Katrina Live Thread, Part XIII

Various ^ | 1 September 2005 | Various

[NautiNurse]

28,000 National Guard troops are deployed to the disaster areas in Mississippi, Alabama, and to Louisiana, where SWAT teams are working to combat the looters and shooters in New Orleans. Additional 1400 National Guard troops are being deployed daily.

Shootings reported at a New Orleans hospital, rescue boats, and a military helicopter, while conditions continue to deteriorate at the SuperDome amid refugee deaths and chaos. Evacuation of New Orleans continues.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert has voiced serious doubts about rebuilding New Orleans with federal funds, while assuring the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida that the United States Congress stands ready to help them in their time of need. New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin issued a "desperate SOS."

Doctors at two desperately crippled hospitals in New Orleans called The Associated Press Thursday morning pleading for rescue, "We have been trying to call the mayor's office, we have been trying to call the governor's office ... we have tried to use any inside pressure we can. We are turning to you. Please help us," said Dr. Norman McSwain, chief of trauma surgery at Charity Hospital, the largest of two public hospitals.

The Port of New Orleans is now open to shallow draft vessels. Congress is reconvening in an emergency session. International offers to assist the U.S. have been received from Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Honduras, Germany, Venezuela, Jamaica, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, China, South Korea, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, NATO and the Organization of American States.

Jesse Jackson has arrived in Louisiana...

Links to various news, local and state government websites:

WLOX TV Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagula has link to locate family and friends
2theAdvocate - Baton Rouge Includes Slidell, St. John Parish, St. Bernard Parish updates, and other locations.
NOLA.com
Inside Houma Today includes shelter and volunteer updates
WLBT.com Jackson MS
WALA Channel 4 Mobile, AL Includes links to distribution centers, Emergency Ops, etc.
Sun-Herald Gulfport MS Includes link to town by town reports
Gulfport News via Topix.net
WAFB Baton Rouge
Mobile Register via al.com
Mississippi updates via Jackson Ledger
Lafayette LA Daily Advertiser
Pensacola News Journal
St Bernard Local Government
Alabama Homeland Security Volunteers can sign up online
Alabama DOT
Alabama.gov
Louisiana Homeland Security
Louisiana State Police road closure info
State of Mississippi Website has traffic alerts, emergency contact numbers

Streaming Video:

WWL-TV (via CBS): WWLTV via CBS
WWL-TV Now via WFAA Dallas **NEW LINK**: http://www.wwltv.com/cgi-bin/bi/video/makeadplaylist.pl?title=beloint_wfaa&live=yes
WDSU-TV: http://mfile.akamai.com/12912/live/reflector:38843.asx
WPMI-TV: http://www.wpmi.com/mediacenter/default.aspx?videoId=113739
WKRG-TV: mms://wmbcast.mgeneral.speedera.net/wmbcast.mgeneral/wmbcast_mgeneral_aug262005_1435_95518
WTOK-TV Temporarily Not Live Streaming (follow the link on the home page): http://www.wtok.com/
WJTV-TV: mms://wmbcast.mgeneral.speedera.net/wmbcast.mgeneral/wmbcast_mgeneral_aug262005_1435_95563
Louisiana Statewide Katrina Network (WJBO-AM Baton Rouge): http://ccri.eonstreams.com/ccri_la_batonrouge_wjbo_am.asf
Gulf Coast Storm Network (radio): http://www.stormalert.net/main.html#
Louisiana Scanner

Related FR Threads:

FYI: Hurricane Katrina Freeper SIGN IN Thread FReeper Check In thread
Discussion Thread - Hurricane Katrina - What Went Wrong?!?
Post Hurricane Katrina IMAGES Here
Looting Begins In New Orleans
Hurricane Katrina HOUSING Thread
Martial Law Declared in New Orleans

Due to the number of requests to assist, the following list of some charities is provided.
This is not intended as an endorsement for any of the charities.

www.redcross.org or 1-800 HELP NOW - note: website is slow, and lines are busy
Salvation Army - 1-800-SAL-ARMY or Salvation Army currently looking for in-state volunteers - (888)363-2769
Operation Blessing: (800) 436-6348.
America's Second Harvest: (800) 344-8070.
Catholic Charities USA: (800) 919-9338, or www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee: (800) 848-5818.
Church World Service: (800) 297-1516 or online at www.churchworldservice. org.
Lutheran Disaster Response: (800) 638-3522.
Nazarene Disaster Response: (888) 256-5886.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: (800) 872-3283.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is accepting donations at its 3,800 stores and Web site, www.walmart.com.
National Black Home Educators Resource Association http://www.nbhera.org/

Previous Threads:
Katrina Live Thread, Party XII
Katrina Live Thread, Part XI
Katrina Live Thread, Part X
Katrina Live Thread, Part IX
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part VIII
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part VII
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part VI
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part V
Hurricane Katrina, Live Thread, Part IV
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part III
Katrina Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Katrina Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm 12

[Laverne]

Typical. Cafferty is such a jerk. Also typical for CNN overall, heaven forbid that they discuss the ineptitude of the NO Mayor or LA Gov. CNN should changed its handle to CBB -- Constantly Bashing Bush. They are horendous.

[sockmonkey]

The race card should be: Why did the Mayor issue a mandatory evac order and have NO MEANS to evacuate people that had no means to leave? Just how were they to comply?

I posted on an earlier thread a listing of the money NO had received for emergency preparedness from the goverment. The info came from the City of New Orleans website. I went back today, and added up the figures. They were given over 45 million dollars to come up with, and implement a plan.

Am I stupid to think that forty five million dollars for one fiscal year is not enough to at least come up with some kind of a plan that would have benefitted some of those people? What did NO do with that forty five million dollars?

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Like I have said at least 3 times, I never thought of using them for after storm evacuations. In fact, I was one of the ones that said the roads and bridges have to be recertified.

As it is, if people wanted to do trains in advance, they would have to have it organized in advance. Nobody could just say, duh! but the planners and organizers if they wanted to use rail as an option could have certainly had it planned in advance with Amtrak. But, and this is a valid point, people outside of the NE corridor don't think about train travel. When I last took the train back about 85, the Crescent ran one train a day from NO to DC, and one the opposite way. I suspect schedules like that could have been worked with.

I do understand how train schedules work and such. I was thinking why hasn't this become part of a master plan? And I think the answer is, no body thinks about it, so there are no contingency equipment or ways to use the trains, and considering their ability to move people easily and in number it's a shame. Ah well.

It's like leaving the school busses in the bus barn. Why didn't they put that into the master plan as well?

Could have been done, if someone thought about it and was prepared for it, and hadn't tried to wish the storm away a whole extra day.

Thank God we don't have to evacuate large cities often. The experience here in NO shows how hard it is to do it on short notice, and how many things nobody's going to think about doing cause their contingency plans aren't real enough.


Speaking of trains.

I've been looking at some high res pics of NO East, and there are derailed train cars, tossed and turned everywhere you look. I knew they moved a lot of freight in NO, but it takes a moment like this to bring home how important a nexus point for trade NO has been.

I though I still had the link for the site up, but I cloesed it. It's a NOAA site, I think. I got to it through the WDSU website.

[BlackRain]

I sincerely hope that someone is recording all the police/fire/NG/CG/military scanner traffic.

It is unnerving to hear how unorganized the response is. Hopefully, it can be used as a training aid in the future on how not to handle a disaster.

The last bit was unbelievable. We have 8,000 to 10,000 people dropped off on a highway and no one knows why.

There is a lack of centralized command to coordinate activities.

[Republican Red]

CNN's Aaron Brown last night asked their CNN Pentagon reporter (I think his name is Jamie McIntyre) what the effect of the Iraq War has been on the hurricane rescue.

CNN Reporter actually said "they looked at this question from every angle and found that the War had NIL effect." The Guard needed are Military police not combat soldiers. The Military police were readily available. This guy basically admitted they were looking for anything they could sensationalize but found no evidence.

Once again I see that not even Cafferty watched CNN.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Oh my gosh, I didn't read far enough to where he switched his party affiliation to become mayor of NO.

[Amalie]

Karl, my mom just called me from DE, and my brother (Army reserves), who could not go to Iraq due to a medical problem, is leaving for MS in the morning. He has been told that his group will probably be doing body recovery. Already, the likelihood for disease and contamination is very great - he has been told to bring a change of clothes, military or otherwise, for each of the 14 days he will be gone. These guys are going to need meds and clean-up areas before and after the fact each day. Not sure what the policy for body containment will be after recovery. We're just at the onset of the problems we are facing, and that statement has nothing to do with the fall of NO...

[EBH]

Yup. Ditto that.

[pitinkie]

Koppel was just as bad as Cafferty last night on Nightlie...spelling intended!

[steveegg]

I have to peel at 3pm too. You have a good one, and know that the cav is in NO.

Next shift.

I'm also punching out at 3 for a while.

[rawsnacks]

For those of you that want a live blog from NO.....
http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/
http://mgno.com/

and from houston
http://blogs.chron.com/domeblog/

[jeffers]

I have that one and others archived.

Plenty of ammo for the post rescue battles that are shaping up, but more is always better.

Can already imagine the evening news..."The World Wants To Know Why The Delay?!"

(Audio dubbed in over footage of huge convoys rolling in and the refugees cheering)

Gonna be a LOT of post production work in putting tonight's segments together.

Boots on, spin repulsors set to "kill".

[hummingbird]

A lot of Democrats are now talking religion. Wonder what ACLU thinks of that.

Oh, ACLU will cringe a little bit but they are probably too busy examining their fingernails and whistling to themselves to say anything about it. ACLU is so very selective on who they attack on the whole religion "thingie."

[Libertarian444]

August 6, 2003

CNN's Cafferty pleads guilty to hit-run in New York

NEW YORK -- Like most journalists, CNN morning anchor Jack Cafferty would prefer to cover news than make it.

Especially when it's bad news.

But Tuesday, Cafferty was the story, being met by photographers as he entered a midtown court to plead guilty in a May 14 hit-and-run accident. According to the criminal complaint, Cafferty was made an abrupt turn and hit bicyclist Billy Maldonado.

About five people tried to stop Cafferty by running after the car, according to the complaint, but the newsman continued through at least two red lights, while dragging the bicycle underneath the vehicle. Maldonado, 48, who was knocked to the ground, suffered bruises and some bone damage.

Cafferty was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, assault and harassment. He was allowed to plead guilty to a traffic violation: Operating a motor vehicle knowing or having cause to know property damage had been caused. He was sentenced to 70 hours of community service, with six months to complete it, and a $250 fine. He also made restitution.

Cafferty had no comment Tuesday but the criminal complaint said Cafferty told police he saw the bicyclist get off the ground but didn't realize he had hit him. "I am unaware I was in an accident," he said.

Attorney Suzanne Holzberg, who represents Maldonado, expressed disappointment over the proceedings. "I think he got off pretty easy," she said. Maldonado, she said, still needs an operation on his right elbow.

[Jrabbit]

Was it the mayor or the guv that told people to go to their attics to escape the floods? Of course, nobody that was in the flood could hear this....no electricity, etc.

[uncitizen]

Not sure what the policy for body containment will be after recovery.

Where do you bury 10,000+ bodies? I suppose they'll have to be cremated. Most will not even be DNA'd. BTW, the Superdome should be burned to the ground.

[nuclady]

Whooeee... just on Hannity: gave Nagin's speech on tape then absolutely hammered it! Way to go!!!