http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16475025%5E2703,00.html
Tourist tells of 'murder and rape'
Kevin Meade and D.D. McNicoll
September 03, 2005
AN Australian backpacker stranded in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina has told his parents he witnessed horrific scenes while sheltering in the city's Superdome, including murders, rapes and stabbings.
John McNeil, a 20-year-old university graduate, rang his parents in Brisbane yesterday from a payphone in the foyer of the New Orleans Hilton, where about 60 foreign tourists, including 10 Australians, were sheltering under armed guard after they were rescued from the Superdome by US military personnel.
In a brief telephone call, John told his father, businessman Peter McNeil, of chaos and lawlessness in the Superdome, where more than 20,000 refugees sought shelter after the hurricane.
"He saw murders, stabbings and rapes in there," Mr McNeil said.
Mr McNeil said about 100 military personnel and police in the dome were struggling to cope with the huge crowd.
"It was just getting worse by the hour and there were gangs in there who were killing each other," he said.
Mr McNeil claimed African Americans in the Superdome had abused foreign tourists and demanded they be rescued ahead of them from the crowded football stadium, where conditions were stifling.
The 60 foreign tourists were escorted from the Superdome by military personnel. They spent one night at a medical aid post in a nearby building before they were moved to the Hilton.
Gold Coast entertainment agency owner Gary Hopes said yesterday his family had been extremely worried about his younger brother Anthony, 30, who had been missing for five days after the hurricane.
But the family was relieved to learn yesterday that Anthony was among the 60 foreigners sheltering in the Hilton.
While the Hopeses and McNeils had obtained information about their loved ones, other families across Australia were still hoping last night for up-to-date news.
With most telephone lines to the devastated city working only sporadically, and all mobile phone coverage wiped out, communications were chaotic.
Sydney woman Sharon Cullington flew to the US yesterday to find her 22-year-old daughter, Vanessa, who she had not heard from since Tuesday night.
Accompanied by her daughter's boyfriend, Toby Salmon, Ms Cullington was armed with photographs of her missing child.
"We've brought lots of photos and we're just basically going to see who's there and who we can hassle," she said.
Vanessa Cullington has been in the US since June working at a Camp Counsellors USA youth camp and was at the start of four weeks of travelling.
Ms Cullington said Vanessa had been on a train to New Orleans from Washington DC and hadn't heard about the approaching hurricane.
Tim and Joanne Miller of Rockhampton, on holiday in the US, contacted their daughter Tamara yesterday and told her that they were still awaiting evacuation after living under a bridge in the flooded city for four days.
Ms Miller said her parents had been threatened by a gun-wielding guard when they tried to board a bus.
A family spokesman for Brisbane sisters-in-law Fiona Seidel and Katie McLean, who were reported on Wednesday to be safe in a tourist hotel, said they were out of contact.
Sydney woman Denise Drake, 29, rang her mother Mercedes yesterday, saying she was trapped in one of the city's churches without food or drinkable water.
"Mum, I'm alive but I am trapped in this church. Get someone to come and rescue us. Report it, ring the embassy," Mrs Riviera said her daughter had told her.
I swear, word of this will spread like WILDFIRE across the globe, and particularly places like Japan, Korea, Singapore, etc. etc. etc. And it will be AMERICA that gets the black eye, not New Orleans or even Louisiana...
So covert special ops were the first in. Rescue foreign tourists to preserve US as a tourist destination. According to this they went in Thursday night. What was the explosion Friday morning ? Was that a diversion or cover for ..censored...
Maybe the mayor just wanted to get the foreign "witnesses" out.