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

[NautiNurse]

President Bush, speaking from the Rose Garden:

"The task before us is enormous, but so is the heart of America."

[hoosiermama]

SOrt of remind me a putting bandaids on cancer....They just didn't have a clue (and still don't) Actually think they were so involved in the political machine they didn't know how to act on their own.

BTW, IMO the act of putting the hotel guest at the front of the line, shows they are influenced by who has the money and not race. WOnder if their pockets were lined on that one?

[oceanview]

Bush is sharper today, in this speech. CBS network covering it, NBC/ABC are not. He is focusing I think, a little too much on the things not going right - as opposed to the things that are. The media will only pick up on that.

[SunnyUsa]

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?

I wondered that too. I believe that part of the hwy is underwater so they can't walk out of the city. However, last night we heard on Fox News from the reporters that they are prevented from walking out now, they are being "contained" on the hwy overpasses but with no apparent info on a "plan" to get them out of there yet.

Info is essential, but disorganization and a leadership vacuuem rules the week in New Orleans.

[Cboldt]

That was a very good speech from GWB. Much better than the congratulatory crap earlier in the week.

A much needed kick in the ass to the bureaucrats and incompetents.

82nd airborne, 1st calvary, 1st and 2nd MEU will be coming in to do search and rescue, and they will not tolerate thugs preying on the innocents.

[hoosiermama]

Think it's a good idea for him to tell the things that are not getting right. SHow he's not sugar coating things and intends to "fix" the problems....which is not what we're hearing from the local politicians.

[NautiNurse]

Geraldo's antics should have had him arrested for attempting to incite a riot. Your hero worship is misplaced.

[lainie]

I won't be home by Sunday, but I might be around to listen..we'll have to see. You know how it is. The idea of sitting in a room listening to the radio and talking on the Internet for three hours is rather rude to your hosts. :-)

It boggles my mind, all that's going on. Tell me this -- was it one levee or two that was breeched, and are they yet repaired?

[Miss Marple]

On the plus side, he is sending in the 82nd Airborne and the First Marine Expeditionary Force. Also two other military groups I can't remember.

[Uncle Ike]

"FEMA appeared to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation."

Sometime in the last couple of days I saw an interview with the FEMA director (Might have been on Larry King -- it all runs together.)

He said that by Sunday, FEMA had staged in-place the standard Category 4-5 hurricane "package" - which was based on Hurricane Andrew experience. (I remember as late as Monday afternoon, people on-air were saying that this storm wasn't as bad as Andrew)

By sunrise Tuesday, he said, he knew that "package" was not going to be sufficient, and that they were going to be scrambling to play catch-up.

FWIW

[Heatseeker]

However, are Americans demanding, or are they will to pay for, efforts to be staged that would deal with devastation of this magnitude every time a hurricane threatens....the costs would be incredible given that it would be overkill 95% of the time...

I suppose the libs think so - after all, "pay" is always something you make other people do. ;)

[steveegg]

It’s very strange and maybe just coincidental. But have you noticed that it's the "Republican" Red states taking all the refugees from Louisiana?

More due to geographical location than anything else. Michigan (a blue state) has offered to take in refugees; the only thing is they're about as far due north as you can get and not hit Canada.

[SunnyUsa]

Bush is sharper today, in this speech

We were watching, and that's true, my husband just said he should've said all of that a few days ago.

Today I'm praying we see huge progress and organization because Bush is leading.

[ChadGore]

Breaking:Blanco Buses on the BBC

Image from the thread:

[texasbluebell]

Yes, he's a people person. But the media for the most part are not impartial or unbiased. They will never report anything that works against their own agenda. So now they will push the lie that he is racist.

What we are seeing in the media are some who are nothing more than anarchists pretending to be reporters.

These people will stop at nothing to destroy this country, I'm convinced.

They will use anything it takes, nothing is off limits to them, to break down our system of govt.

Of course, some of these "journalists" are nothing more than useful idiots, but others are much much more determined in their motivation.

Julian on FnF is one of the useful idiots.

[Tensgrrl]

I am surprised the Red Cross even offered to come in to NO. My understanding is that they will not come into an area until they can guarantee the safety of their people.

[daybreakcoming]

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said that it was President Bush that had called and urged the state to order the evacuation.

Funny thing. I went to theadvocate.com (Baton Rouge) archives last night and found her video statement about that. But when I played the video, they had replaced it with a weather broadcast for that same day.

[RDTF]

Maybe he got a good night's sleep. Plus it's a beautiful inspiring day here in the metro DC area.

[Cboldt]

Shep and Geraldo reported in a sensation way what is known to the authorities. The city is cordoned off. The release of its occupants is being controlled by various forces. In some directions, local authorites deny entry (parishes nearby, not flooded); in other directions, LA state authorities deny exit. Shep and Geraldo KNOW this, because they have credentials that permit them to come and go as they please.

But, I did read some speculation that the hysterical reporting may serve a purpose to the people on scene, as a release mechanism. To the extent the reporting keeps the people from going medieval on each other, I'm fine with it.

[plushaye]

"That was a very good speech from GWB. Much better than the congratulatory crap earlier in the week.

A much needed kick in the ass to the bureaucrats and incompetents.

82nd airborne, 1st calvary, 1st and 2nd MEU will be coming in to do search and rescue, and they will not tolerate thugs preying on the innocents."

That's more like it. Send in the hardened troops - the real cavalry. Take over the city planning and coordination as if it was Kosovo. Sounds like the NG is overwhelmed, as well. Get those stranded people out!! There are 20,000 still at the convention center, and 2000 at the dome, according to AP. Bury those bodies lying around. These things HAVE to be done urgently.