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

[samantha]

I don't know if anyone has ever watched "Cops" in NO at Mardi Gras time, but it gives you a pretty good idea what was going to go down without the presence of the "Law".

[Spktyr]

Ants have been shown and reported.

Haven't heard of anyone being unlucky enough to be devoured by them, but then again, we probably wouldn't as they'd be dead.

[ican'tbelieveit]

This past summer, my job had a disaster drill. It was supposed to be a tornado hitting the building, but someone screwed up and sent everyone outside, in the heat for about an hour. Then, they realized their mistake, and pulled everyone back into the building and stuffed them all into one small room. After seeing this unfold, and a guy at the Astrodome holding up a sign trying to location their company's employees, I realized we have to do better and take our drills much more seriously.

[Types_with_Fist]

not one Snake has been mentioned as actually existing in NO? Anybody else notice this?

I've noticed this as well. But it could be that the magnitude of the whole thing has overridden it. I'm not even sure NO had a big snake problem. Across the river and around the city in the marshes and bayous are probably where most of the snakes are. Those areas haven't really been in play with the NO flood. You'll probably hear plenty of snake stories from below NO in Plaqueminnes... if we ever hear from any communities affected down there.

[bvw]

Yes there is not only an excuse but a rule. I believe it is also the common law, if not by statute. Invited guests and legal vistors in a house or a place receive priority. It is both politeness and law.

[Spktyr]

Ants have been shown and reported.

Haven't heard of anyone being unlucky enough to be devoured by them, but then again, we probably wouldn't as they'd be dead.

Per TXCN - El Paso is now taking in refugees in their convention center. Lubbock, Longview and one other town or two have just opened shelters.
Brazos County is offering their evacuees jobs.

[milkncookies]

A very rational and humble observation. Well stated Warren_Piece.

[BagCamAddict]

Maybe she wasn't one of the starving / thirsty ones, just overwhelmed by the 90+ degree heat and "300 percent humidity". It doesn't matter whether SHE was one of the starving/thirsty ones - My point was that SOMEONE where she was IS starving/thirsty, and SHE WASTED VALUABLE CLEAN WATER by pouring it over herself instead of either drinking it herself or giving it to someone who needed it. In an hour, she'll be asking for more water from "the government" because she wasted the water she was given!!

[DocRock]

"Their plan had to account for all of the people that could not evac themselves by car or plane especially in a poor city like NO. This is a huge disaster for the democrats in that state when people start looking at this."

Here is a LINK to the City of New Orleans Emergency Preparedness page titled "General Evacuation Guidelines". Check it out. It says "If you need a ride, try to go with a neighbor, friend, or relative." (scroll down to i..)

Regards,
DocRock

[txdoda]

Most of those MSM reporters on location are a nuissance and deserve a strong backhanded slap.

Yep, most are in "overkill", like Americans can see this huge tragedy on their own.

[jeffers]

NittanyLion posted:

To: ican'tbelieveit
I know that people will insist that it took the President to actually show up for the assistance to show up.

I can't imagine that his visit hurt. But like I said, perhaps this mobilization is a coincidence. It just seems that a lot of action is happening almost immediately after he got on the ground."






Temporary shelters for more than a million people don't just materialize out of thin air. It takes coordination. Out of all of the states surrounding those hit by the hurricane, Texas is taking the lion's share of the evacuees, and that's no coincidence. It is the state our President is most familiar with. He obviously got the infrastructure into place before he felt comfortable enough to leave his office and get a firsthand view of the damage.

In short, he did his job.

If just a very few others did their jobs as well, the period between the storm and the arrival of mass relief forces would have been a completely different scene than the chaos we have seen for most of this week.

The state's job was to hold the line till the cavalry arrived, and those at the top of city and state government abdicated their responsibility, and abandoned their constituents. That so many survived is a testimonial to heroic efforts by a few police and Guard.

[No Blue States]

I posted the link to the thread that it was brought up on in my post. (you can search on dennis prager to find it)

As far as I know it is NOT confirmed.
Considering the circumstances our country is in, and the need to house all these evacs, I would not really expect it to make the news if true.
Do I believe it? Its certainly possible.

[Abby4116]

Rumors of murder and general mayhem among evacuees in Monroe have been swirling amid the confusion of Hurricane Katrina.

The rumors run the gamut — from the murder of volunteers in their homes to infant kidnappings. Local law enforcement said that's exactly what they are — rumors.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050903/NEWS01/509030313/1002

[Uncle Ike]

"Brazos County is offering their evacuees jobs"

WHAAAAAAAT????? But they are VICTIMS!!!!!!!

/sarc

[sockmonkey]

Not sure if this is all verified, but:
Katrina Britons 'moved from dome' [Moved for personal safety]

Thanks, I was just thinking that I was in Dubrovnik, Croatia when bombs were falling, and as a "tourist", the people there were very protective of me and my daughter. A man who had been hit by shrapnel in the stomach earlier while working at a soup kitchen for refugees took us under his wing, and we stayed with him and his wife.

[Spktyr]

Probably died after floating around in that soup in the bowl. :-P

[bvw]

MSNBC and CNN are viciously making everything into an anti-Bush, anti-Bush-administration rant. It is absolute propaganda dreck, it is sickening. It is being lapped up by the viewers.

[76834]

Abilene is taking in 500.
Mainly at the Taylor County Convention center.

I understand that Brownwood will be taking in some as well.
No numbers as yet.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Yesterday my brother in TN got a call from La. evacuees looking for the number to the Salvation Army and Red Cross. He told them they had a residence, but gave the phone numbers to them and wished them well. He could hear the guy in the background yelling "That S.O.B. did not list our parish as being in need of disaster help! Our home is gone!" (Maybe FEMA told them they were not on the list.)

[Ellesu]

Good Morning to you too! I woke up with 3 children in the bed with me. One of them wet the bed. LOL. We have had a full house here since the evacuation, but it is getting better.

It's really difficult to get information. The national and local media are focusing on New Orleans and we have had little news on the other parishes. The press briefings say nothing about what is going on in Washington Parish etc. People are still stranded in those parishes and looting and shootings are occurring there. We don't know if help has arrived to those people or just New Orleans and when state officials are asked, they say they have no communication because phone and cell towers are down. This is the biggest mess. We need someone from those other parishes to get on the radio or TV and tell us what is going on and when these people can return and check on their homes.