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Katrina Live Thread, Part XIII
Various ^
| 1 September 2005
| Various
Posted on 09/01/2005 3:46:26 PM PDT by 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
TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Alabama; US: Florida; US: Louisiana; US: Mississippi
KEYWORDS: aftermath; hurricane; katrina; tropical
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To: All
Geraldo saying that he's heard 10,000 dead in NO is the "starting point."
5,021
posted on
09/02/2005 12:48:41 PM PDT
by
Types_with_Fist
(I'm on FReep so often that when I read an article at another site I scroll down for the comments.)
To: BurbankKarl
ANY DACHSHUNDS IN THESE RESCUES? I CAN ALWAYS FOSTER ANOTHER ONE.
To: bwteim
Others weren't as pleased. One man says "hell no," he's not happy to see the Guard, saying troops should have shown up days ago. Michael Levy says he'll be pleased when 100 buses arrive to evacuate people. Typical...so typical.
5,023
posted on
09/02/2005 12:50:13 PM PDT
by
BureaucratusMaximus
(Watching cradle-to-grave liberalism shred itself to pieces in the calming breeze of reality)
To: Jrabbit
I really don't know, so much of it is a blur.
To: BlackRain
I sincerely hope that someone is recording all the police/fire/NG/CG/military scanner traffic. It is unnerving to hear how unorganized the response is. Hopefully, it can be used as a training aid in the future on how not to handle a disaster. I suspect you've never had experience with open voice loops. It can sound pretty disorganized, but things are generally better than they sound.
5,025
posted on
09/02/2005 12:50:30 PM PDT
by
r9etb
To: TRAPPER2
SCPA is at the Astrodome...perhaps they have something on their website?
To: ShellieGOP
"Is Nagin a Republican?! I'm sure he is a Democrat. I couldn't believe that when I saw it. Did anyone else?"
Shellie, I just read one of the comments on this thread, in about the past hour or so, saying he was Republican. I did not know that.
To: brothers4thID
Thanks for taking the time to eloquently post your thoughts. I am very glad to know your family is safe.
5,028
posted on
09/02/2005 12:50:48 PM PDT
by
NautiNurse
("I'd rather see someone go to work for a Republican campaign than sit on their butt."--Howard Dean)
To: Dog Gone
A couple days ago...a council man from Grande Isle said it's pretty much been destroyed. It was posted on a thread here at FR...
Here's what was posted...
"Jefferson Co Parish council member on wwtl....stating that Grand Isle is completely destroyed...1/3 structures gone, other 2/3 severe damage.
In addition, oil rigs and oil pipelines are severely damaged. Said that the pipelines are leaking."
5,029
posted on
09/02/2005 12:50:57 PM PDT
by
shield
(The Greatest Scientific Discoveries of the Century Reveal God!!!! by Dr. H. Ross, Astrophysicist)
To: MrsCinAZ
NBC reported they had lt 500 cops and Guard for 30K refugees in the dome.
One more tic for the post rescue responsibility list.
The Gov and the Mayor have a lot to answer for.
To: nuclady
yes he did.
Hannity-MR. Mayor, you are NO Rudy Guiliani.
Damn straight.
To: ContemptofCourt
http://blogs.chron.com/domeblog/
Through the split in the big wagon gate
Editor's note: Bartab blogger Lance Scott Walker did a stint as a volunteer at the Astrodome Thursday. He describes his experience in this entry.
We rolled into the Dome gates a little after 4 p.m., Ryan Chavez and I, a bottle of water under each arm and no idea where to go. I'd made a couple of phone calls to friends who had plans to go down there earlier and gotten a rough idea, though. East Gate of the Astrodome. Oh man . . . East Gate. If the Astrodome were New York City, the high-traffic West Gate would be its Manhattan, the by-association/necessity crowded South Gate its Brooklyn, the North Gate its ignored Queens/Harlem and the East Gate its Jersey City/East River/no mans land. Geographically, that metaphor makes no sense, but so far as the personality of each gate at the Dome, it would stand to say that nobody likes the East Gate.
"The split in the big wagon gate . .." was a phrase coined by Astros announcer Milo Hamilton years and years ago to identify the massive gap in the middle of the outfield in the Dome, through which you could easily drive a Mack truck. That's exactly where we were told to enter. Coming through the open doors, my first glimpse of the floor of the Dome was that of astonishment -- the massive floor was almost completely covered with people, cots, volunteers buzzing around. It looked like a huge flea market out there, complimented by the thousands of orange seats surrounding it all.
We didn't have much time to marvel in it, though. We found a booth to sign up as volunteers and were issued nametags and armbands. A forklift pulled up, stocked high with bundles of blankets all wrapped up and we were instructed by a fat guy with a whistle around his neck to start throwing those bundles up to a guy atop a huge stack of them. A bundle was handed to me and I mishandled it and it smashed my glasses into my face, bending them all out of shape and pretty much ruining them. All in the name of volunteering!
So we got the bundles up and then moved a couple of them down to the floor and a police officer came over to my bundle with a set of wire snips. I held down the metal bands that were keeping the bundle together and he put the snips underneath them and clipped them. Then he pulled them out again and went for the next band, but his hand slipped and the end of the snips went straight into his finger. He and I both stopped cold for a split second, and he literally had to pull it back out of his finger. When he did so it started gushing blood and he shook his head and said "that felt good" and cut the rest of the snips. I all but yanked them out of his hand and said "take that to medical. You know you need to get to medical." He paused and looked at me and nodded and left.
I probably spent the next hour or so just taking blankets and clothes to people. The evacuees were leaning over a retaining fence waving to the volunteers to pick clothes out for them in these huge piles that were all laid out. The thing that threw you off is that they'd always call you by your name ... "Lance, can you get me the shoe that matches this one? I got a job interview tomorrow." I must've looked for that thing for 15 minutes, and this other volunteer lady kept coming by laughing at me for still looking for it. I had to! I finally went back to him all dejected and unsuccessful and handed the one shoe back. He winked.
At about 6 or 7 p.m. they fed everyone and the mood really seemed to calm down. When you walked through the main floor area, everyone would end up asking you for something but everyone was very genial and I would venture to say that only the mothers with children were demanding, but they had to be. I didn't blame them a bit, and it was them and the elderly who I assisted first.
Another pallette-load of cots came in and they had us shuffling back and forth with the folded-up cots in bags slung over our shoulders, bringing them to any empty area of floor to set them up. See, the cots were in these little bags and you had to untie the bag and then slide the cot out and unfold it and stick a loose metal bar through either end for the headrest. I did not know this at first, and I also couldn't figure out how to unfold the cot right because it was folded up all backwards. So I stood there with a young shirtless guy from New Orleans trying to figure out how to unfold this cot for what must have been five or 10 minutes. When I finally got it figured out, every cot after that was like whipping open a butterfly knife.
"Volunteers! Volunteers!" would come the call, and usually when that call came out from behind the volunteer desk, it meant that you had a special/weird mission to fulfill, so I jumped at every one.
"Take that hand truck," the whistle guy explained, "go up to the top of that ramp and find a green Ford Explorer. There's a lady there with a thousand bottles. Go and get them."
A thousand bottles. A thousand bottles of what? We didn't care, and Chavez and I went roaring up the ramp with that hand truck and found a little blonde lady in sunglasses waving us over.
I have a thousand Bibles for you guys to bring down.
So that's what he said. And she wasn't kidding, either. We piled those bad boys up three feet high and an old cowboy with an HLSR badge on his shirt helped us get the thing back down the ramp.
One of the most amazing things about the volunteer group was how varied they all were -- there were dozens of doctors and nurses there from all over, of course, but there were also people just showing up in their work clothes -- people with Walgreen's badges on their shirts, some in suits, one guy still wearing his Burger King outfit.
They called for us to help move a bunch of stuff at the back of the Dome so we could set cots up on these huge landings back there. When the Dome is used for baseball, these landings disappear, but when they move the seats for football, they're opened up, and that's where they had us moving people.
Before we could get anything up there though we had to move these huge rolls of stuff -- what looked like massive rolls of roofing paper or something. I mean huge, and I couldn't figure out what they were until I grabbed one of them near the side. It was Astroturf.
And it was only then that I remembered where we were, and I looked up at the pennant banners still hanging from the rafters and the glass panels in the ceiling, and remembered looking at that ceiling so many times before over the years, and then looking back out over the floor at the now 8,000 or 9,000 people finding shelter in the Dome and I knew that there was something very special taking place.
I'll be back there today.
To: All
WWL- reporting live from I-10/Causeway
Triage Set-up
Wal-Mart truck unloading food and Water
Helicopters taking out the sick and infirm first..
A couple of buses on scene now..
To: Jrabbit
Nurse or doctor on Fox said that thugs had taken over the roof of the hosp. They were demanding that the helos rescue their families instead of the patients. Most had rifles....so, the helos refused to land and nobody got evacuated.
Man o' man...desperation, breakdown of law and order, and armed thuggery is no way to go through life.
I hope I'm never challenged like the people in the Gulf States are being challenged. Tough challenges are inevitable but who would have thought it would have turned out like this....apparently nobody.
To: fatima
Some real heros in there. I see CMH/Freedom medals for some.
Book and film deals too.
Not at all what they sought, but definitely what they deserve.
To: toldyou
Whichever network had Nagin down with an (R) next to his title made the falsehood
deliberately.For everyone: Nagin is a RAT.
5,036
posted on
09/02/2005 12:52:55 PM PDT
by
mwl1
To: Texas_Conservative2
there were still thousands of people trapped in attics when the snipers were shooting at the swift water rescue folks...
they have cancelled 10 ambulances from Phoenix.....it is going to be a recovery operation soon
Comment #5,038 Removed by Moderator
To: SE Mom
HOOAH!
Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!
To: toldyou
Re: "Is Nagin a Republican?! I'm sure he is a Democrat. I couldn't believe that when I saw it. Did anyone else?"
Shellie, I just read one of the comments on this thread, in about the past hour or so, saying he was Republican. I did not know that.
Nagin is a former Republican. He switched parties when he ran for mayor. He has, however, backed Bush for president in 2004 and Jindal for governor in 2003.
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