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Posted on 09/02/2005 3:03:06 PM PDT by 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
i agree totally, last night's hysterical hissy fits were totally outrageous. i'd love to hear what sort of feedback fox got about both of those outbursts.
Pure speculation on my part, but I think it's because of two matters - providing more security so searching of the evacuees is more thorough (guns dropped in Houston on arrival,m etc.); and because there is a need to specifically identify desitinations; and because there is a need to have security on each bus - yesterday's fatal accident was caused by a passenger trying to override the driver in order to get off the bus.
A couple of items for clarification: the SuperDome is 15 miles from the New Orleans airport (MSY) which is actually located out in Kenner. At some point after the storm, a security perimeter with road blocks was set up; they are stopping both motor and foot traffic in and out of the city.
At this point, the surrounding communities and cities are overwhelmed with the displaced New Orleans survivors, and those who evacuated before the storm.
Larry King Transcript from last evening - read it carefully & you'll found out the real reason the Red Cross did not go to NO
KING: We're back.
Joining us now in Washington is Marty Evans, the President and CEO of the American Red Cross. She traveled with the president today. The Red Cross is not in New Orleans, why?
MARTY EVANS, RED CROSS PRESIDENT AND CEO: Well, Larry, when the storm came our goal was prior to landfall to support the evacuation. It was unsafe to be in the city. We were asked by the city not to be there and the Superdome was made a shelter of last resorts and, quite frankly in retrospect, it was a good idea because otherwise those people would have had no shelter at all.
We have our shelters north of the city. We're prepared as soon as they can be evacuated, we're prepared to receive them in Texas, in other states, but it was not safe to be in the city and it's not been safe to go back into the city. They were also concerned that if we located, relocated back into the city people wouldn't leave and they've got to leave.
KING: Marty, everyone looks at themselves when they're working in some kind of tragedy. Is the Red Cross examining itself saying could we have done more?
EVANS: Larry, we're always looking at that and, you know, in this particular case it's the largest disaster we have ever done in the history, 125 years of the Red Cross and we are determined to do more and more and, in fact, we are.
We're sheltering just under 100,000 people right now. We're gearing up to shelter even more people. We have people sheltered in nine different states, 275 locations, so we will continuously look at what we're doing, see if we can improve it.
And, the other thing I would say is that we're breaking new ground. We're setting up new systems and processes that get rid of the bureaucracy and make it easier for people.
KING: Reverend Jesse Jackson last night was in New Orleans. Tonight he is in Baton Rouge. When you were critical last night, Jesse, some in the administration followed by saying this is not a time for criticism. That may be later but not now. How do you respond?
REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW-PUSH COALITION: Well, that's ridiculous. I mean the Red Cross' absence in New Orleans, the high point of the crisis is a disaster. It is a sin. We had no real plan for rescue and relief and relocation.
Last night we went into New Orleans to get -- with ten busses to take out 450 students from Xavier who had been on the bridge for three days and the painful part was we had to leave people who -- the human chain around the busses because they had been there four days and no plan to rescue them.
And then today we went back into New Orleans again on I-10 the causeway and there were like 6,000 people with seven busses. No bus had been there today and wonder why because across the street were 150 empty busses that had no place to take them, so no plan for rescue or for relocation. More people may die from lack of rescue and lack of food and water than from the flood itself. The people have not been very well served.
KING: Marty, how would you respond?
EVANS: Well, Larry, we were asked, directed by the National Guard and the city and the state emergency management not to go into New Orleans because it was not safe. We are not a search and rescue organization. We provide shelter and basic support and so we were depending, we are depending on the state and the agencies to get people to our shelters in safe places.
KING: Joining us in the Astrodome is Shayonne Green. She is missing her mother, her brother, her two sisters and her baby's father. Shayonne, how long have you been there?
SHAYONNE GREEN, FAMILY MISSING IN NEW ORLEANS: I've been here about two days.
KING: You came from where New Orleans?
I do believe you are right. Julian thinks the President is a racist.
These things have to be confronted or they will persist.
IMO, Julian would continue to believe the President is a racist, even if he was confronted as to the evidence and truthfulness of that belief.
Makes sense. Thanks. I didn't know what the cause of the bus accident. Each bus should have an armed military guy sitting at the front, to keep order. I remember similar incidents when some loony attacked the Greyhound bus driver with a razorblade and the bus overturned.
I, too, suspect that they are not sure where to take them anymore. Why not northern LA?? Why can't they stay in their own state??
Right on!
Last I checked, the Netherlands doesn't get hit by hurricanes. Much easier when you don't have to worry about them wouldn't you agree.
Report on the radio yesterday that AMTRAK had already taken severl thousand north.
The officials of the state of Louisiana directed that relief be withheld.
One of these days, I'll tell you about the Maury Povich team I had the MPs physically haul out of the Tent City in Homestead. Another day...
Condi Rice will tour Alabama, according to Fox.
I suspect the choices about destination are pretty careful decisions, coordinated with local authorities at the destination end. Meanwhile, busses in particular are PREVENTED from exiting the highway system in deviation from their planned route.
The evacuation is -very- managed, and that is in part what takes time to accomplish.
They are STILL AMERICANS. Sheesh!
Did they ask that of FEMA, too? Is that common practice? I understand why they wouldn't want tons of stuff lying around that might get ruined or become inaccessable, but what about a skeleton crew of folks to survey?
FEMA's web site says it started working with the LA National Guard on 8/28 to coordinate a response.
The Louisiana Governor had control over HER guard. Calling in other states' guards must be done by a formal request to the President, which hadn't happened until Thursday.
what a short memory CNN has:
It was Bush that asked the Gov and Mayor to order a mandatory evacuation, NOT their idea at all. CNN ^ | Sunday, August 28, 2005; Posted: 11:47 a.m. EDT | CNN's David Mattingly, Susan Candiotti, Jacqui Jeras and Rob Marciano contributed to this report. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1475914/posts
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said that it was President Bush that had called and urged the state to order the evacuation.
New Orleans orders evacuation Hurricane Katrina's winds nearly 175 mph
Sunday, August 28, 2005; Posted: 11:47 a.m. EDT (15:47 GMT)
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin declared a state of emergency on Sunday and ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city as Hurricane Katrina churned toward the city with maximum sustained winds of nearly 175 mph.
All of Orleans Parish falls under the order except for necessary personnel in government, emergency and some other public service categories.
People who are unable to evacuate were told to immediately report to a designated shelter.
"I wish I had better news for you, but we are facing a storm that most of us have feared," Nagin said. "I do not want to create panic, but I do want the citizens to understand that this is very serious and it's of the highest nature."
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said that President Bush had called and urged the state to order the evacuation.
I believe that, and there was a NG presence before the hurricane hit, checking people into the SuperDome.
The amount and deployment of NG resources is first the governor's prerogative still - and not the President's.
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