Press Releases
Date: 9/9/2005
Contact: Denise Bottcher or Roderick Hawkins at 225-342-9037
UPDATE: TASK FORCE PELICAN
FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 9, 2005
Louisiana National Guard
- The primary missions of our National Guard forces continue to be:
. security operations
. search and rescue
. evacuation of New Orleans
. repair of breached levees
. debris removal
. citizen support (water, food distribution, shelter)
. medical and law enforcement support
- National Guard forces continue arriving in Louisiana at Belle Chasse Naval Station (by air) and Camp Beauregard (by ground)
o There are currently more than 24,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen
o Conducting operations in 13 Louisiana Parishes, as well as emergency support functions throughout the state
o
as of: LA NG EMAC Due In Total
9-Sep-05 4,582 13,282 6,600 24,464
- Task Force Pelican has 4 distinct Task Forces, all of which bring the right force mix and capabilities into the devastated region
. Task Force Santa Fe (Parish support)
. Task Force RSOI, Belle Chasse (coordination of incoming troops)
. Task Force Eagle (aviation)
. Task Force Engineer
- Our Parish Task Force Commanders are working closely with local Parish leadership to ensure we conduct the missions the Parish wants in the most responsive manner.
- Task Force Pelican is embedding National Guard Soldiers with the New Orleans Police Department to provide additional manpower and to allow these great police officers an opportunity to refit after their tremendous response missions.
- Task Force Pelican and Joint Task Force Katrina continue to work very closely on all aspects of military operations.
- National Guard and active duty forces have begun a systematic search of homes, office and buildings. Buildings are then marked to indicate they have been searched.
Saved Lives:
- Search & Rescue ongoing with aerial and maritime forces
- Last 24 hours - 34 critical medical evacuations
- 238 critical patients in last 4 days
Distribution:
Meals Water Ice
8-Sep-05 151,548 128,548 178,000
Day 10 693,552 957,211 256,250
Operations:
Task Force Pelican Commander's priorities are to save lives, security/law and order, evacuation, and support existing critical infrastructure. Outlined below are the states of the National Guard forces in the Parish Task Forces.
- Task Force Orleans - Oklahoma, California, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas
- Task Force Baton Rouge - Kentucky, Wyoming
- Task Force Jefferson - Arkansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont
- Task Force Lafourche - Tennessee
- Task Force Plaquemine - New Mexico
- Task Force St. Bernard - Colorado, Georgia, Maryland
- Task Force St. Charles - South Carolina
- Task Force St. John - New Jersey
- Task Force St. Tammany - Alabama
- Task Force Tangipahoa - North Carolina
- Task Force Washington - Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania
- Task Force Lafayette - District of Columbia
Security/Law and Order:
- TF Pelican performed security missions to include infrastructure, hospitals, shelters and government buildings.
- With those facilities secured, the Louisiana National Guard transitioned security of Superdome, Morial Convention Center to Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division.
- In a proactive measure, National Guard forces were sent to secure local hospitals to include Slidell Memorial, Our Lady of Lake Hospital and University Medical Center; secured six museums in the French Quarter to deter loss of valuable New Orleans history.
- National Guard forces are providing security to the Army Corps of Engineers Contractors plugging the levee break at Inner Harbor Navigation Canal.
Commanders Executive Summary
Operations: Last 24 hours we received 27 missions for security, LOG/J4, Air, evacuation, and communication. TF Santa Fe has stood up and established TOC operations at Belle Chase. The missions will transition from Search and Rescue Operations to Recovery Operations
Intelligence: Weather fronts moving into the AO 11 SEP - 13 SEP. The levee's at the industrial canal has been repaired. The London Ave canal breech will not be repaired for another 4 days.
Aviation: The last 24 hours were spent continuing to move troops and equipment. Sling operations continue. TF Eagle moved operations to Belle Chasse with communication improving. Continue to provide CL I movement, Firefighting. Presently, 204th controls 45 helicopters. Additional support from 489th Air Ambulance (AA) and 1st CAV.
Engineers: Completed assessments in St. Charles, Lafourche, Ascension, and Terrebonne Parishes. Continue operations in St. Tammany, Washington, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Orleans, and St. Bernard Parishes. Continue to improve living facilities at Alario Center and debris removal of assigned parishes. Next 48 hours: Security handover to 35th ID and begin assessments in St. John, St. James, Livingston, and St. Helena Parishes. Currently assigned 73 missions, with 36 completed, 25 Active, and 12 pending operations.
Logistics: Continue to operate in Green with units moving forward from the RSOI into their area of operations with a minimum of 3 days of supply. Meals, water, and ice continue to be delivered from Belle Chasse and Zephyr Field.
Administration: Continue to stress personnel accounting and strength reporting by issuing guidance. Authorization was given from the SECDEF for Title 32 status for all NG soldiers, orders will be cut for every soldier. Use/Lose leave policy will be extended up to 90 days.
Medical: Began providing medical operations at Gillis Long yesterday for soldiers cycling through on R&R. TMC is a 24/7 operation located at Bldg 33. MEDCOM will be conducting preliminary plans for conducting immunization operations.
Communications: Commercial phone service improving, radio distribution and management improving with the TF elements.
National Guard Nationwide Synopsis
- Over 50,000 National Guardsmen from over 43 states have been activated for Hurricane Katrina relief operations.
- This is the largest and most comprehensive National Guard response
to a natural disaster. Previously, the largest had been for 1989 California Lomo Prieta earthquake, when 32,000 California Guardsmen were activated.
ARMY GUARD 42,249
AIR GUARD 3,931
ANG AIRLIFT SPT 416
EXTERNAL JOA SUPPORT 3,520
TOTAL NATIONAL GUARD 50,116
- National Guard Search and Rescue crews were in the water saving lives four hours after the eye of the storm passed, which is remarkable considering the treacherous conditions. They were able to do that because 2,500 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen in MS and 4,000 in LA were called to duty by the governors before the storm.
- On the morning after Katrina, the Governors of 40 states called members of their Guards to State Active Duty and began dispatching forces to support the LA & MS Governors.
Department of Health and Hospitals
- The Find Family Call Center has been established at 1-866-326-9393.
o This number will serve as information and support resource for individuals and families who believe they have a family member who may have perished due to the hurricane
- An updated number of fatalities has been announced at 118
o This number will be updated as often as possible when deaths are determined to be storm-related
- DHH has received reports of residents who died at St. Rita Nursing Home in St. Bernard
- DHH is working with the Attorney General's Office and the local District Attorney's Office and is committed to finding out why these residents were not evacuated
- The status of public water systems that have been affected by Hurricane Katrina is being updated on a daily basis
o Visit www.dhhemergencynews.com for more information
Department of Transportation & Development
- DOTD will open bids today for the repair of I-10 "Twin-Span" bridge over Lake Pontchartrain.
- DOTD assisted the Port of New Orleans with preparations to reopen
o Officials inspected the Crescent City Connection bridge for load capacity and found no damage to the bridge except for the toll plaza
- Cooperative effort continues with the Corps on the London Street canal repairs and pumping stations
- Debris cleanup and road sign and signal work continues
Department of Social Services
- During the one week period from Sept. 2 - Sept. 9, 2005, DSS processed more than 120,000 Disaster Food Stamp applications for a total of about $52 million in benefits
- Due to the devastating impact made to some infrastructures, a one-week extension of the Disaster Food Stamp Program will be given to residents of:
o Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Washington, St. Tammany, St. Charles, St. John, West Feliciana, Lafourche, Terrebonne, Tangipahoa, Livingston and St. Helena
- There are currently 51,849 displaced citizens in 215 Louisiana shelters. Another 659 citizens are housed in six special needs shelters. FEMA and Red Cross are now tracking out-of-state shelters
- In order to ensure that there is a central source of shelter locations, DSS is requesting all shelter operators (other than those who are caring for individuals in their homes) to contact their Offices of Emergency Preparedness if they haven't already done so.
Department of Environmental Quality
- Variances have been issued for open burning of debris in Terrebone and LaFourche parishes.
- Where possible, the debris will be burned in a curtain destructor which will minimize smoke and particulate matters.
- Because of the large amount of debris, some open burning will occur.
- Plans are in place for FEMA, DEQ and the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor the air around these sites. DEQ enforcement staff will inspect the burn sites to verify the material burning is hurricane-related debris.
- DEQ is currently working with parishes to locate areas and issue variances that will allow the parishes to burn the debris.
Department of Labor
- Employers who want to hire people dislocated by Hurricane Katrina can call the Louisiana Department of Labor toll free at 1-800-481-6762 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Persons seeking job information can call the Louisiana Department of Labor's
toll- free number 1-866-310-1585 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- As of Thursday after, the Labor Department had collected 105,000 unemployment claims from persons in Louisiana who lost their jobs because of Katrina
o There could be another 20,000 to 50,000 claims collected in other states
- Secretary of Labor John Warner Smith will be interviewed by ABC World News Tonight at 10:45 a.m. Friday morning.
o Interview will focus on the expected large number of unemployed and what we are doing about it
o Interview will air 5:30 p.m. Friday.
- At 11:45 a.m., Sec. Smith will join U.S. Sec. of Labor Elaine Choa, Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Guiterrez and Social Security Commissioner Jo Anne B. Barnhart for a media op
. Department of Labor, 1991 Wooddale Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA
. Media op with applicants at labor office
. Choa sets 5-minute press conference with national media in tow.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries
Preliminary analysis of economic losses to state's fisheries-related industries
- Preliminary estimates indicate a potential $1.3 billion loss in retail fisheries revenue over the next year due to Hurricane Katrina damage
- That number would represent a 45 percent loss to the total value of the state's commercial harvest values -- and recreational retail sales related to fishing activities
. Based on 2003 sales levels of $2.85 billion
- Estimates assume that the hurricane's impact is limited to the parishes of:
. Orleans
. Jefferson
. Plaquemines
. St. Bernard
. St. Tammany
. lower Lafourche
- The estimates are based on available historical data using previous losses sustained after hurricanes and recent retail sales totals for prior years
- These projections are subject to adjustment as air and water surveys are made over the next several months.
Board of Regents College & University Updates
Nicholls State Update:
- Classes resumed Wednesday
- More than 570 displaced students have applied and are registered
-
- Registration has been extended until Sept. 19 for students enrolled at colleges and universities unable to offer classes
- Application and late registration fees have been waived. Persons interested should visit www.nicholls.edu call (985) 448-4507 or toll-free (877) NICHOLLS
- In cooperation with local, state and federal agencies, Nicholls facilities continue to provide temporary shelter for more than 800 general evacuees and 131 TMOSA (special needs/medical) patients with their 44 caregivers
Southeastern Louisiana University Update
- Southeastern resumed classes Thursday at the Hammond campus, Baton Rouge nursing center, and the Livingston Parish Literacy Center in Walker.
. A decision on the re-opening of the St. Tammany Center will be forthcoming
- The university continues to request that students check in and provide information on their status
o They can do this on-line (www.selu.edu) or by calling 985-549-2000
- Southeastern has already accepted more than 400 applications from displaced students whose studies at New Orleans area universities have been disrupted by the hurricane.
o When possible, Southeastern will merge them into existing classes
- Southeastern has scheduled two informational sessions at the Student Union Theatre for displaced students. The sessions are scheduled:
o Saturday, Sept. 10 @ 12:00 noon
o Monday, Sept. 12 @ 4:30 p.m.
- For more SLU information call 985-549-2000 or check the website: www.selu.edu.
Department of Education
- Education officials have placed full page ads in all of the major daily newspapers in Louisiana targeting displaced teachers
o The ads identify resources for finding jobs and our call center number, where they can get assistance
- Additionally, the department has set up a website, www.teachlouisiana.com where teachers can fill out one job application and then districts who are hiring teachers can search through the applicants to find appropriate matches
- Call center staff are also assisting teachers in filling out the teach Louisiana website application over the phone if they do not have internet access
- Preliminary damage reports are coming in from the impacted parishes and should be ready for dissemination later today
- We are also receiving preliminary reports on the number of students being enrolled across the state. Those numbers should be ready for release later today as well.
Department of Corrections
- DOC's key mission is to maintain safe and stable correctional facilities given the large increase in population, both in state and parish facilities
- By Monday, DOC will have identified and classified all 8,000+ inmates evacuated due to Katrina and their housing locations
- Current housing assignments are temporary. Once lists are complete, DOC will move some inmates to other locations around the state in order to better achieve safe and stable prison environments
- 460 inmates were moved to a federal facility in Coleman, Florida on Thursday. Another 460 will be moved today
o The Federal Bureau of Prisons is housing these inmates free of charge to the state
- There have been 229 individuals arrested and detained at the Greyhound Detention Center in New Orleans
- DOC anticipates transportation of some 50+ detainees today to Elayn Hunt Correctional Center.
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http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/090805ccKatrinacadeathtoll.739a8044.html
Louisiana death toll raised to 118
08:56 AM CDT on Friday, September 9, 2005
Associated Press
BATON ROUGE, La. – The official death toll in Louisiana from Hurricane Katrina was raised to 118 on Thursday, while state officials said a Houston-based disaster response company has been hired to deliver bodies to relatives of the dead.
Of the 118 confirmed dead, 67 are in a morgue in St. Gabriel, with the rest housed at local coroners' offices, the state Department of Health and Hospitals said Thursday. The toll was raised from 83 deaths reported Tuesday.
The number of dead is likely to rise, however, because of massive flooding that swept through the city after Katrina struck Aug. 29, trapping many in homes. New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin has said the death toll in New Orleans alone could reach 10,000, and state officials were ordering 25,000 body bags.
Meanwhile, the firm of Kenyon Worldwide Disaster Management has been hired by FEMA to coordinate the recovery of bodies in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes.
"Kenyon supports each parish coroner in their statutory duty to recover and identify and return the deceased to their families in a dignified manner," a state news release said.
According to the company's Web site, it has responded to disasters dating back to a 1929 Imperial Airways plane crash in England. Most recently, Kenyon has been involved in recovering bodies or providing mortuary services after last December's killer tsunami in Southeast Asia, the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and TWA Flight 800 that crashed off Long Island in 1996.
Also Thursday, the state issued a toll-free hot line to provide information for those who are searching for missing family members. The number for the national Find Family Call Center is 1-866-326-9393.
Subject: A Request from Governor Blanco and the National Homeland Security Consortium
Date: Sep 9, 2005 12:11 PM
Dear Volunteer,
We would like to share with you a message from Louisiana Governor Blanco regarding a persistent problem with the self-deployment of first responders to the New Orleans area in the hopes that you can reach out to your memberships and help them understand what a serious problem this is causing for La. officials. Governor Blanco has stated on 3 separate occasions this week that they have all the emergency response personnel they need at this time. No further deployments are requested and no offers of assistance in this area will be accepted right now. There will be a point in time, perhaps as early as next week, that current personnel are demobilized and replacement personnel are needed. When those needs have been identified by the state, the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) will send out a request to the states.