Children's Hospital under seige(UPDATE No Children's Hospital Looting 4:35 p.m.)

Times-Picayune ^ | 8/30/2005

[Free Vulcan]

Late Tuesday, Gov. Blanco spokeswoman Denise Bottcher described a disturbing scene unfolding in uptown New Orleans, where looters were trying to break into Children's Hospital.

Bottcher said the director of the hospital fears for the safety of the staff and the 100 kids inside the hospital. The director said the hospital is locked, but that the looters were trying to break in and had gathered outside the facility.

***********

No Children's Hospital Looting 4:35 p.m.

Doug Mittelstaedt, vice-president of Human Resources for Children's Hospital in New Orleans, said one of the biggest issues at the hospital on Wednesday was debunking the prevalent rumor that looters had stormed the hospital.

Mittelstaedt said things actually were operating smoothly at the hospital - the generator was running efficiently and efforts to relocate patients were going well - but fighting the rumor was a major issue.

Officials had to lock the doors of the hospital because people had arrived, apparently thinking there was a mob scene and they could get in on looting.

He said the hospital has been flooded with calls offering assistance from other Children's Hospitals in Louisiana and Texas. "The amount of calls we have gotten for support have been overwhelming," Mittelstaedt said. "The phones literally have been ringing off the hook."

With so many calls, Mittelstaedt said officials have been able to match up the 100 patients with hospitals that specialize in the particular treatments for each.

[OpusatFR]

They are after the drugs.

[TaxRelief]

Drugs.

[TaxRelief]

Drugs, Ken, drugs.

[EBH]

Actually, I was thinking just the opposite. I'd pay a million bucks to get those children to safety and provide the bullets to do it too.

[chgomac]

Here's my theory of what's happening in hospitals, care facilities, etc.....based on past experience:

Dr.s, nurses, assistants, & techs who were working the Sat. 8/27 day shift and did't want to leave patients unattended are still working. Some from that shift felt they had no choice but to go home to their families (the security people?). We're now in the 4th day and most workers could not be away from home that long.

This is what happened in 1967 when a massive snow storm hit Chicago and paralyzed the city for over a week. On the third day, radio announcers were begging anyone able-bodied enough to go to the nearest hospital or nursing home. The sleleton shifts that had stayed were exhausted & unable to provide skilled services plus do all the housekeeping, food service, etc. There was a desperate need for help feeding people, changing beds, everything. It was the first time we used helocopters for rescue and aid....they were the heroes, bringing food supplies to drop off points.

[keats5]

I'd give this another day, and people will take the law into their own hands.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

There will always be a segment of society that lines the bottom of the barrel. I have to believe those in charge have taken that into consideration.

[EBH]

Actually, it seems this is not so much due to low troops here at home, but to p*ss poor emergency management and the widespread damage. Areas of the city are/were flooding and as harsh as it may sound as we sit here and watch from the comfort of our living rooms, I know there is not an EMC that would knowingly send rescuers into a death trap, especially to stop looters. The animals have figured this out.

Even on 9/11 the firemen were called back out of the second tower, they didn't make it out, but the EMC on scene had issued the order to get out, even if it meant many people would have died.

[daybreakcoming]

Someone needs to send the LA governor on her world media tour and put the military IN CHARGE.
After the worst of this is over, Louisiana citizens need to take a good look at Blanco and consider a recall or impeachment. A former school teacher, she was waaay out of her depth before this.

[SVTCobra03]

"Just an observation: I hope this is not due to our being spread too thin as far as troops available is concerned. That would not bode well for the country if we were ever hit hard in more than one place at a time due to a natural or man-made disaster."

After the dust settles, or more accurately the waters recede, it might be a good idea if we have a thread on preparing for just such an occurance. With a hurricane you have enough warning to get out. With a WMD attack you need to plan ahead of time what to do. Whether to bugout or hunker down with stored food, water, medicine, guns, ammo, etc.

[30 something american]

Blanco looks like a deer in the headlights, she's no more of a leader than the elected mayor of NO.
As much like an average 'every day Joe' that Foster was, he'd have had full control of this situation, barking orders and demanding solutions, Blanco looks like she's minutes away from a nervous breakdown.

Compare Louisiana's reactions (my state) with the unfiltered reactions of the government of Alabama's reaction yesterday when Rita Crosby ask *them* about looting....


People with any smarts can see from this regional example, just where'd we'd be right now had Gore been in control of this country on Sept. 11, 2001.

The president needs to take control now....

TS

[TaxRelief]

Why drugs?

For an addict, the fix comes first ahead of food, water and shelter.

[quack]

Time to fire up some hovercraft.I know the military has some.Where are they?

[daybreakcoming]

Well your sympathy for the mob outside the hospital is misplaced even if they are addicted to water as you say. So are the children and the people taking care of them and guess what!! It's theirs! Odd that you would favor the mob's thirst for water (like that's what they want) over the children's.

[thoughtomator]

Just in case anyone was wondering why we still need the 2nd Amendment... this is it.

[daybreakcoming]

Agreed. If this disaster had to happen - would have been in better shape today if Foster were still governor. He could at least think on his feet - unlike Blanco who is evidently one of the rare women who cannot multi-task.

Did you see Mary Landrieu last night actually mouthing her words for her during one of her media events? You could tell she was itching for that mike.

[TaxRelief]

Heroin abuse is increasing in the New Orleans metropolitan area, yet the problem is minimal throughout the rest of the state. Female arrestees testing opiate-positive in New Orleans increased from 3.4 percent in 1998 to 7 percent in 1999 while the number of males testing positive increased from 12.9 percent to 13.5 percent. According to Louisiana SEWG statistics, primary heroin treatment admissions increased in Orleans Parish from 60 in 1993 to 384 in 1999. Heroin/ morphine ED mentions increased 374 percent from 1993 to 1999 (140 to 664). (See USDOJ-Table 4.) Both law enforcement personnel and addiction counselors assert that heroin is the drug of choice for a growing number of young people in inner-city New Orleans. Most treatment counselors assert many young people in the inner city have a perception that heroin is not as harmful as crack.

Repeated heroin use produces tolerance and physical dependence. Physical dependence causes the user’s body to adapt to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced. Withdrawal symptoms begin within a few hours of last use and can include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and involuntary leg movements. These symptoms peak between 24 and 48 hours after the last dose and subside after about a week, but may persist for up to a month.