Katrina Live Thread, Part XIV

Various ^ | 2 September 2005 | Various

[NautiNurse]

President Bush continues to assess the catastrophic damage by air and on the ground in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Bush spent the day meeting with search and rescue personnel, relief commanders, and displaced residents in Mobile, Biloxi, and the New Orleans area. U.S. Congress passed a $10.5 billion relief package for the hurricane ravaged areas. First Lady Laura Bush issued a press statement from an evacuation shelter in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Patient and staff evacuations continue from numerous New Orleans Hospitals. Thousands of patients are being airlifted to a field hospital at Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport for triage, staging, and transport to hospitals throughout the United States.

The U.S. Coast Guard and civilian volunteers continue to evacuate thousands of survivors from their flooded homes in New Orleans. The Army Corps of Engineers continues work to repair the damaged levees.

The nation's airlines today began an operation intended to fly up to 25,000 refugees out of New Orleans. The airlines are volunteering their aircraft and crews for the program. Long convoys loaded with relief supplies arrived throughout the day into New Orleans, while convoys of buses are moving survivors out of the city.

Several large fires are burning in the city and greater New Orleans area. Reports indicate snipers are holding down firefighters. Reports of shots fired with LEO down in the St. Bernard Parish area. Rescue operations are underway. A bus carrying NOLA evauees rolled over in Opelousa, LA.

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:

New Orleans Emergency Operations Center - is now open:
504-463-1000
504-463-1001
504-463-1002

WWL-TV New Orleans (via WFAA Dallas) - WWL-TV is operating from studios at Louisiana Public Broadcasting. CBS has a relay during the morning and afternoon. When available, use the CBS relay first as they have greater streaming capacity. Yahoo has also provided a relay.

WDSU-TV New Orleans - The news staff has started to return to temporary news studios near New Orleans. However, expect evening coverage from Hearst-Argyle sister stations WAPT Jackson and WESH Orlando when the New Orleans staff needs to take a break.

WGNO-TV New Orleans - New Orleans' ABC affiliate has returned to the air with WBRZ-TV and launched video streaming with continuous Katrina coverage.

WPMI-TV Mobile, AL - WPMI is webcasting from 5:30am - 10:30pm CDT. When off air, you can view pre-recorded reports on demand. This feed is often unreliable.

WKRG-TV Mobile, AL - This station is providing good coverage of the situation to the east in Mississippi and Alabama. However, the station is now signing off at around 10:30pm CDT like WWL and WPMI.

WJTV-TV Jackson, MS - The CBS affiliate in Jackson is providing live coverage for both the Jackson area and south Mississippi (knowing a lot of media in that area is off the air).

United Radio From New Orleans: WWL-AM, WNOE-FM, "KISS-FM," WRNO-FM, WYLD-FM, and WJBO-AM who have joined forces as United Radio From New Orleans, and they are streaming.

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/ Southern Baptist: NAMB - http://www.namb.net/
Samaritan's Purse - http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

Previous Threads:
Katrina Live Thread, Part XIII
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

[Tarheel]

There have been numerous pixof foodandwater to the convention center. These must get to BOR and he best issue a 'clarification'.

[A Citizen Reporter]

Well, why are they not in control of their emotions, when the people behind them seem to be?

He's is inciting a riot. Did you see it earlier when Geraldo had a police captain who went on a rant, and one of the captain's superiors tried to ask him, what the problem was? Geraldo made sure that the captain got the chance to continue to rant, without interference.

What these Fox reporters are doing, are not helping the officials who are trying to help the citizens.

[Prince Charles]

There he is. He picked up that child and made him/her scream on cue with his breathless rant. It was shameful even by Whorealdo standards.

[Gideon7]

Red Cross, who everyone says donate too are not in NO, as it is not safe and they have not been asked.

They Red Cross has no established presence in NO. They are grabbing money just like they did after 9/11.

Give your money to the Salvation Army instead.

[hipaatwo]

Which one?

Philly, where are Mayor said the brothers and sisters are running this city.

[spanalot]

"Geraldo has a newborn at home - this has a lot to do with his behavior. They need to send him home."

Yankee stadium clears out 55000 every night in 1 hr in NYC traffic

There is a clear highway out of NO - Why are these half as many people here after 5 DAYS!!

[mabelkitty]

You and me both.
Remember, he was with a bunch of drunks on Bourbon Street, and while he is chastising them for not leaving, he gets a room smack dab next to that bar!

[Cboldt]

There was a report of an official..don't remember the title, that was trapped in the convention center and was begging for rescue. Might have been Secretary of State. Has anyone heard anymore about that person?

A Spanish official on the second floor. The report orginated on scanner traffic (I heard it with my own ears), and no mention of it ever made the media, AFAIK. Also, no resolution, AFAIK.

Likewise the report of people being pinned down by sniper fire in Chalmette. Not sure if it's a rumor or fact, but it was reported as fact by the cable stations. No closure on that story either.

It's going to be a week or more before that boiling kettle is simmered down, and alot of innocent people are going to be dying in the meanwhile. They need help, and it breaks my heart that thugs and evil and human limitations (unable to sort out turf between politicans, officials, policy and procedure, etc.) are just not up to a disaster of this magnitude.

[Crawdad]

Hey! You can't say that!
And for God's sake, nobody post the picture from 'The Holy Grail' about "Throw out your dead!"

[Route66]

The truth is, the mayor and the governor were touting a bogus number of pre-storm evacuees. They really had no idea how many had left. Most of us who were watching the highway cams on storm weekend could see that the roads never got really got backed up until the last minute and their own reports made it clear that the area could not be evacuated in less than 72 hours. It just did not seem possible that most of the citizens had left.

People there have been taught vertical evacuation as an acceptable alternative to leaving for years and that's what hundreds of thousands chose this time. In the downtown core, countless people have been hiding in buildings waiting for the grownups to get there and take them out.

I find it hard to believe that the mayor did not have a better idea that so many were there especially since the area housed so many low income people who were not offered help in evacuating and would never leave unless they were taken out. He needed to fess up and notify the feds so that they could ramp up faster. Even with that extra notice, they would not have been able to get them all out quickly, but it certainly would have helped.

Bottom line...When the bulk of your emergency plan is simply "get out", your plan is only a success if most actually get out and why it's in your best interest to just say that most got out even if they didn't. When the storm is not too bad, you get to claim how well your plan worked and no one really catches on. When you run out of luck, the lies float by face down in the water, cling to life in attics and on rooftops, and stack up in your precious downtown core begging for water, food, and a way out. The lack of communication that has been touted as a contributing factor in this mess was more a case of CYA than phone and radio failure.

[oceanview]

Bratton must be wishing he was someplace else right now.

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Here's a suggestion for FoxNews- How about embed a reporting team with the command center for the NG? Then we could get an overview of what exactly is going on in the city from the Guard's perspective and periodic updates. It would help provide some context for Shep and Geraldo's hysterics.

[RummyChick]

ROFLMAO. I burst out laughing at that photo. Poor Shep. He has had to live all this time with the tragedy and Geraldo zips in and steals the Drama Spotlight.

[Soul Seeker]

1) The reporters aren't doing their job. They are inciting hysteria.

2) I'm aware Shep has been there since the beginning. That's why he should be pulled. he is emotionally unstable.

3) people are not being allowed out for their safety and the safety of others. YOU let out 30,000 people into an uncontrolled environment and we'll have even more rape, murder and mayhem.

4) When you have incompetance at the state level, it is very difficult to play catch up and restore order in the aftermath. You are assuming they are being neglected or that our people are incompetant. NO! The problem is that THOUSANDS must be rescued when the entire city is wrecked and it is NOT easy to do that in short order.

5) Harsh but true. These people could have evacuated and chose not too.

So stop, think, and don't be sucked into Shep and G's mania.

[DaughterofEve]

First rule in any crisis is not to lose your head!

I think this is asking for an unrealistic standard. Could there have been -- and SHOULD there have been -- believable and controlled impersonal reporting from the core of the Holocaust? Or at the Hindenburg disaster? Was Herb Morrison (famous broadcaster of Hindenburg disaster) "losing it"?

[RushCrush]

I guess we will have to disgree, but I think their hysterics are going to cause the people to riot.

And if you don't think riots kill people, then you're nuts.

[Pravious]

"He's is inciting a riot. Did you see it earlier when Geraldo had a police captain who went on a rant, and one of the captain's superiors tried to ask him, what the problem was? Geraldo made sure that the captain got the chance to continue to rant, without interference."

NO. THAT'S 100% WRONG. He asked the other guy if he wanted to say something, and the other guy waved him off and walked off-screen.

[Arizona]

I agree with you totally. Shep and Geraldo are witnessing things that are more horrific than anything we've ever seen. They are emotionally involved in this drama because they are THERE - and I applaud Fox for allowing them to give the real picture. I for one do not think either Shep or Geraldo is overdoing the emotions - they are genuinely appalled at what they're witnessing and that is their human reaction.

"Sanitized news" is what most people are used to seeing - this is a real eye opener.

[RightWingMama]

Drat! I'm in Northern California. Rain check. Cheers!

Well, I'm in Sacramento, come on over.