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

[Types_with_Fist]

Part of the job of FEMA's chief administrator is keeping the press busy so everyone else can do their job.

Sorry. But that's all I've seen the guy do for two days. It's not like he was doing anything in between. He was on all channels constantly yesterday and the day before. Sadly, if he had simply been watching TV instead of being on it he would have known thousands were begging for water. He's just as unimpressive as Blanco and I think Bush sees this.

[NonValueAdded]

There are areas in LA where the FEMA efforts are working, hand-in-hand with local government. It would have worked too in NO had the flooding not occurred. The concentrations of people coupled with the breakdown in law and order have complicated this beyond any plan that could have existed. The ONLY plan that would work would be a complete evac BEFORE the storm. The focus will remain on NO and it will overshadow all the good work that IS happening elsewhere in AL, LA, MS.

[olde north church]

He is going to lead by allowing those who know what to do, to lead.

[SE Mom]

Thank you GOD for GWB...he set the right tone- he was direct, forthright and honest.

Not a minute too soon.

[oceanview]

the pinhead Bill Schneider already in criticism mode on CNN.

[hawkaw]

Thank you for your help.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

OMG...WWL are asking mayor nagin to call and "share his thoughts".

*rolls eyes*

[fishntex]

"That's what Sharpton was already peddling."

One of these days the he and others are going to answer for what they do.

[everlast]

CNN sucks!

[Pyro7480]

Creeps...

[Sender]

We're going to hear the word "incompetence" a lot in coming months. We're going to hear it until it has no meaning at all.

I too think that the pre-storm response was inadequate, and the post-storm response has been inadequate so far. There will be plenty of time for finger pointing.

But consider this: a disaster of this magnitude could (and will again) happen in any American city, for many reasons. With terrorist attacks and earthquakes, we'll have no warning so only the post-event plan means anything. With hurricanes, at least we have a few days warning to get ready and get people out of harm's way.

There should be at least two lessons learned from this, both of which will save lives and suffering in future disasters. The first is that when you have warning, as we did with Katrina, HAVE AN EVACUATION PLAN and USE IT. This is no easy task, to evacuate a large city in a few days, especially when some don't want to go. But it must be done.

Second, for the disasters which cannot be predicted, learn from this how difficult it is to render aid, evacuate the wounded, pacify the looters. It will be even moreso when we're dealing with earthquake-shattered roads or nuclear radiation. Learn from New Orleans and rewrite all the plans.

And as another poster pointed out, COMMUNICATIONS MEANS EVERYTHING. There is NO EXCUSE for having "no communications" when I can get a perfectly good set of radios at Target or Radio Shack which can talk all over NO. You cannot depend on telephone infrastructure. Witness the BellSouth switch building that is overheating; if that goes down, so goes a bunch of the Southeastern phone network, and I will probably not be able to access FR either.

[r9etb]

If the left attacks Bush in this they will destroy themselves.

It will require a strong "STFU" in some form, though. As I suggested above, I think that "STFU" will come in the form of honest and hard-hitting Congressional hearings.

[PigRigger]

at least there is one lefty among them that gets it....

Kevin Drum: Responding to Katrina “At the risk of sounding overly righteous every time disaster strikes, can I please suggest that Katrina is really not an appropriate subject for partisan jabbing right now? That goes for both left and right. “

[steveegg]

the pinhead Bill Schneider already in criticism mode on CNN.

Another reason why I'm watching Fox instead of C^NN.

Harrigan at the site of a fire in downtown NO; firefighters there as well, but they can't do much because there's no water pressure in the hydrants. Worse, in a part of town where there's no flood, so they can't even bring in pumps to use floodwater.

[Wallace T.]

There have been precedents for Federal intervention in what usually are state add local matters. During the Pullman Strike in 1894, President Cleveland (who, FWIW, is admired by conservatives as an advocate of the gold standard and Constitutional government) used Federal troops to ensure the delivery of the United States mail. The state and local authorities did not act to suppress the strikers, forcing Cleveland to act. Then there was the use of Federal troops to enforce school integration.

As far as that goes, Lincoln and FDR overstepped their bounds, yet they are considered great Presidents. Had they not acted as they did, slavery would have continued in the South into the 20th Century and German would be the preferred language in Paris, London, and Moscow in the 21st Century. I am sure the Cold Warriors such as the Dulles brothers, Henry Kissinger, William Colby, etc., bent or broke a few legal limits in protecting America's interests overseas. So did Oliver North and Admiral Poindexter in aiding the Nicaraguan Contras. It is hard to argue that riding the world of such enemies of America as Mossadegh in Iran, Allende in Chile, and Ortega in Nicaragua was not in the best interests of our country.

As stated previously, the Constitution is not a suicide pact. Better to act than to let thousands of people die needlessly due to ineffective state and local leadership.

[mwl1]

If the liberals and the MSM pile on Bush, my checkbook is closed. Someone should get this message to them. If they truly care about these people, they'll stop politicizing this disaster.

[Broker]

Disaster Area: 90,000 sq miles.

Michigan 11 96,810 square miles
>>>Katrina Disater area is bigger than 48 States!<<<
Minnesota 12 86,943 square miles

[Dog]

ALL

Notice who wasn't with Barbour and Riley with Bush.

Gov. Blanco.

She is in the doghouse bigtime.

[WoodstockCat]

hey, now that gives pinheads a bad name! j/k.