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/

http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050904/NEWS01/509040333/1002

This article shows the drain on our local resources. In the beginning, people will welcome the refugees with open arms, but wait till time passes, the novelty wears off and reality sets in. It has probably already come to pass that a resident of Rapides Parish can't find a job or rent an apartment because a refugee already snapped it up. This situation is going to be with us long after Jesse Jackson shifts the media's attention to some other location.

Starting over in Cenla

By Emily Peters
epeters@thetowntalk.com
(318) 487-6372

After sweltering on top of a building for nearly three days before rescue boats came to save her from the abyss of New Orleans sludge, June Taylor decided she wouldn't wait around anymore.

She evacuated to her daughter's house in Alexandria and immediately sprang into action to start a new life for herself in Central Louisiana.

Friday morning, she flitted around town making stops at the Social Security office and the state departments of Motor Vehicles, Labor and Social Services.

"I'm beginning again," she said, sporting clean clothes borrowed from her daughter. "I am amazed at the efficiency of Alexandria. These are beautiful, compassionate people. It's a wonderful new place to start."

Taylor is one of thousands of evacuees in Central Louisiana who are considering a new life here since New Orleans may not be able to offer them a livelihood for months to come.

Many already have started to look for jobs and residences. Some will stay for months as New Orleans recovers, and others are planning to stay permanently.

"I think for several months, we'll have 7,000 to 8,000 more people in this area," said Elton Pody, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of Central Louisiana. Rhonda Reap-Curiel with the Chamber of Commerce is confident there are plenty of jobs to employ all of these people. She's asking every business in the area to register their openings on www.laworks.net.

Kissey Smith probably will be checking out that job Web site.

When she floated her autistic godson out of the floodwaters on a mattress, she left behind her house and a management job at Goodwill Southeastern Louisiana. While waiting in line Friday to apply for food stamps, she flipped through a Rapides Parish telephone book to find out where to apply for a job.

"I just know I'm never going back to New Orleans," she said. "I guess I'll work wherever there is a job available."

Some local businesses, including Eddie's Barbecue, already have started hiring evacuees. Other employment opportunities are available in health care and at StarTek, a call center, while many national companies will offer transfers for their displaced workers to relocate here. Displaced school employees may apply with the local district, and companies have included advertisements in today's Town Talk for production operators, millwrights, forklift operators and construction workers.

Housing is another story.

While new housing developments are booming just north of the Red River, Pody said the choices of rental properties are slim and getting slimmer.

"Everything we have has been taken," said Debbie Stevens, who manages various large apartment complexes under White Property Management in Rapides Parish. Evacuees have rented her last 50 to 60 apartment units, most on a month-to-month basis, she said.

Property owners are asked to report any vacant rental spaces to www.hurricanehousing.net, and evacuees may check that site starting Tuesday.

"We've looked for apartments, but they're all booked up," said evacuee Mark Chanove, but that won't dissuade him.

Chanove is a native of Alexandria, who already has updated his resume and is talking to area employers. He is prepared to stay in Alexandria for the long haul and will enroll his young children in local schools.

Local officials have discussed using Wooddale Park, a public housing unit, and barracks at the former England Air Force Base to temporarily house evacuees who can't find other places. But no final decisions have been made.

Taylor, 52, said she will consider temporary housing since her daughter has three children and a husband in Iraq.

"I just need to get out on my own," she said.

Town Talk reporter Andrew Griffin contributed to this report.

Originally published September 4, 2005

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