Picture Update: The long causeway through the middle is ok. The I-10 bridge (right side of picture) is the one that everyone is talking about and showing pictures of - it "is" severly damaged.
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Posted on 08/30/2005 1:34:04 PM PDT by NautiNurse
The situation in New Orleans continues to deteriorate due to rising water levels and desperation. Search and rescue continues via boat and air. Authorities have announced the goal to evacuate all the remaining residents of NOLA. The New Orleans Mayor has reported numerous gas leaks throughout the city. Sporadic fires occurring. Attempts to evacuate hundreds of hospital patients from Charity Hospital and Tulane Medical Center are in process. Patients are being transported to other hospitals as far away as Florida.
The Army Corps of Engineers is at the NOLA levee breaks with current plans to drop 3000 lb sand bags in an effort to stop the flow of water. NOLA hospital evacuations continue for thousands of patients. Reports indicate all evacuees are being taken to the SuperDome, which is now surrounded by water. The generators at the Dome are now in jeopardy. The Governor of Louisiana has called for a day of prayer tomorrow...
Elsewhere, search and rescue continue in Mississippi and Alabama. Biloxi reports indicate catastrophic damage.
Links to various news and local government websites:
WLOX TV Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagula has link to locate family and friends (very slow load)
2theAdvocate - Baton Rouge Includes Slidell, St. John Parish, St. Bernard Parish updates, and other locations.
Inside Houma Today needing boats, volunteers, lists gas station openings, water, etc.
WALA Channel 4 Mobile, AL Includes links to distribution centers, Emergency Ops, etc.
Sun-Herald Gulfport MS Includes link to town by town reports
Mississippi updates via Jackson Ledger
Streaming Video:
WWL-TV (via KHOU/Houston): http://www.wwltv.com/cgi-bin/bi/video/makeadplaylist.pl?title=beloint_khou&live=yes
WKRG/Mobile: mms://wmbcast.mgeneral.speedera.net/wmbcast.mgeneral/wmbcast_mgeneral_aug262005_1435_95518
WDSU/New Orleans via WAPL/Jackson: mms://a842.l1291238841.c12912.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/842/12912/v0001/reflector:38841
All are Windows Media Player links.
Related FR Threads:
FYI: Hurricane Katrina Freeper SIGN IN Thread
Discussion Thread - Hurricane Katrina - What Went Wrong?!?
Post Hurricane Katrina IMAGES Here
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
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.
Previous Threads:
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
Excellent. This may deserve its own thread.
Cantore is Weather Channel. I think he's resting after that ordeal at the nursing home.
I say evacuate the prisons last, if they have time.
Hell no!
That's the heartbreak of all this. They can't do a "house to house" knock on the door to see who's home. The only way to find them is to drop someone from a chopper onto every roof in the city, chop a hole in the roof, and holler "anybody here?" That would take months.
Anybody still inside and not visible from the air won't be found until the waters receed, and then... well.
People are going to be displaced for a long long time.
You're right, my bad. Breaches in at least one levee allowed water from Lake
Pontchartrain to inundate sections of New Orleans.
Tornado watch just issued for the Washington DC metro area until midnight - emergency notification on Tv right now-
"I just listened to that news conference by the LA Governor and it is beyond my comprehension that they really didn't, and seemingly still don't have a plan for this scenario."
All the big wigs obviously had no real plan for any of this. Shame on them. Almost any bozo could have planned things better.
The real heros here are the ones who are doing all the actual work. Those who are doing the rescues and getting there hands dirty in this to save lifes. The real heros are the small guys who are risking there necks with no concern about political crap.
Whew is right!
Thank you. We are on the Chesapeake Bay.
Too bad that thread got pulled. PJ-Comix would have had a field day with it for his next DUmmie FUnnies.
Sorry. :( Someone mentioned earlier they were starting up their normal spin again.
The real problem is that the Port of New Orleans is closed indefinitely. Much of the nation's imports and exports rely on the Port where those are transferred to and from ocean-going ships and Mississippi River barges. The barges go up and down the River more easily than seacraft.
I suspect the Port facilities themselves are OK - they're on the Mississippi River side. The problem is that all the Port support infrastructure - power, sewer, water, etc., has either been flooded out or has lost all personnel due to the evacuation order.
What is really bad is that it will take at least months before the housing and necessary civil infrastructure are restored for port personnel and their dependents. If the City of New Orleans is a constructive total loss due to toxic contamination and levee improvement costs, it might be necessary to move the Port to whereever the City is rebuilt.
IMO the best solution, if most of the City is written off and rebuilt on a new site, to have the safe, high ground areas of the existing site reserved for port personnel and dependents, plus tourists (the French Quarter, etc.). That way they can keep the Port going where it is. And rebuilding priority should go to living quarters for Port personnel and dependents.
PBS had on the DHS representative who is saying those rescuees needing care are being sent to medical facilities and others are being sent to other facilities for the time being. He noted the MS areas are reminiscent of the tsunami. He said NG forces are working in the recovery and triage efforts. He said that there are hundreds of thousands without power, but crews are working their way in throughout the areas, and the phone companies are planning how to restore service.
On Biloxi, someone told PBS a cautious estimate is 40 dead, but there are trees and powerlines down. He described the city as a ruin, as 8-10 feet of water came in for several blocks, ruining the casino industry which has become the industry in town. He said gas lines are open, there is no water, and lots of emergency need. The streets are now "dry as a bone" there. Officials are assessing and rescuing any trapped people and treating post-storm injuries. They also commandeered a store to prevent looting and secure stores for themselves. There was not much to loot as the casinos were wiped out.
Someone asked if people thought the storm was to go to LA? The answer was that they had been through Camille, but a lot were second-guessing themselves right now, "wish I'd listened, had got out" instead of swimming.
The mood was said to be a lot of tears, feeling lucky to be alive but wondering how they would now make it, especially in the poorer neighborhoods. And on the wealthy end, would the insurer pay for wiped-out hotels or would the government do it if the insurer bails?
The FEMA rep said they are still assessing, but putting together a massive response op, commodities, pre-deployed urban search and rescue teams being utilized now. He thought there will be a couple of days working on how to go about setting up a system for checking out everywhere, relying on federal and local partners.
PBS asked about death toll. FEMA said that a toll of 50 should be going higher. The paramount concern is SAR. Then they need health care and housing, but they are partnering with charities on that. PBS asked about how many people will need housing, but the response was they are still assessing.
PBS asked about military. Bush signed a disaster declaration early, so DoD, Transportation, Red Cross, etc were on board early.
They're usually sold to small cruise lines in Southern Asia or South America. There are a couple of lines like Olympic that seem to end up with Holland America's old boats.
Carnival still uses the Holiday, and that's a 25 year old ship.
99.9999% of the response to disasters is planned out ahead of time, yers ahead of time. The plans that are being executed now have been around for a long time.
Evety plan developed assumes that there will be no comms for days or weeks. Everyoe knows what to do. Eveyone who must be there is there, those who can bug out do so.
It is quite difficult to plan for a disaster of this size, but obviously they have done quite well. People are being rescued, refuge shelters are being set up and food will shortly be available.
As far as the refugee's comfort, no one cares, they care only about getting more people out. The comfort will come later and I'm certain it will be welcome, but now is not the time to gripe about creature comforts. The only part of the plan being worked is to get people to safety.
And that is entirely proper.
There may be some screw ups along the way, but we are dealing with rescue personnel who, at this point, are already tired. They have been working since last night to bring people to higher ground.
I've worked with these people and they are the best you will ever encounter, dedicated to saving lives and secondarily, protecting property.
Unless you have been in a flood, you really don't realize how overwhelming it can be and at the same time how courageously people stand and deliver in the face of extraordinarly bad odds.
For those people on the ground this is total war.
Those guys from LSU knew what was going to happen....
Just saw a blurb that NO needs to evacuate the prisons, 5,000 inmates in two prisons threatened by flooding. They are "formulating a plan" at the moment.
Aren't there disaster plans on the books?
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