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

[TexKat]

Zachary Breaux was located in a Fort Worth hospital Wednesday. He had been separated from his parents after Hurricane Katrina.

Evacuated couple reunited with lost baby

Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Imagine fleeing a hurricane and leaving your newborn baby behind in a hospital.

That’s what Lainie and Tad Breaux did. As Katrina moved in on New Orleans, they agonized over what to do about their 4-day-old son, Zachary, who was in the hospital there. They couldn’t quickly buy the monitor and medicine he needed for a breathing problem before they had to get on the road.

Zachary Breaux was located in a Fort Worth hospital Wednesday. He had been separated from his parents after Hurricane Katrina.

So with assurances from Methodist Hospital, they packed up the car with two suitcases, their 5-year-old son Benjamin, their cat and dog and left early Sunday for what would be a 12-hour trip to a Houston hotel.

“When we got on the highway, I kind of lost it,” said Lainie Breaux, 39, a former social worker. “You see the rows and rows of cars, and I thought, ‘Maybe we should just turn around.”’

Nurses called them a few times Sunday and Monday, assuring them that Zachary was fine. But after the storm hit, no calls were going into or out of New Orleans, and cell phones weren’t working much either.

On Tuesday, the Breauxes got a call from San Diego. It was the sister of one of the nurses, passing along a message that Zachary was doing well.

But that was all they heard for two days, as desperate scenes from New Orleans unfolded on TV. As they learned of hospitals evacuating patients, panic started to set in.

The Breauxes and friends and family started calling hospitals in five states, trying to find out whether Zachary had been transferred.

Finally, on Thursday afternoon, a phone call made by “Tad’s aunt’s boyfriend’s brother’s wife’s sister” to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth proved tantalizing. Inquiring about little Zachary, the caller was told that no information could be given unless a parent called. Tad Breaux called the hospital.

Once he was told his son was there, he asked question after question.

“I just kept wanting to make sure this is my boy,” he said.

They flew to Fort Worth with Benjamin Thursday night. When they first saw Zachary, he was asleep.

“It was so good to hold him. He smelled so good,” an exhausted Lainie Breaux said Friday, watching her husband cradle their sleeping son and kiss his soft black hair.

The family plan to leave in a day or so, returning to the Houston hotel where some relatives and friends are staying. Zachary has been doing fine and has had no health problems.

Next, the Breauxes must choose where to live. Their house is flooded with at least 10 feet of water.

“Everybody we know is going to have to set up another life,” said Tad Breaux, a custom home builder. “But we have Zachary now, so we’ll be fine.”

[Salvation]

Prayer for the new day:

Prayer of Solace

May Christ support us all the day long,
till the shadows lengthen,
and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
and the fever of life is over
and our work is done.
Then in his mercy
may he give us a safe lodging,
and holy rest and peace at the last.

Amen.

(attributed to John Cardinal Newman)

[DaisyCutter]

And the fellow from the Coast Guard that was on a few minutes later said they had medivaced out some of the sick and that a contigent of officers were in place to keep an eye on security.

Yes, this is awful, but both Shep and Geraldo were grandstanding.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Go Sheriff Joe!!! Damn skippy :-D

[daybreakcoming]

At this time more than ever, we need strong adults reporting facts. We have eyes, we can see what the cameramen are showing us. These two are girlymen and trying to make the news about them..

[Arizona Carolyn]

Well, I bet California would consider themselves lucky to have Arnold instead of Gray if they get hit... can't say Arizona would be in great shape with Napy in there.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Laura Ingle is the new Fox news correspondent per Greta VanSusteren.

[tcrlaf]

Baton Rouge Ramp at capacity with Helos-Scanner

[Soul Seeker]

Taft certainly doesn't inspire confidence. I, of course, have the election stealing illegitimate Gov Gregoire that wasn't even competant to steal the election until the third try and the help of the DNC....Murray and cantwell.

I know I'm pretty much on my own if disaster breaks here.

[dawn53]

The problem with Geraldo saying the people at the Convention Center hadn't had food and water was that Harrigan had been there in the afternoon as the troops were handing out food and water to them.

They were all headed over to a certain place and Harrigan said they were about to be served MRE's and water.

Geraldo didn't have his facts straight.

Shep either for that matter. Earlier in the day they showed people dropping off water and I'm assuming MRE's at that overpass. Plus the number has dwindled from 1000's to 100's.

I think what's happening is that as some people are bused off, more come in to take their place.

But as far as being on the verge of tears, I just think that's a result of Shep being tired, genuinely moved by the plight of people (which isn't a bad thing), and frustrated.

Now Geraldo, I won't even talk about that...he is grandstanding just like he was in Afghanistan when he gave away the position of the unit he was embedded with.

[Blogger]

Sure. Shep was overconfident at best, stupid and arrogant at worse. But now he's living in a hell that is partially his own making. He didn't leave when he could have. But now he is there. So, that's that.

[BonnieJ]

Who is Laura Ingle?

[queenkathy]

I'm sure that voter didn't vote for the Pres either time.

[mabelkitty]

You are right, of course.
It's a knee-jerk reaction.
Mr. Mabelkitty was mad as hell yesterday watching the news, and I had to read to him from FR to let him know all is not as it seems.
I also had to remind him of Iraq war and how the media is doing the same.
He isn't an emotional guy, but showing NO like the killing fields was a bit much....

[PhiKapMom]

I have been asking the question for several days that if Shep is stuck on that ramp with the people that have no food or water, why doesn't he have a beard and my questions gets ignored over and over again. Last night I purposely went on Fox and checked his report and there was one clean shaven guy. How -- no electricity, no food, no water on the ramp?

[Rokke]

"The national guard will continue to answer to me".

Hmmm, maybe this will shut up the folks who want to know why Bush isn't telling the Guard to do this or that. But probably not..

[sheikdetailfeather]

She is a conservative talk show host on am radio and is very good. Very good.

[Palladin]

Here are some real heroes and heroines--the staffs of the two hospitals who risked life and limb to stay with and save their patients:

Hospital evacuation update

Friday 9:30 p.m.

The total evacuation of the 2,200 storm-stranded patients and staff at Charity and University hospitals is now complete, a top hospital official said Friday night.

About 150 staff and students at the affiliated Medical Education Building downtown are still holed up in their facility but should be moved out soon, said Don Smith Burg, chief executive officer of the Louisiana State University Hospital System, which oversees the medical institutions.

“The buildings are empty,” Burg said, marking the end of an exhausting week of privation at the public hospitals, where supplies of basic provisions ran so low that some staff inserted IV solutions in their arms to stay hydrated.

Some staff members abstained from food and water for days so that the 363 patients would have sufficient nutrition, Burg said. The patients included 28 babies.

Three of the patients died as rescuers were evacuating them, Burg said.

The Charity morgue was left underwater, with a dozen bodies in the morgue and five more on the steps, Burg said. He did not know how many of the bodies were there before the storm.

FEMA evacuated the patients to hospitals across the region, and staff were taken to shelters and other locations.

[Types_with_Fist]

Baton Rouge Ramp at capacity with Helos-Scanner

Are you talking about the overpass? Please tell me you are.

[gpapa]

You may have found these missing persons sites already, but try the Coast Guard and Salvation Army web sites. The CG has a missing/stranded person links to post names, locations, etc., If you think someone might be in an area where homes are flooded to the rooftops or just are not reachable on the ground, they will match the names against their rescue file and get back to you when they hear of any contact. It helps the CG too, since it gives them an idea of where rescues would be beneficial. The Salvation Army has activated their Emergency Radio Service where you can submit a name and other data on their main web site, and they will forward the info to their shelter and communications centers to look for missing persons.

Prayers up for all your co-workers and friends.