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

[oceanview]

the counter-offensive has just begun. Hell, Trent Lott may be our new point man! let's see how it plays out.

its good to see this rap star play the race card on national TV tonight - let americans get a good dose of that, after seeing the looters with their own eyes.

[kingu]

I would say driving a nice Caddy like that three days after martial law would be suspicious?

Especially lacking plates and what appears to be dried paper from the dealer plates on the front.

[md2576]

GO AWAY MARIA!!

[PhiKapMom]

Oklahoma is taking in military families from Keesler AFB and other military facilities that are displaced. We don't have any facilities to house large numbers of folks or the resources.

[Steve_Seattle]

It's frustrating to watch at home and be able to do NOTHING except scream at the TV or post on FR.

I was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure and Type II diabetes, so watching CNN and MSNBC - and even Fox - today probably played havoc with my blood pressure, and I was tempted to go to the bar and have a couple of stiff drinks (didn't). I'm appalled at the second-guessing of the relief effort by smug journalists, partisan Dems, race-baiters, and know-nothing stay-at-homes. It is sickening. Just four days after a devastating disaster, tens of thousands have been relocated to safe shelters, tens of thousands have been rescued, and thousands are receiving medical help. And yet, the MSM conveys the impression that NOTHING has been accomplished.

[Born in a Rage]

I agree.

[Txsleuth]

Speaking of giving the babies and children a good upbringing...

My daughter turned to that (gasp) NBC telethon thing briefly...and I saw Hilary Swank talking about giving money...blah, blah..

and I told my daughter that I would be more impressed if I saw Hilary Swank down at the Astrodome serving meals, or sweeping up.

Then I remembered being at the grocery store yesterday, seeing the cover of one of those tabloid papers...with Angelina Jolie holding her new adopted baby...she is a little African-American baby that is adorable...

I don't know her motivation...but if it is what she says...and she just wants to help and give these kids a good home...then SHE, I would listen to.

The others...blech!

[Shortstop7]

Spot on!

[BurbankKarl]

Water is sprayed to extinguish an industrial fire near downtown New Orleans, Louisiana September 2, 2005

Funny, I saw a lot of live pictures of the burning, but none of these fireboats streaming water...

[Will_Zurmacht]

that was kinda like my idea....bring families out here to places like Kansas, help 'em get a little fixer upper house and a boring but steady job. A used car and some basic neccessities shouldn't be hard to acquire. But this should not be given entirely, it should be earned.
Have the family fix up the starter house and another in the neighborhood. When people feel like they have earned it it feels better than a handout. That said, these folks will be needing a lot of help

But for this to work you'd need to get them connected into the community on some level, some activities, some help with life skills in small town America. Also useful would be connection to a church, etc.

keep the kids busy in small school activities and sports....we could probably end the cycle of dependency/poverty for a large portion of these folks.

Small town America actually watches out for folks, and in my humble opinion, gives kids a sense of security growing up when you know everyone in town is watching you...hehe....but thats just my opinion

that'd work for some, but i wouldn't wish the young single thugs on anyone....sad as that sounds.

[Heatseeker]

It's a horrible situation and I don't believe they could have done everything mistake free. Seems they would have at least had emergency supplies and relocation areas more readily available.

They did have emergency supplies pre-staged; but as I said before, as far as evacuation is concerned, there are always going to be a large number of people who won't go, for whatever reason, and because of the geographical situation NO is in, that put them in a world of hurt - so now they and the media are falling back on the old Bush-bashing game.

The notion that the federal government could just teleport every living soul of out metro NO in a few hours in nonsense; if any more could have been done, it could only have been done by the city and state, not the feds.

[Ramius]

Refused? Or were too poor to leave?

Refused. Apart from the reports here, there were in fact *free* buses trying to pick people up from N.O. but they had precious few takers.

Beside the buses... how much does it cost to walk a few miles?

[John Jamieson]

I wasn't try to dig at OK, I was thinking more of CA,NY,MA,DC, etc.

[onyx eyes]

I don't have any f'ing common sense, thank you. I'm only here to inform people that sometimes people on the dole or whatever you like to call poverty....are not always able to drive out of town when a cat 4-5 hurricane is coming.

Also, as a Florida resident I want to inform the know-it-alls that when you are able to drive out of town -- like we wanted to in 2004 ahead of hurricane Frances ... the motels and hotels are completely full, no vacancies.....

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

Exactly. We already have 20,000+ of them down in Houston, we're going to have 35,000 of them in Dallas by Sunday, San Antonio is going to have 25,000 by about the same time...

I've been wondering about the logistics of this situation myself, from a long-term perspective.

Essentially, we are re-locating an entire city, no, an entire region of the country. Where are these people going to live for the next 3 - 6 months? In football stadiums? What about the tens of thousands of other people all along the Gulf Coast?

What a catastrophe.

[bonfire]

My brother said the same thing today. He said if he didn't have a car or transportation he would have "walked north". duh

[md2576]

I agree. The state failed not the feds. Bush declared it a disaster days before so that funding was available.
All they had to do was ask.

[Txsleuth]

LOL---I think we are all getting very confused...all of the channels have been jumping from story to story, but THEN again, NOT telling the story...

Kind of like that "hostage" story with the firemen. It was hugh news this afternoon..but I didn't hear it mentioned once on the night time shows on Fox...very strange.

[Interesting Times]

You are right about some people not having to be told twice...Two are safe a warm with family here in Indiana....But they were invited to several "hurricane parties" and had "intelligent" friends who chose to stay and party. Haven't heard from them yet.

My guess is they're probably running low on ice.

[easonc52]

Regarding 'coincidence? i think not!' toon -