Astonishing Exclusive From Mississippi [hundreds if not thousands dead]

Paramedic Rescue Operation | 8-31-05 | My Favorite Headache

[My Favorite Headache]

It is with heavy heart I write this...

I have finally reconnected with my best friend who is a paramedic who was sent from Georgia 2 days ago to Gulf Port, Mississippi before the hurricane hit.

He just reached me within the last 10 mins via emergency cell phone to tell me he was alive.

Thousands of bodies have been discovered throughout Mississippi in Gulf Port, Waveland,Hancock County,Bay of St.Louis.

They are hanging in trees and they are pulling them out 30 at a time. Entire families found drowned in their homes and washing up on shore.

The stories he could tell me were brief. National Guard is on the scene and arresting anyone seen on the streets.

The numbers are staggering and what I have been told tonight will shake people to their foundation as the numbers will be coming out in the next 24-hours of just how many people have actually perished in these and 3 other beach communities.

More to follow....

[mercy]

It would help if the Governor would call the evac in a timely fashion.

[nwctwx]

Here is a before and after (not dial-up friendly, but probably worth the wait).

http://www.easternuswx.com/bb/index.php?showtopic=48689

There were clouds along most of the LA/MS area, but the SE part of LA looks to have changed quite a bit. NO is part of the lake.. and look all the way east to Mobile bay (and the smaller one to the east)... the darker areas indicate how far up the surge went... it's simply amazing.

[prisoner6]

Before Katrina hit CNN or FOX was showing vid of a a cop or guardsman telling a man S of NOLA he had to evacuate. If he didn't he'd be taken away in cuffs. The fellow - typical stereotyped ol' Cajun was arguing ...told the cop the last time a 'cane came through a family left their home and was killed on the highway...said when the man upstairs calls it doesn't matter where you are you're gonna go.

Eventually the cop gave up and left the guy. I wonder where he is right now. There have been reports in the Times-Picayune that after flyovers of areas - presumably like where this guy was - they are just not there anymore...NO signs of life...everything and everyone gone.

Sadly I would probably have been like the guy who refused to leave.

prisoner6

[Maigrey]

People who heard the boy cry wolf one too many times didn't listen, and the wolf swollowed them whole.

[dixiechick2000]

You're welcome.

This is the hardest ping I've ever done.

[dennis1x]

The Hurricane Center downgraded too soon, it seems

the nhc downgraded well after winds had dropped below cat 5, they were extremely liberal with wind speeds at landfall as recon only showed 130-140mph. hurricanes arent rated based on size, they are rated on winds....not that downgrading to a cat 4 had any affect on anything....nor does a cat 4 carry any less warning and near begging for people to evacuate blame canada, blame osama, hell...maybe even blame the people who ignored 2 days of evacuation pleas....but dont blame the NHC.

[Aria]

OMG....your friend is one of the heros...how hard that must be to see..those poor people!

[nunya bidness]

Thanks for the news. I'm speechless.

[flowergirl]

freep mail me her address and we will send her a check too

[geopyg]

How about HAM radio? I thought these guys were still very much around for this kind of thing. One would think four or five deep cell marine batteries with a few solar chargers could keep them running indefinitly?

[nutmeg]

Here's a horrible thought, but we must think about it. What a time this would be for terrorists to strike. I believe there are large numbers of them here, and I think the may be prepared to hit.

Exactly what my husband also said on Monday, Doug... :-(

[McGavin999]

There is an awful lot of backwoods folks down in that area. Probably no way to communicate with some of them. Add to that the fact that all the media talked about was NO and many of them probably thought they were safe.

Good Lord, this hurts.

[Hugin]

Here's an exerpt from an AP aricle...

One Mississippi county alone said its death toll was at least 100, and officials are "very, very worried that this is going to go a lot higher," said Joe Spraggins, civil defense director for Harrison County, home to Biloxi and Gulfport. In neighboring Jackson County, officials said at least 10 deaths were blamed on the storm.

Several victims in Harrison County were from a beachfront apartment building that collapsed under a 25-foot wall of water as Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast with 145-mph winds. And Louisiana officials said many were feared dead there, too, making Katrina one of the most punishing storms to hit the United States in decades.

After touring the destruction by air, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said it is not of case of homes being severely damaged, "they're simply not there. ... I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago."

[Graybeard58]

Very informative and well worth repeating:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HURRICANE_KATRINA?SITE=RIWAR&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&SECTION=HOME

[Lancey Howard]

Prayers.

[ConservativeStatement]

I think Joe Scarborough (MSNBC) was in Mississippi. Fox had someone there, too. I did hear one commentator state emphatically not to forget about Mississippi and Alabama just because they aren't media centers like New Orleans (It may have been O'Reilly's fill-in John Kasich).

[Quix]

AMEN AMEN AMEN

[bonfire]

Thanks. I will do that when I know her email.

God bless you.

[My Favorite Headache]

Hey kristinn...good speaking with you the other night...tripling the number is lowballing it according to the medics and rescuers...bodies littered in trees etc...it's going to get ugly real quick...and we haven't even gotten to La. numbers.

[Neanderthal]

"Remember when the tsunami hit a while back ... it was days before the numbers really started adding up ... I'm afraid the worst may not be over"

Exactly right. The tsunami toll, according to early MSM reports, was about 1,000, IIRC.