Shep is interviewing poor refugees from the projects. There's no water, no food, no nothing for them when they reach dry ground. God, this is overwhelming to witness..
Texas assets dedicated to hurricane Katrina assistance efforts :
Deployment of Texas Task Force One`s 80-member elite urban search and rescue team to Louisiana.
Deployment of Texas Task Force One`s 35-member water rescue team, which is comprised of 5 boat squads.
Activation of 200 members of the Texas State Guard to assist in shelter operation in Southeast and East Texas.
Deployment of a medical task force of the Texas National Guard, including eight doctors, five nurses, 10 physician assistants and 30 combat medics.
Deployment of regional liaison team from the Governor`s Division of Emergency Management to Baton Rouge to assist officials with the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness.
Deployment of six UH-60 helicopters and two CH-47 Chinook helicopters for use in disaster relief efforts, along with one C-23 Texas Air National Guard aircraft.
Deployment of one satellite communications package from the Texas Army National Guard that can provide phone and Internet service, along with six personnel.
Deployment of one 40-member Incident Command Team from the Texas Forest Service.
Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife Department has deployed a highly-trained search and rescue team of 53 game wardens with 52 trucks and 50 boats.
Deployment of 50 commercial ambulances.
Suspended oversize permitting requirements and waived the oversize permit fee for all temporary housing and emergency equipment headed to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida for disaster relief.
Full mobilization of the Texas Emergency Management Council, consisting of 34 state agencies and organizations. The council is currently operating at full strength at the State Operations Center (SOC) to organize state resources to assist Louisiana.
Texas has East/Southeast Texas area shelters available and on stand-by:
- 17 are currently open.
- 38 are on stand by, including 2 Special Needs shelters.
SOC is working with the Texas Railroad Commission and the Department of Energy and has put the Natural Gas Reliability Council on stand-by in case the need for natural gas curtailment were to occur with the event of a large supply loss.
All Special Needs capable medical facilities and shelters in East/Southeast Texas have been notified and are on stand-by.
TXDOT and DPS Districts in East and Southeast Texas are on a heighten level of readiness to assist evacuees.
SOC is monitoring for any evidence of "price gouging" that may occur during this event.
SOC is working with the FAA to ensure timely notification of changes with regard to air flow and traffic.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is allowing hurricane evacuees to camp in Texas parks at no charge.
I was talking to a friend in the area this morning. We both lamented that this is what us natives always thought would happen someday. We just never thought we'd see it in our lifetimes.
This is horrible! Why can't the helicopters deliver at least water to these poor people! Oh! Does that truck have water?
I wonder if the mayor just saw the live coverage Shep was doing with the people walking through the water out of the projects?
So is it an unreasonable idea to do a few air drops of water to the bridges? I realize it would be chaotic...just thinking they have got to get water...dehydration is a horrible thing.