About 250 yellow buses were parked at Zephyr Field this afternoon, with more arriving, according to the Louisiana National Guard. The staging area is not open to the public. Evacuees who need transportation must go to one of the 17 pick-up sites in New Orleans and two in Jefferson Parish.
Tanker trucks were fueling the buses, while crews stocked their cabins with food and water.
“We just want to make sure the state gets as many buses as possible into that staging area,” New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said during a press conference.
About 800 buses and Amtrak trains began transporting New Orleans medical evacuees today. Arkansas and Tennessee agreed to receive them, Governor Bobby Jindal said.
Bloomberg News