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Posted on 08/30/2005 6:51:27 AM PDT by NautiNurse
Catastrophic damage occurred to Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Major bridges are destroyed. Mobile AL suffered its worst flooding in 90 years. In New Orleans, a large section of concrete levee broke last night. Water continues to rise, threatening, among many things, Tulane Hospital with 1000 patients. New Orleans officials: Do not attempt to return to the city at this time if you evacuated. It is too dangerous.
WLOX TV Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagula
Gulfport News via Topix.net WAFB Baton Rouge
Slidell, Mandeville, and Covington Updates Warning: website is overloaded due to heavy traffic
Mississippi updates via Jackson Ledger
not yet, BUT IT WILL BE, QUITE SOON
Here comes the disease.
DIAMONDHEAD NEWS:
A large gas tank blocks the road on Interstate 10 near Diamondhead, Miss., Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, as travelers attempt to dodge road debris from Hurricane Katrina. Several roads and highways in south Mississippi were engulfed by water, and trees snapped as far north as Jackson.
Picture shows I10 at exit 16 going to Diamondhead. Overpass is ok, all signs appear to be up and looking pretty good...not twisted or knocked over. Small debris and gas tank (looks like it fits on the back of a semi) on East bound lane. Some cars and trucks are on the interstate.
I wish I knew when this picture was taken. However, I am much more optomistic now.
link to picture:
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=D0&Date=20050829&Category=NEWS0110&ArtNo=508290815&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1
On her farm in Washington Parish north of St Tammany. She called and said winds were 125, she had lost 20 trees. No cells or phones working up there. My niece her daughter left this morning going east on I10 from BR to I55 and then north to try to get there. Her property is huge and has a long road up to the house. We think her drive is blocked. She was pretty upset yesterday. We are waiting for her daughter to call us but her cell won't work up there. I swear, it is like some nuclear attack. There is no water there just alot of trees.
Semms impossible but see post #940 & 941
Probably gave you a respite from zotting all the Sheehan trolls.
URGENT NEWS ABOUT NEW ORLEANS VIA A LOCAL LOS ANGELES REPORTER STRANDED IN A HOTEL DOWNTOWN.
(Just posted this over on the live thread and thought it worthwhile to repeat it here. Trying to get the news to as many people as possible since, in my opinion, the cable news channels are doing a lousy job covering this story. They still don't seem to have quite gotten the magnitude of this disaster.)
The local KTLA Channel 5 Los Angeles science and technology reporter, Kurt Knudtsen (spelling ?) is stranded in a hotel in downtown New Orleans. This morning, while the cable news stations still don't seem to have quite gotten what's going on in New Orleans yet, Kurt has been giving live updates to his station in L.A. Turns out the land line in his hotel is still working where he's at because, he said, its on a slightly higher bit of ground than the surrounding area, and the lines are underground there. No telling how long they'll continue to work, but for now he's able to give updates to the folks back here at KTLA.
What he describes is devastating. Looting. Shooting. He said he heard screaming, but was afraid to peak outside to see what was happening.
There are fires in a couple of buildings in the city due to gas lines that have not been shut off. No way to put out those fires right now, so the fires might spread.
KTLA has been showing helicopter footage of New Orleans. Looks like most of the city is flooded up to rooftop level. One of the fires is in a small wood-frame house that had been totally gutted when taped from the helo. A guy was stranded on a roof a couple of houses over. If that fire spreads, no telling how many trapped and/or stranded people are nearby.
Eight feet of water surrounds Kurt's hotel, which he says is in the oldest part of N.O., and on a slightly higher piece of ground. The hotel staff have said anyone who leaves doesn't get back in because of the civil unrest outside. They are down to food rationing. A piece of fruit this morning, a muffin for lunch, don't know about dinner. He says it's getting to the point where soon it will be every person for themselves as desperation and hunger set in.
He says its starting to be like on the Survivor TV show where people are making alliances with other people they think can survive this. Kurt says he's made an alliance with another guy he knows, and they are thinking about trying to make it over to a large parking structure nearby so that they might have a chance to flag down a rescue helicopter.
He says people are walking around in a daze not knowing where to go, but that things at the hotel have not quite gotten to the really desperate stage yet.
The people here at KTLA are trying to find a way to get him out. He was on assignment in New Orleans for the station -- not hurricane related assignment, I don't think. Just happened to be there and couldn't get out like a lot of people who happened to be visiting the city.
That's what I'm thinking. The airspace over New Orleans is probably crowded right about now (and probably getting more so), and there's almost certainly no low-level air traffic control to speak of, if both airports are still knocked out (meaning no control towers). It's strictly see-and-avoid, and the fewer sightseers up there, the better.
That having been said, maybe those news helos should be pressed into use to move evacuees and supplies. Not doing the hardcore rescue work that the police and military are trained for, but shuttling folks or supplies around as needed.
}:-)4
Thank you
Does anyone have any info on 59 in MS?
Thanks; I'll check afterwhile.
WWL-TV is back up from the LSU J-School facilities in Baton Rouge.
THank you.
The levee's will continue to break - they only thing they can do now is try to slow the flooding down that is happening in the "bowl".
I hope all is well with you at your location.
Last night on NBC, Brian Williams was showing inside the Dome when the top pulled off; it wasn't quite as simply as flapping "skin."
Whole HUGE chunks of the roof fell into the Dome, right where the people were sitting; then rain fell in torents through those holes.
Thanks for the update, Howlin.
The amended plan is, It Will Turn, and if it doesn't, Blame Bush.
Draining the city will take however long it takes, but so far the steel and concrete backbone of New Orleans is mostly intact.
I have lost a house in a fire. I know what water damage does. There is nothing to do but tear the structure down to the foundation and start over again. Imagine that with a whole city. This is unimaginable.
According to the Jackson (Ms) Clarion-Ledger, they were trying to open I-49 so medical and search crews could move south towards the Gulf Coast.
I-59 is a mess mess of downed trees, billboards, electrical poles, etc.
Here's the link:
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050830/NEWS0110/508300390/1260
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