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Wednesday, August 31, 2005


	Help for businessesThe Louisiana Department of Economic Development has initiated efforts to aid New Orleans businesses. Mary Jo Hanover, economic development analyst, said Wednesday the department is looking for sites to relocate New Orleans businesses outside the affected metropolitan area. The department also has been in contact with an expert on economic incentives who is familiar with federal assistance programs. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Half of Slidell-area homes swampedWednesday, 11:20 a.m. The number of people in evacuation shelters in St. Tammany Parish rose to 2,168 Wednesday morning, according to Mayor Ben Morris. Although western St. Tammany was largely spared devastating flooding, offficals estimate that at least half the homes in Slidell and the surrounding areas were inundated with water. Morris said restoring electricty to Slidell and the surrounding areas won't be restored for 6 to 12 weeks. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Airport to allow humanitarian flightsWednesday 11:10 a.m. KENNER (AP) - The New Orleans International Airport has reopened to allow humanitarian flights in and out, officials said Wednesday. The flights at Louis Armstrong International Airport will take place only during daylight hours. The airport gave no indication of when commercial flights might resume. Officials said the airport has no significant airfield damage and had no standing water in aircraft movement areas. The airport sustained damage to its roofs, hangars and fencing, officials said. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	East Jeff flooding worsening; west bank deluged with evacueesWednesday, 11:05 a.m. By Matt Brown West Bank bureau Jefferson Parish Director of Emergency Management Walter Maestri said Wednesday morning that the flooding situation in East Jefferson was worsening. Officials said water from the breach in the 17th Street Canal levee was flowing across I-10 at the Orleans-Jefferson parish line and flowing into East Jefferson. Maestri said the parish was scrambling to build temporary levees at various Metairie locations to try to stop the flow. On the West Bank, where flooding was less prevalent, Jefferson Parish officials were grappling with a different crisis: Refugees from New Orleans were streaming over the Crescent City Connection in search of food, shelter and water. Maestri said the population at three west bank shelters was increasing by 200 people per hour. He put out a call for large food distributors that might be interested in donating food to the shelters to call the Emergency Management Center at (504) 349-5360. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Emergency generators at Charity and University hospitals out of fuel By Jan M oller Staff writer The emergency generators at Charity and University hospitals in downtown New Orleans ran out of fuel and shut down at 8 a.m. today, worsening an already intolerable situation for about 350 patients and more than 1,000 doctors, nurses and evacuees who sought shelter there. Donald Smithburg, who heads Louisiana State University's Health Care Services Division, said he's been told that fuel is available a few blocks from the hospitals' downtown New Orleans campus, but that authorities have not yet figured out how to transport it through the flooded streets to the hospitals. "It's my understanding that the fuel is nearby, it's just a problem of getting to it,'' Smithburg said. "I think the state is as frustrated as we are in findings ways to get it transported just a few blocks.'' The hospitals, which host the only Level 1 trauma center in southeast Louisiana and also serve as teaching hospitals for LSU's medical school, lost power during Katrina and lost use of their main emergency generator due to flooding. Since then, they had been receiving power from a number of smaller generators that have been used to support essential medical equipment. It has no water, sewerage or air conditioning and the lights have not been used in an effort to conserve electricity, Smithburg said. Although the trauma center was moved from ground level to a higher floor at Charity before the floodwaters set in, the waters are too high for the hospitals to admit any new patients, Smithburg said. Instead, the hospital is hoping to evacuate its patients to public hospitals in Alexandria, Lafayette, Shreveport, Lake Charles and Monroe. Smithburg said disaster medical teams are en route to Louisiana from Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, and that the charity system has enough physicians and other staff to handle the job. "I think it's not a question of having enough doctors and medics (in New Orleans). It's a question of getting the patients out of New Orleans,'' Smithburg said. About 20 patients on ventilators were evacuated Tuesday around nightfall, Smithburg said. Office of Homeland Security spokesman Mark Smith said Wednesday morning that Coast Guard and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries rescue workers are also focused on evacuating about 1,000 patients from Methodist Hospital. The LSU hospitals in Bogalusa and Houma also suffered storm damage and will not be receiving evacuees, Smithburg said. -Jan Moller Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Floating the city's deadWednesday, 10:46 p.m. WWL-TV reporter Karen Swensen related a particularly sad tale from a region overflowing with sad tales. One New Orleans woman waded through the streets of the city, trying to get her husband to Charity Hospital. He had died earlier and she floated his body through the inundated streets on a door that dome off their home. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	N.O.-booked conventions look to AtlantaWednesday, 10:40 a.m. ATLANTA (AP) - Organizers with a number of conventions that had been planned for New Orleans are now looking to Atlanta as a possible backup after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Big Easy. Representatives from at least five groups have called the Georgia World Congress Center and the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau over the last few days to see if the city could handle their business on short notice if needed, said Pattsie Rand, director of sales and marketing at the Georgia World Congress Center. "The calls we are getting are not that they want to move the conventions, but what are the possibilities of us accommodating them if they have to," Rand said Tuesday without specifying which conventions have contacted them. "Right now they are in the investigative stage." Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Some Port Fourchon docks to reopen todayBy Mark Schleifstein Staff writer At Port Fourchon, Louisiana’s sprawling oilfield service port just west of Grand Isle, storm surge pushed water 10 feet high through the docks and warehouses, according to Port Director Ted Falgout. He said some docks will reopen today, as oil companies attempt to begin re-staffing offshore facilities, but the supply line to the coast for truck traffic has been severed. “Vessels are now moving in and out of the port, but our inland supply chain through Bayou Lafourche is blocked by several sunken vessels and powerlines and bridges that can’t function without electricity,” Falgout said. “I camped out in our administrative offices and it was quite a ride,” he said. “We are utilizing our airport in Galliano as a heliport for impacted companies. Staff writer Mark Schleifstein can be reached at mersmia@cox.net Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Mississippi damages detailed (AP) - Town-by-town report of Mississippi coastal damage from Hurricane Katrina. Overall: U.S. 90 buried under several feet of sand ... communications down, transportation systems demolished ... medical services crippled ... high-water marks set by Camille shattered. Bay St. Louis: Whole neighborhoods washed away ... highway and railroad bridges to Biloxi demolished. Biloxi: Legacy Towers condos survive ... Ryans, Red Lobster, Olive Garden washed away along U.S. 90 ... Lighthouse still standing.... Ocean Springs Bridge gone ... bottom floor of the library and the home of Jefferson Davis home, Beauvoir, destroyed ... . Sharkshead Souvenir City gone ... Edgewater Village strip shopping center gutted ... Also gone: the steeple of historic Hansboro Presbyterian Church; Waters Edge II apartments; Diamondhead Yacht Club, the old neon McDonald's sign on Pass Road ... Massive damage in east end of city ... almost total devastation primarily south of the railroad tracks near Lee Street, Point Cadet and Casino Row Beau Rivage still stands ... Hard Rock Casino, originally scheduled to open this week, suffered 50 percent damages ... At least five casinos out of commission ... St. Thomas the Apostlic Catholic Church, which sits on U.S. 90, is gone. D'Iberville: New addition to Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church of D'Iberville destroyed; damage to sanctuary ... structural damage to D'Iberville High School ... hundreds of homes destroyed. Gulfport: Gulf Coast Medical Center lost power and evacuated patients to Alabama hospitals ... Mississippi State Port lost its lifting facilities and cranes ... Historical Grass Lawn building destroyed ... Fun Time USA left with only bumper boats, pool and go-cart track ... numerous businesses and homes on Pass Road damaged or destroyed ... dozens of homes missing on Beach Boulevard ... fire chief estimates 75 percent of buildings have major roof damage, "if they have a roof left at all" ... the storm surge crossed the CSX railroad tracks ... heavy damage to Memorial Hospital ... first floor of the Armed Forces Retirement Home flooded ... 3 of 4 walls have collapsed at Harrison Central 9th Grade School in North Gulfport ... at least three firehouses with significant damage. Hancock County: Emergency Operations Center swamped ... back of the county courthouse gave way. Harrison County: Old courthouse building destroyed ... damage to virtually all shelters ... Lyman Elementary lost two buildings ... Woolmarket Elementary lost its roof ... West Wortham Elementary has significant roof damage. Hattiesburg: A number of businesses and homes damaged in the area ... U.S. 49 and Highway 11 shut down ... Wind speeds of 95 mph. Jackson County: Open Springs Hospital remained open for emergency treatment ... Roof peeled off Emergency Operations Center. Long Beach: Most buildings within 200 yards of U.S. 90 disappeared ... Stately homes and apartment complexes that lined the shore are gone ... First Baptist Church is leveled. Moss Point: Floodwater surrounded two hotels full of guests ... Much of downtown destroyed ... 20 feet of water flooded most of the city. Pascagoula: Six blocks of Market Street destroyed ... Jackson County Emergency Management Agency had to relocate to the courthouse after the roof came off their building downtown ... roof came off the gym at St. Martin High School ... reports of flooding in the Chipley area. Pass Christian: Bridge to Bay St. Louis destroyed, along with several other bridges ... Harbor and beachfront community gone ... in eastern part of city, water rose to more than 20 feet above ground level ... flooding on Beatline Road at the 90-degree turn ... . House in the middle of the road on Second Street. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Oil reserves to be releasedWednesday, 10:15 WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration will release oil from federal petroleum reserves to help refiners affected by Hurricane Katrina, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Wednesday. The move, which was expected later in the day, is designed to give refineries a temporary supply of crude oil to take the place of interrupted shipments from tankers or offshore oil platforms affected by the storm. The U.S. Minerals Management Service said Tuesday that 95 percent of the Gulf of Mexico's oil output was out of service. Oil prices surged back above $70 in European markets on Wednesday but slipped quickly to $69.56 after disclosure of the decision involving the release of supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Eight refineries were shut down because of Katrina - half of them producing gasoline. The government's emergency petroleum stockpile - nearly 700 million barrels of oil stored in underground salt caverns along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast - was established to cushion oil markets during energy disruptions. The production and distribution of oil and gas remained severely disrupted by the shutdown of a key oil import terminal off the coast of Louisiana and by the Gulf region's widespread loss of electricity, which is needed to power pipelines and refineries. President Bush was returning to Washington on Wednesday to oversee the federal response to Katrina. He planned to chair a meeting of a White House task force set up to coordinate federal efforts, across more than a dozen agencies, to assist hurricane victims. Bush also was expected to visit the ravaged region by week's end, but details on that trip were in flux as the White House worked to make sure a presidential tour would not disrupt the relief and response efforts. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Pope issues statementTuesday, 10:15 a.m. Pope Benedict the XVI said he was praying for victims of Hurricane Katrina and urged rescue workers to perservere in bringing comfort to survivors. In a telegram to the world, the Pope said he was "deeply saddened to learn of the catastrophe caused by the storm.'' The telegram, sent by the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, said Benedict was praying for the victims and their families. "His Holiness, likewise, prays for the rescue workers and all involved in providing assistance to victims of this disaster, encouraging them to perservere in their efforts to ring relieve and support,'' the telegram said. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Lake level falling, official says State Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Johnny Bradberry said crews Wednesday were in the process of trying to close a 200-foot-long, 25-foot deep hole in a levee on the 17th Street Canal. Bradberrry said that helicopters could not work on the project Tuesday night because the helicopters that were supposed to maneuver the barriers in place were lacking the proper slings. But, Bradberry said the level of the lake is falling at a rate of a half-foot per hour and is likely to continue to that for the next two days. "That makes it better for us to work,'' he said. Meanwhile, as search and rescue operations continue in flood-ravaged New Orleans, state emergency officials Wednesday asked citizens with boats to stay away from the area. "We're being inundated with calls from citizens who want to help the rescue effort and (are) bringing boats,'' said Lt. Lawrence McLeary, a Louisiana State Police Spokesman. ''We're asking you not to do this at this time. There's just no place for you to be staged safely. At some point we may ask for your help.'' Mark Smith, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman, said 3,000 Louisiana National Guard members are helping with the rescue effort and that more guard troops are on their way from other states. The main focus Wednesday morning is to evacuate patients from hospitals and to evacuate the Superdome, where conditions are deteriorating for the estimated 15,000 people sheltered there. Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu confirmed that the state is "seriously considering'' busing people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. Some 10,000 evacuees are now housed in the Dome. -Jan Moller and Ed Anderson, staff writers Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Terrebonne updateWednesday, 10:04 a.m. Terrebonne Parish has apparently experienced only minor damage from Hurricane Katrina, according to Terrebonne Parish Public Works Director Al Levron. Levron said there have been some fallen trees in drainage collection canals that parish crews will begin clearing today. However, the loss of electricity in some locations has reduced pumping capacity in some drainage basins, he said. “Portable pumps are being mobilized at those limited locations,” Levron said. A debris-removal contractor was mobilizing on Wednesday morning and will begin removing trees and limbs later today. Levron asked residents to clean storm drains near their homes. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	A heavy sighWednesday, 10:03 a.m. It's an emotional time for everyone in south Lousiana - the media included. During a reading of odds and ends on WWL-TV this morning, Eric Paulson noted that St. Bernard Parish is entirely "gone.'' It brought a moment of almost stunned silence among him, Meg Farris, and Sally Ann Roberts - followed by a heavy, aubible sigh. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Evacuees to be sent to AstrodomeWednesday, 10 a.m. Some 25,000 evacuees from the New Orleans area, most of whom are being forced out of the Superdome due to rising floodwaters, will be bused in convoys to the Astrodome in Houston, officials said. FEMA is providing 475 buses for the convoy and the Astrodome's schedule has been cleared through December for housing evacuees, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry said. Other evacuees might be put up in the Ford Center in Beaumont, Texas, the Associated Press said. Although the number of people said to be gathered in the Superdome has fluctuated over the past three days, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Wednesday the number is 9,000 to 10,000. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)


	Help for businessesThe Louisiana Department of Economic Development has initiated efforts to aid New Orleans businesses. Mary Jo Hanover, economic development analyst, said Wednesday the department is looking for sites to relocate New Orleans businesses outside the affected metropolitan area. The department also has been in contact with an expert on economic incentives who is familiar with federal assistance programs. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Half of Slidell-area homes swampedWednesday, 11:20 a.m. The number of people in evacuation shelters in St. Tammany Parish rose to 2,168 Wednesday morning, according to Mayor Ben Morris. Although western St. Tammany was largely spared devastating flooding, offficals estimate that at least half the homes in Slidell and the surrounding areas were inundated with water. Morris said restoring electricty to Slidell and the surrounding areas won't be restored for 6 to 12 weeks. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Airport to allow humanitarian flightsWednesday 11:10 a.m. KENNER (AP) - The New Orleans International Airport has reopened to allow humanitarian flights in and out, officials said Wednesday. The flights at Louis Armstrong International Airport will take place only during daylight hours. The airport gave no indication of when commercial flights might resume. Officials said the airport has no significant airfield damage and had no standing water in aircraft movement areas. The airport sustained damage to its roofs, hangars and fencing, officials said. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	East Jeff flooding worsening; west bank deluged with evacueesWednesday, 11:05 a.m. By Matt Brown West Bank bureau Jefferson Parish Director of Emergency Management Walter Maestri said Wednesday morning that the flooding situation in East Jefferson was worsening. Officials said water from the breach in the 17th Street Canal levee was flowing across I-10 at the Orleans-Jefferson parish line and flowing into East Jefferson. Maestri said the parish was scrambling to build temporary levees at various Metairie locations to try to stop the flow. On the West Bank, where flooding was less prevalent, Jefferson Parish officials were grappling with a different crisis: Refugees from New Orleans were streaming over the Crescent City Connection in search of food, shelter and water. Maestri said the population at three west bank shelters was increasing by 200 people per hour. He put out a call for large food distributors that might be interested in donating food to the shelters to call the Emergency Management Center at (504) 349-5360. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Emergency generators at Charity and University hospitals out of fuel By Jan M oller Staff writer The emergency generators at Charity and University hospitals in downtown New Orleans ran out of fuel and shut down at 8 a.m. today, worsening an already intolerable situation for about 350 patients and more than 1,000 doctors, nurses and evacuees who sought shelter there. Donald Smithburg, who heads Louisiana State University's Health Care Services Division, said he's been told that fuel is available a few blocks from the hospitals' downtown New Orleans campus, but that authorities have not yet figured out how to transport it through the flooded streets to the hospitals. "It's my understanding that the fuel is nearby, it's just a problem of getting to it,'' Smithburg said. "I think the state is as frustrated as we are in findings ways to get it transported just a few blocks.'' The hospitals, which host the only Level 1 trauma center in southeast Louisiana and also serve as teaching hospitals for LSU's medical school, lost power during Katrina and lost use of their main emergency generator due to flooding. Since then, they had been receiving power from a number of smaller generators that have been used to support essential medical equipment. It has no water, sewerage or air conditioning and the lights have not been used in an effort to conserve electricity, Smithburg said. Although the trauma center was moved from ground level to a higher floor at Charity before the floodwaters set in, the waters are too high for the hospitals to admit any new patients, Smithburg said. Instead, the hospital is hoping to evacuate its patients to public hospitals in Alexandria, Lafayette, Shreveport, Lake Charles and Monroe. Smithburg said disaster medical teams are en route to Louisiana from Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, and that the charity system has enough physicians and other staff to handle the job. "I think it's not a question of having enough doctors and medics (in New Orleans). It's a question of getting the patients out of New Orleans,'' Smithburg said. About 20 patients on ventilators were evacuated Tuesday around nightfall, Smithburg said. Office of Homeland Security spokesman Mark Smith said Wednesday morning that Coast Guard and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries rescue workers are also focused on evacuating about 1,000 patients from Methodist Hospital. The LSU hospitals in Bogalusa and Houma also suffered storm damage and will not be receiving evacuees, Smithburg said. -Jan Moller Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Floating the city's deadWednesday, 10:46 p.m. WWL-TV reporter Karen Swensen related a particularly sad tale from a region overflowing with sad tales. One New Orleans woman waded through the streets of the city, trying to get her husband to Charity Hospital. He had died earlier and she floated his body through the inundated streets on a door that dome off their home. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	N.O.-booked conventions look to AtlantaWednesday, 10:40 a.m. ATLANTA (AP) - Organizers with a number of conventions that had been planned for New Orleans are now looking to Atlanta as a possible backup after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Big Easy. Representatives from at least five groups have called the Georgia World Congress Center and the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau over the last few days to see if the city could handle their business on short notice if needed, said Pattsie Rand, director of sales and marketing at the Georgia World Congress Center. "The calls we are getting are not that they want to move the conventions, but what are the possibilities of us accommodating them if they have to," Rand said Tuesday without specifying which conventions have contacted them. "Right now they are in the investigative stage." Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Some Port Fourchon docks to reopen todayBy Mark Schleifstein Staff writer At Port Fourchon, Louisiana’s sprawling oilfield service port just west of Grand Isle, storm surge pushed water 10 feet high through the docks and warehouses, according to Port Director Ted Falgout. He said some docks will reopen today, as oil companies attempt to begin re-staffing offshore facilities, but the supply line to the coast for truck traffic has been severed. “Vessels are now moving in and out of the port, but our inland supply chain through Bayou Lafourche is blocked by several sunken vessels and powerlines and bridges that can’t function without electricity,” Falgout said. “I camped out in our administrative offices and it was quite a ride,” he said. “We are utilizing our airport in Galliano as a heliport for impacted companies. Staff writer Mark Schleifstein can be reached at mersmia@cox.net Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Mississippi damages detailed (AP) - Town-by-town report of Mississippi coastal damage from Hurricane Katrina. Overall: U.S. 90 buried under several feet of sand ... communications down, transportation systems demolished ... medical services crippled ... high-water marks set by Camille shattered. Bay St. Louis: Whole neighborhoods washed away ... highway and railroad bridges to Biloxi demolished. Biloxi: Legacy Towers condos survive ... Ryans, Red Lobster, Olive Garden washed away along U.S. 90 ... Lighthouse still standing.... Ocean Springs Bridge gone ... bottom floor of the library and the home of Jefferson Davis home, Beauvoir, destroyed ... . Sharkshead Souvenir City gone ... Edgewater Village strip shopping center gutted ... Also gone: the steeple of historic Hansboro Presbyterian Church; Waters Edge II apartments; Diamondhead Yacht Club, the old neon McDonald's sign on Pass Road ... Massive damage in east end of city ... almost total devastation primarily south of the railroad tracks near Lee Street, Point Cadet and Casino Row Beau Rivage still stands ... Hard Rock Casino, originally scheduled to open this week, suffered 50 percent damages ... At least five casinos out of commission ... St. Thomas the Apostlic Catholic Church, which sits on U.S. 90, is gone. D'Iberville: New addition to Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church of D'Iberville destroyed; damage to sanctuary ... structural damage to D'Iberville High School ... hundreds of homes destroyed. Gulfport: Gulf Coast Medical Center lost power and evacuated patients to Alabama hospitals ... Mississippi State Port lost its lifting facilities and cranes ... Historical Grass Lawn building destroyed ... Fun Time USA left with only bumper boats, pool and go-cart track ... numerous businesses and homes on Pass Road damaged or destroyed ... dozens of homes missing on Beach Boulevard ... fire chief estimates 75 percent of buildings have major roof damage, "if they have a roof left at all" ... the storm surge crossed the CSX railroad tracks ... heavy damage to Memorial Hospital ... first floor of the Armed Forces Retirement Home flooded ... 3 of 4 walls have collapsed at Harrison Central 9th Grade School in North Gulfport ... at least three firehouses with significant damage. Hancock County: Emergency Operations Center swamped ... back of the county courthouse gave way. Harrison County: Old courthouse building destroyed ... damage to virtually all shelters ... Lyman Elementary lost two buildings ... Woolmarket Elementary lost its roof ... West Wortham Elementary has significant roof damage. Hattiesburg: A number of businesses and homes damaged in the area ... U.S. 49 and Highway 11 shut down ... Wind speeds of 95 mph. Jackson County: Open Springs Hospital remained open for emergency treatment ... Roof peeled off Emergency Operations Center. Long Beach: Most buildings within 200 yards of U.S. 90 disappeared ... Stately homes and apartment complexes that lined the shore are gone ... First Baptist Church is leveled. Moss Point: Floodwater surrounded two hotels full of guests ... Much of downtown destroyed ... 20 feet of water flooded most of the city. Pascagoula: Six blocks of Market Street destroyed ... Jackson County Emergency Management Agency had to relocate to the courthouse after the roof came off their building downtown ... roof came off the gym at St. Martin High School ... reports of flooding in the Chipley area. Pass Christian: Bridge to Bay St. Louis destroyed, along with several other bridges ... Harbor and beachfront community gone ... in eastern part of city, water rose to more than 20 feet above ground level ... flooding on Beatline Road at the 90-degree turn ... . House in the middle of the road on Second Street. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Oil reserves to be releasedWednesday, 10:15 WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration will release oil from federal petroleum reserves to help refiners affected by Hurricane Katrina, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Wednesday. The move, which was expected later in the day, is designed to give refineries a temporary supply of crude oil to take the place of interrupted shipments from tankers or offshore oil platforms affected by the storm. The U.S. Minerals Management Service said Tuesday that 95 percent of the Gulf of Mexico's oil output was out of service. Oil prices surged back above $70 in European markets on Wednesday but slipped quickly to $69.56 after disclosure of the decision involving the release of supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Eight refineries were shut down because of Katrina - half of them producing gasoline. The government's emergency petroleum stockpile - nearly 700 million barrels of oil stored in underground salt caverns along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast - was established to cushion oil markets during energy disruptions. The production and distribution of oil and gas remained severely disrupted by the shutdown of a key oil import terminal off the coast of Louisiana and by the Gulf region's widespread loss of electricity, which is needed to power pipelines and refineries. President Bush was returning to Washington on Wednesday to oversee the federal response to Katrina. He planned to chair a meeting of a White House task force set up to coordinate federal efforts, across more than a dozen agencies, to assist hurricane victims. Bush also was expected to visit the ravaged region by week's end, but details on that trip were in flux as the White House worked to make sure a presidential tour would not disrupt the relief and response efforts. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Pope issues statementTuesday, 10:15 a.m. Pope Benedict the XVI said he was praying for victims of Hurricane Katrina and urged rescue workers to perservere in bringing comfort to survivors. In a telegram to the world, the Pope said he was "deeply saddened to learn of the catastrophe caused by the storm.'' The telegram, sent by the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, said Benedict was praying for the victims and their families. "His Holiness, likewise, prays for the rescue workers and all involved in providing assistance to victims of this disaster, encouraging them to perservere in their efforts to ring relieve and support,'' the telegram said. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Lake level falling, official says State Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Johnny Bradberry said crews Wednesday were in the process of trying to close a 200-foot-long, 25-foot deep hole in a levee on the 17th Street Canal. Bradberrry said that helicopters could not work on the project Tuesday night because the helicopters that were supposed to maneuver the barriers in place were lacking the proper slings. But, Bradberry said the level of the lake is falling at a rate of a half-foot per hour and is likely to continue to that for the next two days. "That makes it better for us to work,'' he said. Meanwhile, as search and rescue operations continue in flood-ravaged New Orleans, state emergency officials Wednesday asked citizens with boats to stay away from the area. "We're being inundated with calls from citizens who want to help the rescue effort and (are) bringing boats,'' said Lt. Lawrence McLeary, a Louisiana State Police Spokesman. ''We're asking you not to do this at this time. There's just no place for you to be staged safely. At some point we may ask for your help.'' Mark Smith, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman, said 3,000 Louisiana National Guard members are helping with the rescue effort and that more guard troops are on their way from other states. The main focus Wednesday morning is to evacuate patients from hospitals and to evacuate the Superdome, where conditions are deteriorating for the estimated 15,000 people sheltered there. Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu confirmed that the state is "seriously considering'' busing people from the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. Some 10,000 evacuees are now housed in the Dome. -Jan Moller and Ed Anderson, staff writers Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Terrebonne updateWednesday, 10:04 a.m. Terrebonne Parish has apparently experienced only minor damage from Hurricane Katrina, according to Terrebonne Parish Public Works Director Al Levron. Levron said there have been some fallen trees in drainage collection canals that parish crews will begin clearing today. However, the loss of electricity in some locations has reduced pumping capacity in some drainage basins, he said. “Portable pumps are being mobilized at those limited locations,” Levron said. A debris-removal contractor was mobilizing on Wednesday morning and will begin removing trees and limbs later today. Levron asked residents to clean storm drains near their homes. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	A heavy sighWednesday, 10:03 a.m. It's an emotional time for everyone in south Lousiana - the media included. During a reading of odds and ends on WWL-TV this morning, Eric Paulson noted that St. Bernard Parish is entirely "gone.'' It brought a moment of almost stunned silence among him, Meg Farris, and Sally Ann Roberts - followed by a heavy, aubible sigh. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)
	Evacuees to be sent to AstrodomeWednesday, 10 a.m. Some 25,000 evacuees from the New Orleans area, most of whom are being forced out of the Superdome due to rising floodwaters, will be bused in convoys to the Astrodome in Houston, officials said. FEMA is providing 475 buses for the convoy and the Astrodome's schedule has been cleared through December for housing evacuees, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry said. Other evacuees might be put up in the Ford Center in Beaumont, Texas, the Associated Press said. Although the number of people said to be gathered in the Superdome has fluctuated over the past three days, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Wednesday the number is 9,000 to 10,000. Print \| Send To A Friend \| Permalink (Learn More)

Communications are down