4:49 p.m.: Telephone and cellphone outages persisted in parts of Texas and Louisiana, the Associated Press reports. BellSouth said about 560,000 customers were without service. San Antonio-based SBC Communications said on its Web site that its core network in Texas "is fully functional, with the exception of a small central office in Sabine Pass'' near hard-hit Port Arthur. Verizon Wireless said it had problems in localized areas including south Houston, Galveston, Beaumont and Port Arthur.
4:34 p.m.: Some major retailers report that most of their stores forced to close because of the hurricane have reopened. Wal-Mart Stores, which closed 155 facilities Saturday morning, reopened all but 52 by Sunday. Target Corp. has five stores of 32 still closed in the Gulf Coast region, including one in Metarie, La., that hasn't been open since Katrina hit Aug. 29. Home Depot Inc. said five of the 46 stores -- 41 in the Houston market -- that were shuttered Saturday morning remained closed.
Governor Blanco's Requests
Governor Kathleen Blanco is praising President Bush, and she has a large request...billions of dollars in relief for Louisiana's infrastructure. The governor took an aerial tour of southwest Louisiana Sunday. Governor Blanco spoke positively Sunday, thanking the president, the nation, and one parish in particular.
In lower Cameron parish, Blanco says it's hard to tell where the gulf ends and land begins...but she is cautiously optimistic. 98 percent of the people in Cameron evacuated. In 1957, hundreds of people there died in hurricane Audrey. Governor Blanco said, "they have learned their lessons and have taught them through generations. I think for that reason, if we've lost any life, it will be surprising. I'm hoping we've lost none."
Blanco says now is not the time to return home, no matter how difficult. All exits off interstate ten into Calcasieu parish are closed, and roads leading into Cameron parish are flooded. Governor Blanco said, "I must ask that everyone stay where you are. If you return now, it will hamper the recovery efforts. Your communities are well-protected."
From Rita to Katrina, the governor says Louisiana needs help, now more than ever in recovery. She praised the public for their part, and the president for his response. Governor Blanco said, "it's in times like these I'm especially grateful to the president and the way he's devoted much of his time and energies to this enormous task. Like all louisianans, I am grateful for the way the president and congress have responded." Now, Blanco wants the president and congress to help financially...nearly thirty two billion dollars for transportation and flood protection. The money would go toward levees and roads that need rebuilding and strengthening. And she says, as the infrastructure gets stronger, so will the people.
Governor Blanco says when she met with the president Sunday, he had a great deal of interest in her recovery plan. Of course, she says, all is negotiable.
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