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

[ARealMothersSonForever]

With the full understanding that you have recently arrived at this site, I feel compelled to make some observations.
Blatant racism is not only unwelcome, it has in the recent past caused a N00B to be ZOTted with extreme prejudice.
Until a person has established a rapport with other people here, sarcasm should be noted.
Comments that could be construed as extremist, and therefore demeaning to all of us on a thread, will be rebuked and condemned in the harshest of terms.
Oh, and please have a nice evening.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Not just New Orleans. How about Washington, D.C... our Nations Capital? 1/4 beautiful and 3/4 scary as he!!... I made the mistake -- once -- or taking the blue shuttle from the airport instead of a cab. Went to some really scary parts of town, never again.

You take a wrong turn in Los Angeles... it will get you shot. Happened to a couple a couple of years ago who were lost, pulled off the freeway and got on a bad street, some gangsta shot their car and killed their baby in the backseat. Chicago... Detroit. It's all America's dirty little secret and they all have one thing in common... they all vote for the Democratic Party.

[BurbankKarl]

It cant be good for booze....must be like USDA script.

[nwctwx]

Basically 24 hours in the state. Initially, hurricane force winds extended about 100-120 miles east of the center. The wide swath of wind continued north, but the strongest probably shrank in size to about ~50 miles to the east by the time it exited. There were also similar winds on the west, slightly weaker... and less expansive.

These are the relavent NHC images:

10am Monday
4 pm Monday
10 pm Monday
4 am Tuesday

As far as a wind damage map, I don't know if there is one. You can take the numbers above and look at the Beaufort Scale to get an idea of wind damage across the state at that time.

[BurbankKarl]

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Military helicopters on Thursday dropped sandbags into the levee breach that sent floodwaters from Lake Pontchartrain pouring into New Orleans, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers general said.

The 150 sandbags, each weighing 3,000 pounds, were part of a temporary plan aimed at plugging the hole in the levee. The next step: Drop about 250 concrete road barriers into the area and seal the spot where swirling waters toppled the floodwall.

"We're dumping things into the hole, just to stem the tide," said Brig. Gen. Robert Crear, commander of the crew working to fix the floodwall.

The lake's levels have dropped about 2 1/2 feet over the past two days, about equal to the water level in flooded areas on the other side of the levee, said Johnny Bradberry, head of the state Department of Transportation and Development.

Contractors also had finished building a road that will make it easier to get heavy equipment to the levee.

In a separate project on the main canal breach, contractors tried to close the gap by building retaining walls, aiming to cut off the opening to the lake.

"In the next day, day and a half, it will be completely isolated from the lake," Bradberry said.

The pilings need to go down more than 30 feet to fully block the flow of water, according to Michael B. Rogers, another official with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Normally, the canal's function is to allow rainwater to be pumped out of the bowl-shaped city and into the lake. Blocking the canal and using the sandbags and concrete to fill breaches is a temporary fix; engineers will eventually have to rebuild at least parts of the canal.

Once those projects are done, the Corps will move on to the most important safeguard against further flooding: repairing the city's huge pumping system, which can pump 690,000 gallons of water per minute.

The Corps also planned to punch breaches into other parts of the levee system along Lake Pontchartrain, allowing water to flow back out of New Orleans and into the lake, Rogers said.

Engineers have been unable to reach another levee break on the other side of the city, though water is not flowing into New Orleans from that hole.

[BurbankKarl]

I just read an article that three visiting doctors had permission from Walgreens to loot their pharmacy

[Gondring]

HUZZAH SPEAKER HASTERT!
Why should Federal funds go to rebuilding?!??!?

[untenured]

the other question I have is - suppose these people want to leave? supposed they just want to leave and live in Houston, go on welfare and public assistance and/or look for employment in Houston and get an apartment. how can they be stopped?

Texas may have residency requirements for welfare benefits. But as to the rest of your question, it's a free country. People can live and work anywhere they like.

[Krodg]

My SIL was asked to drive a truck load of supplies to NO and he said sure. The next day they canceled that run as two of their drivers were killed. They will now go to Jackson and let the Red Cross take it from there.

[BurbankKarl]

Fast Facts
(As of 11:00 a.m., Sept 1)


Red Cross Mass Care:

Shelters – 275 American Red Cross shelters are open in 9 states: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida and Georgia, with more on standby.

Evacuees – More than 76,400 evacuees are being sheltered, not including the operation to transition evacuees from the Superdome in New Orleans to the Astrodome in Houston.

Emergency Vehicles – Nearly 94 Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) are now in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, with nearly 90 additional ERVs en route to the affected area, to conduct food distribution. We are working to engage additional vehicles for food distribution to survivors.

Relief Workers – Thousands of Red Cross staff and volunteers across the country and from every part of the organization are working around the clock to serve the public need.

Feeding – The Red Cross is working closely with several partners, including the Southern Baptist Convention, the Adventists and Second Harvest to provide emergency food to survivors and responders. In coordination with the Southern Baptists, preparations are underway to serve nearly 500,000 hot meals each day.

Houston Astrodome Shelter – The Red Cross is supporting government officials in the relocation of more than 23,000 hurricane survivors from the Superdome in New Orleans to the Astrodome in Houston. The organization is mobilizing to provide blankets, cots and food for the evacuees.

Health & Preventative Care – The Red Cross is working with government and health services partners to develop health strategies and preventative measures to help the public and relief workers cope with the serious public health emergency.

[fishntex]

I saw someone on TV earlier asking where the police chief was. That is someone I have not heard from one time. Maybe the chief is working hard behind the scenes.

[jeffers]

Those numbers come from a study done on the Hurricane Ivan evacuation.

You can read a short version of it here:

http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/o/nov04/nov04c.html

[Rokke]

Hey, don't leave out Memphis. Heaven help us all if this city takes a disaster. The culture in this city on any given day is pretty close to what we see in New Orleans right now. The area within the beltway is a ticking bomb. I feel fortunate to be a temporary resident.

[Rokke]

Hey, don't leave out Memphis. Heaven help us all if this city takes a disaster. The culture in this city on any given day is pretty close to what we see in New Orleans right now. The area within the beltway is a ticking bomb. I feel fortunate to be a temporary resident.

[luckystarmom]

Let's add Oakland to the list.

[kcvl]

They have been telling people who are trying to enter N.O. that they do so at their own peril.

[BurbankKarl]

They could be dead...a lot havent been seen since they evacuated before the hurricane hit. I would be most lost their homes.

[jeffers]

Hmmm....I better ask which numbers you are referring to, should have before my first reply....possibly stepping into deep doo-doo here.

[BurbankKarl]

You listening to the Trucking Bozo? Or Open Road?

[advance_copy]

I can't help but wonder if there isn't something more to this violence than just common criminals and desparate flood victims. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, or maybe it's just late, but I am considering the possibility that something like U.S. born Castro/Chavez (or whatever) operatives are setting up a beach-head in Louisiana using the cover of this storm/flood. Nah, can't be. Can it?