| This thread has been locked, it will not receive new replies. |
|
Locked on 08/30/2005 6:57:57 AM PDT by Sidebar Moderator, reason:
New Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1473373/posts |
Posted on 08/29/2005 2:08:51 PM PDT by NautiNurse
The Red Cross would not make the Superdome an official shelter as they could not guarantee its survivability.
Oh thank goodness about Slidell. I've been so worried.
Where are we going to put the homeless? Tent cities? I have future visions of the homeless camped out on the interstate for miles and miles, begging for a hand out.
I wish I were exaggerating..:(
sw
I know hon, so have we. Hang in there and let us know when you hear from your loved ones.
_________________________
Calls are now coming in for help and rescue from ppl who have tried to get back into NO and are now stranded. Please stay put ppl.
Somewhere I saw an official say there would be more than 1 million homeless. I don't think he was wrong.
We all have to help.
Mississippi - CNN reporting homes were flooded 6 miles inland. US highway 90 was destroyed.
"Slidell - some storm chasers in Slidell said that they were able to drive out earlier this afternoon. They said that it was "no cat 5" there in Slidell. Sounded like there was a lot of water damage but that it wasn't total destruction."
Thanks for the info - that's the best news so far.
175 posted on 08/29/2005 5:41:38 PM EDT by LibSnubber
No, no, no. Trust me, we have the ability in this country to absorb this. These people will be housed and fed.
Apparently they have rebuilt the canal area since I used to know about it. But it is still not going to be an easy fix.
It's all just a horrible sight and will likely get worse throughout the day.
All we can do now is pray for all of them.
From AP: Superdome Refugees Get Some Fresh Air
NEW ORLEANS - Desperate for fresh air, dozens of refugees from Hurricane Katrina slept on the walkway surrounding the Louisiana Superdome as conditions inside worsened and frustrations grew.
National Guardsmen let some of the 10,000 people sheltering inside the arena take their bedding out onto the concourse, where it was cooler and the breeze was welcome. The soldiers made sure they didn't leave, though.
"Oh God, fresh air, it's so wonderful. It's the first time I've wanted to breathe all day," said Robin Smith, 33. "When you think what we could've gone through, it's not too bad in there. But it's certainly not as wonderful as this."
For the refugees — many of them poor and frail — the Superdome was a welcome shelter from Katrina, but has been getting steadily more miserable as the hours march on.
The bathrooms are filthy and barrels overflow with trash. With the air conditioning off since power went out Monday morning, the bricks are slick with humidity.
"I don't care how bad my house is. It's got to be better than this," said Ruby Jackson, 56, of New Orleans. "At least I could take a shower and sleep in my own bed."
A groan rose from a group listing to a newscast when the devastation was detailed and officials in suburban Jefferson Parish said residents wouldn't be allowed to return until Monday. One woman cried.
"We're doing everything we can to keep these people comfortable," Gen. Ralph Lupin, commander of the National Guard troops at the Superdome, said Tuesday morning. "We're doing our best. It's not getting any better but we're trying not to let it get any worse."
"I know people want to leave, but they can't leave," he said. "There's 3 feet of water around the Superdome."
The situation was especially difficult for those in wheelchairs, who were lined up in rows five deep along a wall. One patient's IV bag was attached to a stadium seating sign.
Officials were considering moving the patients to areas with better accommodations.
"This is just too hot, too primitive, too uncomfortable for the patients and too hard to work in for the medical people," said Dr. Kevin Stephens Sr., head of the medical shelter in the Superdome.
Two people have died, according to Doug Thornton, a regional vice president for the company that manages the Superdome. He provided no other details.
The refugees spent Monday sitting in the seats of the 77,000-seat stadium — home of the NFL's New Orleans Saints — or sprawled out on blankets and towels on the floor. They played cards and read books and magazines in areas where the emergency lights worked. Refugees were given two military-style meals in a pouch a day.
Katrina ripped two holes in the curved roof when the storm barreled through the city, letting in rain. Water also was leaking in through many other areas, including elevators and stairwells.
Superdome and government emergency officials stressed that they did not expect the huge roof to fail because of the relatively small breaches caused by Katrina's winds.
"I was OK until that roof fell off," said 82-year-old Anice Sexton. "I was terrified then. Otherwise it hasn't been too bad. People are so nice and the people staying here have really been cooperative. But the washrooms are terrible."
Dr. Thuong Vo was on his honeymoon in New Orleans with his pregnant wife when they were taken to the Superdome. Vo has been treating people during the day and sleeping on the concrete floor at night with his wife.
"It's certainly been an eventful honeymoon," he said.
Oh Spectre, what a sad image...and it could really be true for awhile.
And next comes west nile. And maybe other mosquito diseases. Hopefully nobody with Dengue or Malaria pops around the area.
My cousin had to stay behind whent he rest of the family left. He's Fire/EMS and of course no one has heard from him...
Sadly, later info shows that the situation in Slidell is very very bad
Hey, Chuckie, you maroon, if the strategic reserves had been tapped in order to knock a few pennies off of gas prices over the past few months, we wouldn't have those reserves for a real emergency like the current one, now would we?
Between Schumer, Rodham Clinton, Rangel, Nadler, Owens, Slaughter, Lowey, and more, New York has more than its share of [rude word of your choice]. Sorry for the somewhat off-topic rant. But I feel better, anyway.
Causeway bridge has suffered severe damage. The other main route from Northshore is not open and will not be until bridge(s) are repaired (will take weeks).
Police are now being diverted to try and keep ppl out of NO. Nat'l Guard and State Police are trying to deal with situation and do not need to work on keeping evacuees out of area. Threatening arrest.
I know ppl are still trapped in houses/attics and need to be rescued soon or they too will die.
Morning folks. Been out of the loop for almost 12 hours now, so I don't have any new information, but here's what I expect to see happening today.
The choppers are up now, many for the first time since before the storm. Once they all get done with a first pass, give it an hour for the people to meet and talk things over, another hour to polish things up, an hour to call a press conference, and we should start getting some overview reports aroud noon today.
In the meantime, guys with chainsaws are cutting their way into the heavily damaged areas, where a few people may be inside trying to cut their way out, but most of the people in the bad areas are probably concentrating on survival rather than escape.
In any event, the SAR people will be too busy for the most part to be holding press conferences that provide detailed reporting. Most of that won't start leaking out till late tonight at the earliest.
The worst areas will be sealed off till they can get basic services up and running, but reporters and residents always find a way in and out, so by tomorrow we'll be able to start putting things together on a detailed scale.
In the bigger picture, no matter which anecdotal reports you choose to believe and which you choose to discard, it's clear that we have suffered a significant surge event from just east of downtown New Orleans over to the Fla/Alabama line, and the coastal and beach areas within that span have been hit very very hard. I'm coming into today and tomorrow fully expecting some pretty unpleasant news reports at times, and I'd suggest that others prepare themselves similarly.
Finally, I feel for the folks who are still wondering about loved ones, and would hope that everyone here will try as best they can to keep them in mind during whatever unfolds over the next few days. My very nature is to find patterns in anecdotal reports, but I will keep my speculation to a minimum, and also work very hard to avoid and doom and gloom end of the world stuff, no matter wat kinds of reports we get from the press. Fingers crossed, hoping for lots of survivor stories, lets see what we've been dealt.
At least we'd know OUR money is getting to the right people.
sw
We still have two more months of hurricane season. Just hope NO is spared another one of these anytime soon.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.