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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
It's probably true but they have got to get the remaining people out faster, especially the woman/children/sick/elderly. They should have done those first. Obviously they need a place to bus them to, though, which is ready to handle the influx. Sounds to me like the rest of LA and some other adjoining deep south states are too 'economically challenged' (to put it politely) to handle more people. Thank God that Texas really stepped up to help otherwise who would take them?
One of the 'untold stories' I'm beginning to sense here is that the total breakdown in communication, combined with NOLA's notoriously go-along-to-get-along police force (they don't call it 'The Big Easy' for nothing) left the federal entities holding the bag, with the city and state spending their time playing the blame game.
FReeper buickmackane has been posting local updates from Central Louisiana.
What about Arkansas?? How come Clinton isn't working on this home state to take some?
"What about Arkansas?? How come Clinton isn't working on this home state to take some?"
I wondered that myself. Maybe he doesn't have much influence in his old state any more?
Maybe not - but he could take a few to his house in NY
I have wondered for days why anyone who could does not just start walking away from the superdome and other places where they are awaiting aid. I have suspected that the government forces may be preventing their departure. Can anyone provide any info on whether these people are free to leave or not?
The question was why didn't the Red Cross go into NOLA. The Red Cross replied that it had been directed not to enter (after the hurricane) by powers under the control of the Louisiana executive branch(es). FEMA follows orders and direction given by the state, as a first response. The "locals" have the first handle.
Obviously there was some sort of survey activity, because the Louisiana state authorities gave as a reason to deny permission to enter, that the safety of the relief workers could not be appropriately secured.
In order to secure safety, additional force resources needed to be deployed. That too is (first) a state call.
Keep in mind that the bridges and roads immediately north and east of NOLA were also damaged by the storm. U.S. commercial airlines started flying out 25,000 NOLA survivors yesterday.
One sixth* of the 1.4 million did NOT own a car. That means 230,000 needed "public transportation".
*Report on Indianapolis radio station yesterday.
I don't know what the actual protocol is, and have read that state-to-state pacts exist.
Clearly, "calling out the Guard" is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. The NG may be called to search people entering the SuperDome, or it may be called to quell insurrection. Blaco did call for something on Thursday, but I don't know exactly what that was.
Per WWL-3 firefighters & 2 police, hehydrated, trapped on roof of Bell South bldg. taking rifle fire from snipers.
After the segment, Julian began to interject that the guy might be right and was cut off by Doocy who said, "now is not the time...". Julian came back with, "but it has to be discussed...".
These people are simply ignoramuses.
I remember reading a biography of GWB years ago. When he was an undergrad at Yale, in the 60s, he was known even then as someone who completely rejected the blatant racism of the times. That was fairly unusual for someone of his economic status too back then, btw.
I repeat, these people are ignoramuses, and if I used the words I really wanted, I would get banned.
Yes, and the mayor & gov knew this and did nothing but panic
I always thought Archie was a mighty fine man...seems like the kids are a chip off the ol' block.
One thing I fault all of them with is the lack of privacy and respect they are giving the victims in the shelters - close-ups of them sleeping FGS!
Thank you for reminding me to email FOX news right away this morning - complimenting Shepherd Smith, Steve Harrigan and Geraldo for reporting what they saw and not sugarcoating or spinning things.
They reported what is obvious to all of us watching - those people on those HWY overpasses have been neglected - and this morning we are reading that the FEMA chief (who has no real experience apparently, was "legal counsel" to FEMA before this appointment) told Ted Koppel that "they weren't aware of the people outside on the Hwy overpasses".
Apparently no one watches the news coverage,or reports back with the view from the helicopters.
This needs to be part of the national emergency plan from now on. Every city with 200000+ people needs to coordinate with other cities to have a plan to absorb their entire poplulations. Each city must have a plan for what they would do for the incoming people from the affected city.
For instance, Nashville could have agreements with Atlanta, Chattanooga, Memphis, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Louisville, Birmingham, St Louis - all 4 hours or less away. Internally, Nashville could be divided into zones, and a massive education campaign could be launched to educate Nashvillians on where to go if there is an evacuation.
(I KNOW this is possible, a few years ago they had a huge advertising campaign to get people to call the normal police number instead of 911 in non-emergencies. I can tell you, every Nashvillian knows the number to call. They even turned it into a song). Signage could also be created for evacuation routes in each zone - maybe color coordinated.
This is one thing I want president Bush to do: mandate that each city come up with a plan, coordinated with nearby cities, to empty their cities in 48 hours or less. These are the times we live in. This should be the lesson of New Orleans.
I remember seeing GWB at a rally at Seminole Community College in Fla. before he became president. So many people could not get into the bldg. as it was filled to capacity. He came outside and waved to the people to let them at least get a chance to see him. He is a people person.
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