina IMAGES Here
Looting Begins In New Orleans
Hurricane Katrina HOUSING Thread
Martial Law Declared in New Orleans

Due to the number of requests to assist, the following list of some charities is provided.
This is not intended as an endorsement for any of the charities.

www.redcross.org or 1-800 HELP NOW - note: website is slow, and lines are busy
Salvation Army - 1-800-SAL-ARMY or Salvation Army currently looking for in-state volunteers - (888)363-2769
Operation Blessing: (800) 436-6348.
America's Second Harvest: (800) 344-8070.
Catholic Charities USA: (800) 919-9338, or www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee: (800) 848-5818.
Church World Service: (800) 297-1516 or online at www.churchworldservice. org.
Lutheran Disaster Response: (800) 638-3522.
Nazarene Disaster Response: (888) 256-5886.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: (800) 872-3283.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is accepting donations at its 3,800 stores and Web site, www.walmart.com.
National Black Home Educators Resource Association http://www.nbhera.org/

Previous Threads:
Katrina Live Thread, Party XII
Katrina Live Thread, Part XI
Katrina Live Thread, Part X
Katrina Live Thread, Part IX
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part VIII
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part VII
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part VI
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part V
Hurricane Katrina, Live Thread, Part IV
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part III
Katrina Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm 12

[MEG33]

There were two disasters that have been an overwhelming problem..The large numbers of people who chose to ride it out for various reasons and the flood...The flood made an orderly evacuation and rescue impossible and the armed gangs that really started looting before the flood are shooting at the rescuers..They are endangering the lives of the victims and their rescuers...

Reporter at NO police station saying fires and some explosions going on..railroad cars..concerned about what was in them..5th district. Haz Mat on its way

[MMkennedy]

"Although you are clearly an expert in incompetence, I'm not sure your personal inadequacies equip you to make sweeping judgments regarding the current effort in NO."

People with limited faculties for communication resort to personal attacks when frustrated. My comments on this thread have been clear, accurate and non-personal or, when attacked first, in kind. I would appreciate the same courtesy.

1. Why would I bring up Thailand and the Tsunami? Because to have a base on the ground and supplies offloading FROM SHIPS in five days means that the whole operation was planned and executed in MUCH less time than that. This article from USA today

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-01-03-tsunami_x.htm

and this one from the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38860-

indicates that carrier task force was already ferrying seaborne supplies to Bande Ache Indonesia as well. We were far far more efficient in getting supplies together, loaded, shipped, and downloaded half-way accross the world than we have been here. That was my point. And nothing you have said addresses it.

2. As for Falluja, being "secured" does not mean that there is No Fighting Whatsoever. It means that the US is in positive control of the city and the terrorists are holed up sniping or hiding. That is why it is entirely accurate to say that we had the major part of Falluja (80%) secured in five days whereas the same simply cannot be said of NO.

All of this together points to a major screw up. There is simply no getting around it.

[geopyg]

"Explosions at or near Superdome... "

Just when I thought I was going to bed!

Prayers up (again) for the folks down there (and the firefighters, and cops).

[Uncle Ike]

"Explosions at or near Superdome... "


Is there anybody out there monitoring the scanners tonight?

[Patriot from Philly]

Did anyone see CNN. They were interviewing someone who's at the convention center and instead of stating the facts he said "genocide is going on". That's what I thought I heard, then I changed the channel because I didn't want to listen to a stupid rant.

They really need to screen their interviews.

[snowsislander]

This is an unbelievable nightmare. :(

It is now, but the nightmare also will end, and things will get better. In fact, they may grow better very quickly, though it appears at this point that we are seeing the slow version of recovery.

But recover we will. I am certain of this; history shows that people have weathered terrible occurrences and the most important thing is to continue to put one foot in front of another --- just the fact of any progress is more important than how fast it occurs initially. Once we get a bit of traction, things will look a lot better.

[Uncle Ike]

"They really need to screen their interviews."

This is CNN -- they did screen their interview..

[GodBlessUSA]

Thanks. I just turned it on to see. This is beyond frightening.

[maryz]

There were two disasters that have been an overwhelming problem.

Right. If the levee hadn't broken (I know, "If wishes were horses, . . ."), riding it out wouldn't be seen now to have been such an awful choice.

And people were posting yesterday about the "72-hour" rule for hurricane territory: i.e., keep three days' worth of supplies just in case, because things won't be organized enough for any assistance or function for that long. Makes sense. No one seemed to note, though, that a second 72 hours started with the levee breach. (How do you calculate that? Let them overlap, or add another 72 hours?)

[Pro-Bush]

Massive explosion from Chemical plant 3 miles away from Superdome per MSNBC.

[GodBlessUSA]

Thanks for encouraging words snowsislander. I got up today at 3am, after all the coverage yesterday, there was no way I could sleep. I pray it occurs sooner than later.

[Russ7]

We're watching the actual breakdown of our society. It's NO today, but it could be any city next time.

One thought that keeps coming to mind is something Fr. Coropi said in one of his talks/tapes...."Immorality is the single greatest threat to national security". He developed a powerful argument to support the thesis.

We have taken God out of the schools and out of the public square. God will not intrude where he's not wanted. So now people say....God help New Orleans. Whenever great disasters like this occur great good come out of it. Perhaps a return to moral life will be a result of this terrible tragedy.

[SeaBiscuit]

I've heard that there's no chemical plant near the Superdome.. maybe gas lines exploding?

[LikeLight]

This is literally Hell on earth.

And now the refuge buses are being turned away at the Astrodome.

Soon we will hear of desperate buses of dying people roaming from town to town.

Others will walk out in a death march of all death marches.

My anger at the rapists and thugs who prevented an orderly rescue is beyond comprehension.

[Pro-Bush]

...Well, it is MSNBC after all. It would be weird to have a Chemical plant so close to the tourist areas.

[neutrality]

4:55 A.M. - Refugee Alan Gould spoke to CNN from inside the New Orleans Convention Center. He said sick, eldery and children are dying and children have been beaten and raped. He pleaded for help.

[geopyg]

Now saying a warehouse with chemicals stored and railcars nearby.

[MMkennedy]

On CNN, they are actually discussing in a rational and lucid way the difference between MS, where there is little to no looting and NO, where the looters essentially rule the streets.

The man they are interviewing, I think he is a state police official, said it was in the very beginning essential for Blanco to use the same language and same force against the looter as Barbour in MS. HEr failure to do this is one direct cause of the present chaos

[SeaBiscuit]

"..eldery and children are dying and children have been beaten and raped."

We're talking about Fallujah right?

[Knitting A Conundrum]

If it were me, I'd be walking up the crecent city connection or down the levee and get out of that place. Shoot, it's not even flooded across the river in Algiers. And the water there last I heard was drinkable.