Katrina Live Thread, Part XIV

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.

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.

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/

Katrina's Wounded Airlifted To Jacksonville

By Kyle Meenan
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The military gray C-130 arrived at NAS Jax Sunday morning from Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio. On board, dozens of Katrina's wounded, and their family members who will be cared for at First Coast hospitals and shelters.

"I'm seeing both smiling faces and tears of happiness," said Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department Chief Rick Barrett as he described those getting off the plane.

"Just to be someplace where they know they will be taken care of or looked out for. They have gone through an unbelievable event over there in the Gulf Coast and I'm proud of the City of Jacksonville and the local area that's stepped up to help these people."

A massive coordination of Local, State, Federal and Military teams made the arrival possible, with funding to come from FEMA.

On hand there were teams of doctors and nurses from NAS Jacksonville, as well as Shands, Orange Park Medical Center and the Baptist Hospitals from downtown Jacksonville and the new Baptist facility south of I-295.

Our First Coast News crew passed a line of more than a dozen JTA buses as we entered the secure runway area at NAS Jax. The buses will be used to shuttle family members between the Red Cross Shelter at the Evangel Temple on Ramona Boulevard, and the designated hospitals where the injured will be treated.

To our left, a giant hangar converted to a triage center, staffed by medical personnel, as well as teams from JFRD, NAS Jax and the Duval County Emergency Operations Center. The Red Cross personnel were providing meals.

Between the hangar and the plane were more than two dozen waiting ambulances from private carriers. But while it appeared the ambulances were just staging on the runway, officials told First Coast News that the most severely injured were already inside these 'mobile triage units.'

They were transported directly from the plane to the care of doctors and nurses in each ambulance before they rolled to their respective hospitals.

"We transported 43 people to the hospitals. Triaged them. Had them out in less than an hour of time. A great effort between all the different agencies," beamed JFRD Chief Barrett.

Despite blazing humidity on the tarmac, inside the hangar, portable air-conditioners kept things to a cool 75 degrees.

Several dozen less-seriously injured were registered before being carried to other ambulances. Family members as well were greeted by warm, smiling faces before departing for the Red Cross shelter.

NAS Commanding Officer Captain Chip Dobson told First Coast News the team effort was to create the most efficient handling of the injured and their families.

"Making sure they understand where they are and where the family members are going to go," said Captain Dobson.

"But also providing a feeling of reassurance that things are going to get better for you here and we're going to take care of you."

With military precision, the injured and their families were checked in, checked over, and checked out to waiting ambulances or buses.

But there was also pride in the faces and hearts of all who were working together.

"A feeling among many people that, 'Okay I want to get in there and I want to contribute,' and here this morning you have people that locally are able to do that," said Captain Dobson.

Barret praised the cooperation between the agencies involved, including the JTA for "stepping up to the plate," with their shuttles.

"Transporting the family members back and forth from the shelter to the hospital back and forth so they can visit with their family members that are being hospitalized," said Barrett.

Army Corps of Engineers says the victims were contractors fixing a canal

By BREAKING NEWS

Updated: 6:14 p.m. ET Sept. 4, 2005

NEW ORLEANS - Police shot eight people carrying guns on a New Orleans bridge Sunday, killing five or six, a deputy chief said. A spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers said the victims were contractors on their way to repair a canal.

The contractors were walking across a bridge on their way to launch barges into Lake Pontchartrain to fix the 17th Street Canal, said John Hall, a spokesman for the Corps.

Earlier Sunday, New Orleans Deputy Police Chief W.J. Riley said police shot at eight people, killing five or six.

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