| | | Page 1, 2 | Latest Katirna updates
| Anonymous Coward
8/31/2005 2:35 PM
Report abusive post | Latest Katirna updates
| Quote |
1:19 P.M. - (AP) Mayor Ray Nagin says at least hundreds of people are dead -- maybe thousands -- in New Orleans.
1:12 P.M. - WWL-TVīs Josh McElveen describes the stench coming from the bathrooms in the Superdome as horrific.
1:03 P.M. - Mayor Nagin: Medical ship on the way to New Orleans.
12:56 P.M. - Governor Blanco - Time is not on our side for stopping the levee break. There were two breaches, when we thought there was only one. Communicatiion, or lack of same caused the problem.
12:55 P.M. - MIAMI (AP) -- Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines says it is considering a federal request that the company use some of its cruise ships as emergency shelters or help in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in some other way.
12:53 P.M. - Governor Blanco - thousands still need to be rescued.
12:52 P.M. - Governor Blanco: We will rebuild.
12:51 P.M. - Governor Blanco: The magnitude of this is overwhelming.
12:15 P.M. - Army Corps: 1,200 sandbags that are 20,000 pounds each are being brought in to bridge gap...water level is no longer rising.
12:11 P.M. - Army Corps: Water has become level with the Lake in the city so no more water should flow into the city, except at high tide.
12:10 P.M. - Engineers and construction experts are at the 17th Street Canal. Theyīve filled 100, 3,000 pound sandbags and are trying to drop the bags and concrete barriers into the area.
11:49 A.M. - (AP) AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas is opening its doors to hurricane refugees from neighboring Louisiana.
Texas Governor Rick Perry says he expects evacuees to start arriving within the next 24 hours at the Houston Astrodome. He says Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco asked him this morning if the Astrodome could house the 23-thousand people currently being sheltered at the Superdome in Louisiana, and he quickly agreed. He says even before the request, Texas officials had been talking about using the Astrodome as a long-term shelter for people already stranded in Texas because of the storm.
Perry says the hurricane survivors are welcome in Texas for "as long as they want to stay." Children who are sheltered at the Astrodome will be able to attend public schools in Houston. Perry says the Astrodome schedule has been cleared through December.
11:46 A.M. - WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal emergency officials are looking for two-thousand Homeland Security Department workers to volunteer for hurricane relief efforts. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has told Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff a-thousand people are needed within 48 hours and two-thousand within a week.
11:40 - (AP) Roving bands of looters are breaking into stores in Carrollton area to get food and supplies. Theyīve also stolen guns and armed themselves.
11:33 A.M. - Director Walter Maestri: We have no food or water for the evacuees. Says emergency workers have seized the food and water and drinks from Samīs Club, Wal-Mart and other groceries for evacuees, but he said that is all gone. Says water supply is gone. More water expected, but its not there right now. Says evacuees are getting upset and harried.
11:32 A.M. - Director Walter Maestri: FEMA and national agencies not delivering the help nearly as fast as it is needed. |
| OAW nli
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
"Theyīve also stolen guns and armed themselves."
Well that canīt be good..... |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
2:04 P.M. - WAFB-TV video shows hundreds of people in the Uptown area near Claiborne and Napoleon, stuck in apartments and other buildings and waving for help. Helicopters are rescuing one or two at a time.
1:45 P.M. - WWL-TVīs Mike Ross says "do not come back (to Slidell and Grand Isle)."
1:39 P.M. - Hoss: Wind damage seen at the Target store on Clearview Pkwy.
1:28 P.M. - WWL-TVīs Mike Hoss said the I-10/Causeway interchange has turned into a massive first aid station. 50 ambulances are stationed there, and those who need immediate medical attention are being kept there in tents. Black Hawk helicopters and other rescue copters are constantly ferrying evacuees in to the area. |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Thanks for the info
Trinity
Can this thread be pinned? |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
2:20 P.M. - From Weezie Porter: WWL-TV Sales account executive. I evacuated with my family to Nashville. The people we are staying with have a relative in the Chateau Living Center in Kenner 716 Village Road. Their phone is working from time to time 504-464=0604. They report that all of the nurses have left, Only a few aides left there that have been working since Friday. They were supposed to be evacuated by bus but they did not show up. No medications have been given since Sunday,. 4 patients have died.
2:19 P.M. - (AP) More than 100 Tulane University students displaced by Hurricane Katrina arrived at Southern Methodist University Wednesday, including the entire football team. |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
3:52 P.M. - Chalmette man. I spent 40 hours on a roof then God sent a boat from a neighborīs house floating by and we took it to safety.
3:52 P.M. - (AP) Gov. Kathleen Blanco has said that she wants the Superdome evacuated within two days because the situation has been worsening there. The water has been rising, the air conditioning was out and toilets were broken.
3:50 P.M. - Crying woman: "Iīll never stay for a hurricane again."
3:49 P.M. - Survivor from Chalmette: We spent two days on a roof, swam to a storefront, food was pouring out, we ate it, we drank the water. We had to do something. Thereīs no help.
3:48 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP) -- From Navy ships and Army helicopters to the USNS Comfort hospital ship, the Pentagon is mobilizing possibly an unprecedented U.S. rescue-and-relief mission for areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
3:47 P.M. - Man rescued after spending night on Chalmette High School roof for two days: "Itīs all gone."
3:46 P.M. - Tugboat captain: We have so little help. Send us some food and water immediately!
3:45 P.M. (AP) - Hurricane Katrina probably killed thousands of people in New Orleans, the mayor said Wednesday -- an estimate that, if accurate, would make the storm the nationīs deadliest natural disaster since at least the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and other people dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."
The frightening estimate came as Army engineers struggled to plug New Orleansī breached levees with giant sandbags and concrete barriers, while authorities drew up plans to clear out the tens of thousands of people left in the Big Easy and all but abandon the flooded-out city. Many of the evacuees -- including thousands now staying in the Superdome -- will be moved to the Astrodome in Houston, 350 miles away.
3:44 P.M. - Tugboat captain who rescued those in Chalmette. "Without more help, many people will die."
3:43 P.M. - Photographer Willie Wilson: Those rescued from Chalmette homes are dazed, donīt know where they are going and just asking for water and to find family members.
3:42 P.M. - Wilson: You canīt fathom it. Iīve covered tragedies around the world, never thought it would be here.
3:41 P.M. - (AP) -- With law officers and National Guardsmen focused on saving lives, looters around the city spent another day Wednesday brazenly ransacking stores for food, beer, clothing, appliances -- and guns.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco said she has asked the White House to send more people to help with evacuations and rescues, thereby freeing up National Guardsmen to stop looters.
"Once we get the 3,000 National Guardsmen here, weīre locking this place down," Mayor Ray Nagin said. "Itīs really difficult because my opinion of the looting is it started with people running out of food, and you canīt really argue with that too much. Then it escalated to this kind of mass chaos where people are taking electronic stuff and all that."
Amid the chaos Wednesday, thieves commandeered a forklift and used it to push up the storm shutters and break the glass of a pharmacy. The crowd stormed the store, carrying out so much ice, water and food that it dropped from their arms as they ran. The street was littered with packages of ramen noodles and other items.
Looters also chased down a state police truck full of food. The New Orleans police chief ran off looters while city officials themselves were commandeering equipment from a looted Office Depot. During a state of emergency, authorities have broad powers to take private supplies and buildings for their use.
3:40 P.M. - WWL photographer Willie Wilson: People being rescued from Chalmette were begging for water, wanted to talk to family members. People rescued in Chalmette were ferried across to Algiers. People hot and parched from days on roof tops.
3:38 P.M. - HOUSTON (AP) -- Red Cross workers today began transforming what was once known as the Eighth Wonder of the World -- into temporary housing.
Buses will shuttle thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees from the Superdome in New Orleans to the vacant Astrodome in Houston.
Cots and blankets for up to 25-thousand people are being set up on the Astrodome floor.
Other areas of the stadium are being configured to accommodate refugees with varying needs, including a nursery. Stadium managers are working to get T-Vīs and find programming to allow people to keep up with the latest news about flooded New Orleans.
The Astrodome agreement was worked out by Texas Governor Rick Perry and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco.
3:35 P.M. - Truong - Large parts of oak trees down on St. Charles Avenue near Audubon Park.
3:33 P.M. - (AP) -- The latest video from New Orleans shows apartment buildings with people crowded on balconies and roofs. Below, flood waters lap at the second floor. Two children standing on one roof held up a sign that read: "Help us."
A Blackhawk helicopter crew rescued at least eight people from a roof where, in red spray paint, was written the words "Diabetic, Heart Transplant, Need transportation."
Two-by-two, the chopper hoisted the people off the roof as the wash from its rotors blew shingles off another section of the building and caused small waves in the water below.
Other shots show people standing at windows and on balconies, some waving white towels to attract the attention of possible rescuers.
The flood waters cover everything as far as the eye can see.
In the bright sunlight, thereīs a sheen caused by gasoline seeping from the underground tanks of a gas station. Three people who were standing in the bed of a flooded pickup truck later waded and swam through those waters, trying to reach safety.
3:25 P.M. - Truong: A man said he was carjacked at gunpoint. Other residents of the Uptown-area say they are afraid to leave their homes because of the lack of security.
3:18 P.M. - WWL-TVīs Thanh Truong reports the water from the Lake is rising to meet with the River in Uptown.
3:10 P.M. - (AP) President Bush flew overhead in Air Force One to assess the damage in Southeast Louisana and the Gulfport-area of Mississippi. Click here.
3:04 P.M. - Congressman William Jefferson said BET will host a telethon to raise money for the flood victims. The telethon will be Friday, September 9.
3:01 P.M. - The latest video from New Orleans shows apartment buildings with people crowded on balconies and roofs. Below, flood waters lap at the second floor. Two children standing on one roof held up a sign that read: "Help us." Click here.
2:45 P.M. - WWL-TVīs Bill Capo reports traffic moving west out of New Orleans is moving slowly but steadily. He said the Baton Rouge Airport is being used as a launchpad for Black Hawk army helicopters and Coast Guard helicopters. At one point during the trip, Capo said the helicopter pilot had to execute an emergency landing at a truck stop parking lot in order to check for mechanical problems. |
| Kevin L B
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Great work guys!
Yeah, letīs pin this one, please!? |
| RedDawn
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Excellent OP! Thanks! |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Just on Fox, they will be taking refugees from NO to the Astrodome in Houston.
How ironic. |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
3:33 P.M. - (AP) -- The latest video from New Orleans shows apartment buildings with people crowded on balconies and roofs. Below, flood waters lap at the second floor. Two children standing on one roof held up a sign that read: "Help us."
 |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
4:07 P.M. - LSU offers UNO, Tulane and Loyola students chance to enroll for school at the Baton Rouge campus to continue their learning, waiving most fees for those who have already paid other universities.
4:05 P.M. - LSU football game this weekend postponed due to the stadium area being used to bring in injured and take care of evacuees. Tulane at Southern Miss game postponed.
4:03 P.M. - (AP) Michael Leavitt, secretary of Health and Human Services, announced he had declared a public health emergency in the area stretching from Louisiana to Florida. "We are gravely concerned about the potential for cholera, typhoid and dehydrating diseases that could come as a result of the stagnant water and the conditions," he said.
Chertoff and Leavitt spoke at a news conference attended by an unusual array of department and agency heads, each of whom came equipped with a list of actions already taken by the administration.
For his part, Bush flew over the storm-affected area during the day on his way to Washington from his Texas ranch. With the administration eager to demonstrate a rapid responsiveness to the human tragedy, the president also arranged to make public remarks in the Rose Garden after returning to the White House.
3:55 P.M. - 40-year veteran photographer Willie Wilson: Maybe one other time in my career did I shoot pictures crying.
3:54 P.M. - Wilson: People were passing out in the heat in front of me. |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
4:12 P.M. - President Bush: We are witnessing one of the worst natural disasters in our history.
Bush: This recovery will take years.
Bush: FIrst priority to save lives.
4:11 P.M. - BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) -- The scenes of devastation from the Gulf Coast are all too familiar to survivors of the December tsunami in Asia.
A World Bank executive in Sri Lanka says she prays and hopes not many women in the U-S will suffer as she has. She lost her brother in the December 26th tsunami that raked over Asian nations. She and others have strong memories of the event when they see the destruction left by Hurricane Katrina.
An Indonesian man who lost his wife the tsunami says he would like to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, but all he has is prayers.
Another man, who lost his wife and daughter in December, says, "God has made us equals in birth, life and death."
Though damage from Katrina is enormous, the rising death count is far short of the 200-thousand dead or missing following the tsunami. |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
w any news about the leevee breaches?
Has the water really stopped rising? |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Just on Fox, they will be taking refugees from NO to the Astrodome in Houston.
How ironic.
Well, at least in Houston they will have clean water, bathrooms, air conditioning, food, you name it. The people are ready for them. Better than being stuck in the hell NO has become. Anyway, where else would they go? Houston will be heaven compared to what they have now. I for one am very happy they have a place to go. |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
w any news about the leevee breaches?
Has the water really stopped rising?
Has stopped until high tide. |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
traveler...is that true about the gas in Atlanta? |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
4:30 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): An additional 10,000 National Guard troops from across the country began pouring into the Gulf Coast region Wednesday, adding new soldiers and airmen to shore up security, rescue and relief operations in the region ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
The new units brought the number of troops dedicated to the effort to more than 28,000, in what may be the largest military response to a national disaster.
About one-third of the 21,000 National Guard troops -- who were descending on the Gulf Coast from across the country -- will be used for security, to prevent looting, enforce curfews and enhance local law and order, said Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, commander of U.S. National Guard forces.
4:16 P.M. - President Bush: Recovery "will take years" from the storm that laid waste to the Gulf Coast.
4:15 P.M. - President Bush: 78,000 people are in shelters.
4:12 P.M. - President Bush: We are witnessing one of the worst natural disasters in our history. |
| Temple Cat
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
The lake and flood zone have leveled, apparentely |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
4:59 P.M. - Because of the evacuation of Orleans Parish prisons and jails, capacity of state prisons has increased 72%. Law enforcement officials said any stories of a massive breakout of Orleans Parish Prison were inaccurate. The prisoners were moved to a nearby on-ramp by guards and were transported to other facilities in the state.
4:50 P.M. - Gov. Blanco: "I want to thank (Texas Governor) Rick Perry." The Governor referred to New Orleans as a "primative site." Blanco said her goal is to save as many people as possible, but had sharp remarks for those who have taken part in any looting going on in the affected areas. "We are going to restore law and order," she said. "We will do whatever it takes."
"Addressing mean nothing at point, because street signs are underwater." - Blanco on the influx of addresses people
4:38 P.M. - (AP): Some major airlines are canceling flights to New Orleans and Gulfport, Mississippi, until at least next week. The move heats up the financial pressure on the air industry, cutting off two major destinations at the end of the summer tourism season. |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
5:43 P.M. - WWL-TV: An Army Corps of Engineers spokesman said they are beginning to drop sandbags and into the levee breach, and will drive metal sheet pilings to seal off the canal in order to fully repair the breach.
5:40 P.M. - WWL-TV: Walter Maestri voiced his concern that relief isnīt coming fast enough for the evacuees.
5:32 P.M. - WWL-TV: 10 to 15 feet of water still in some areas. The river levee was damaged, eroded during the storm.
5:26 P.M. - (AP) Health and Human Services Department declares a public health emergency, sends medical supplies, hospital beds and public health officers.
5:23 P.M. - (AP) If Mayor Naginīs estimate that thousands perished under Hurricane Katrina is true, this would be the nationīs deadliest natural disaster since at least the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
5:20 P.M. - Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti said temporary prison and court rooms will be built in order to maintain the justice system in the area.
5:17 P.M. - Officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimate it will be weeks before all the water that flowed into the city through breached levees can be pumped back out. After that, it will take several years -- and many billions of dollars -- to rebuild homes, offices, streets and highways. Click here.
5:10 P.M. - AUSTIN, TX (AP): Texas public schools will enroll children of Hurricane Katrina refugees sheltered within each district.
The Texas Education Agency has been directed to provide all needed support for districts having to absorb children from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. TEA has said the refugee children can qualify as "homeless" and may enroll without proof of residence.
Also, normal immunization requirements for attending school or child-care facilities in Texas will be temporarily waived for children displaced by the hurricane. Schools are allowed to waive the 22-to-one teacher-student requirement.
Districts with an influx of 50 or more students can get an immediate funding increase, rather than waiting until the end of the school year.
Austin schools are working to ensure the students get backpacks, school supplies and clothes.
5:08 P.M. - (AP): President Bush is warning Americans about the nationīs gasoline supply, saying everyone must understand that Hurricane Katrina has had a significant effect.
5:06 P.M. - Plans are in place to begin fixing the broken levee system beginning tomorrow.
5:04 P.M. - Officials are asking anyone with a boat that wants to help with rescue operations to call 225-765-2706. |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Any news about the animals at the Tulane Zoo? |
| destiny watcher
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Does New Orleans have a Zoo? If so what happened there? |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Hi All,
I donīt want to get offside with you good people and preface this post as such.
My wife is sitting beside me listening and watching stuttering video from the Hurricane Centre.
Her comments have been along the lines of īWhy is this happening? This is supposed to be America why havenīt they done more?"
Well my wife watches lots of US movies and shows on her TV and believes the hype. Occasionally I show her the truth or what is available on the net.
My prayers are with you all.
This is how the national media outlet reports the situation (BTW itīs not the main headline).
------------------
[link to www.abc.net.au]
Recovery from hurricane will take years: Bush
US President George W Bush says it will take "years" to recover from Hurricane Katrina, which he called one of the worst national disasters in US history.
Mr Bush made his remarks after cutting short his Texas holiday and returning to Washington to direct recovery efforts after Katrina pounded the Gulf Coast, with hundreds feared dead.
"Weīre dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in our nationīs history," he said.
"This recovery will take a long time. This recovery will take years."
The President laid down three priorities - saving lives and evacuating endangered survivors, providing adequate food, water and shelter for dislocated people and launching a comprehensive recovery effort.
"Weīre focused on restoring power and lines of communication that have been knocked out during the storm. We will be repairing major roads and bridges and other essential means of transportation as quickly as possible," Mr Bush said.
Mr Bush, who flew over the stricken areas in Air Force One, said he had called for a cabinet-level task force chaired by Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff to coordinate assistance from Washington.
He said Michael Brown, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, would direct all federal response and recovery efforts in the field. Both would work closely with state and local officials.
"The challenges that we face on the ground are unprecedented, but thereīs no doubt in my mind weīre going to succeed," Mr Bush said.
"Right now the days seem awfully dark for those affected, I understand that, but Iīm confident that with time you will get your life back in order."
Floodwaters stabilise
The level of floodwaters that rushed into New Orleans this week after levees holding back Lake Pontchartrain gave way has stabilised, Major General Dan Riley of the US Army Corps of Engineers says.
"The lake level has equalised with interior water inside the city, which means it wonīt flow inside the city [any longer], except for high tide," he said.
"The lake will continue receding during the day, about half an inch an hour. As it recedes, this will help."
Using helicopters, the Corps of Engineers began trying to plug up the breach in a major levee holding back the lake.
Major General Riley predicted it would be about a month before all of the water could be cleared out of New Orleans and several weeks beyond that before the city would be cleaned up and cleared of debris.
Missing oil rigs
Meanwhile, at least 20 oil rigs and platforms are missing in the Gulf of Mexico and a ruptured gas pipeline is on fire after Hurricane Katrina tore through the region, a US Coast Guard official says.
"We have confirmed at least 20 rigs or platforms missing, either sunk or adrift, and one confirmed fire where a rig was," Petty Officer Robert Reed of the Louisiana Coast Guard said.
He says all of the missing rigs were in the Gulf of Mexico, citing coast guard flights over of the area and information from oil companies.
He could not confirm the location of the blaze, but said it would "eventually burn out" and no firefighting intervention was needed.
"We are of course working on the environmental side of things, but right now we are still concentrating on search and rescue missions to save as many lives as possible on land," Petty Officer Reed said.
According to the latest tally from the federal Minerals Management Service, 561 platforms and rigs have been evacuated in the Gulf of Mexico, which accounts for a quarter of US oil production.
More than 91 per cent of normal daily crude oil production in the Gulf - 1.5 million barrels - is now shut down, and more than 83 per cent of natural gas production.
-AFP |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Emm, the stuttering live feed is from www.hurricanecity.com |
| FHL(C)
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Louisiana
According to officials nearly one million people were temporarily without electricity in Louisiana for several hours. Currently, 800,000 are without electricity. Numerous roadways are flooded or damaged and many evacuations are being conducted by boat and helicopter.
The Sheriff of Jefferson Parish reported through WDSU that he expects his district to remain uninhabitable for at least the coming week and that residents should not return to the area. Incidents of looting have been reported throughout affected areas of Louisiana, most notably in New Orleans. Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco has ordered all roadways into the state closed, as reported by WDSU TV.
Currently some 7,500 National Guardsmen are en route to New Orleans as part of the disaster relief effort. The United States Navy has also announced that four amphibious ships will be dispatched from Norfolk, Virginia sometime in the next few days to assist with the relief efforts.
[edit]
New Orleans
Main article: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans
Eighty percent of New Orleans is now flooded, with some parts of the city under 20 feet of water. Two levees were breached, including the 17th Street Canal levee. In an earlier report, three people died of dehydration during the evacuation phase and another four died at the Superdome [1]. As of 3AM CDT, 31 August, Senator Mary Landrieu told reporters she had heard at least 50 to 100 people were dead in New Orleans. [2] Many refugees are trapped in flooded houses and rooftops waiting to be rescued. On August 30, Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco ordered the complete evacuation people seeking shelter in the Superdome [3]. Currently, the refugees are set to be transported to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The only route out of the city was west on the Crescent City Connection as the I-10 bridge was collapsed and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was carrying only emergency traffic. Both airports were flooded and closed by the storm although one reopened for emergency flights on Tuesday. Shortly after 8:00PM CDT, New Orleans Mayor C Ray Nagin confirmed on WWL-TV that pumping station 6 at the 17th St. Canal Levee, which had been partially offsetting the levee breach at that location, had indeed failed. An attempt to sandbag the breach also failed, and it is now expected that the city will flood to the level of Lake Pontchartrain, currently four feet above sea level. A shark has been spotted cruising the flooded streets of New Orleans[4] and fireants and thousands of snakes have been unleashed due to the heavy flooding and Lake Pontchartrain being drained into the majority of the city. On August 31, the mayor stated that the city will probably remain uninhabitable for at least 3 to 4 months. The Associated Press reported that mayor also stated that the death toll would be hundreds, probably thousands in New Orleans.
[edit]
Jefferson Parish
As of 9:35 a.m. on August 30, residents of Jefferson Parish who have ID proving they live in the parish will be allowed to return to their homes to retrieve essentials in about a week, but will then be required to leave the parish for another month. The failed attempt to repair the 17th street Canal levee will likely cause additional flooding in the parish.
[edit]
Terrebonne Parish
In Terrebonne Parish, signs, trees, roofs and utility poles suffered the brunt of Hurricane Katrinaīs fury when the storm roared across Terrebonne and Lafourche [5].
[edit]
Plaquemines Parish
On 29 August, the President of Plaquemines Parish Benny Rousselle issued the following statement: "Do not return to the parish until further notice. There are no public services available and all roads are closed and impassable at this time. Parish President Benny Rousselle has requested that only employees in Drainage, Heavy Equipment, Public Right-of-Way Maintenance and Solid Waste Departments return to the parish if possible" [6].
As of 9:35 a.m. on August 30, Plaquemines Parish is essentially under martial law [7].
Reports from various sources confirm that the southern part of this parish has been "reclaimed" by the Mississippi River.
[edit]
St. Bernard Parish
At 3PM, August 29, in St. Bernard Parish, approximately 150 people were sighted on rooftops in areas that were under approximately 8-10 feet (perhaps more) of water. Among those on the roofs was a WDSU reporter and St. Bernard resident on a Government Complex rooftop. Search and rescue teams are being dispensed to these areas. Presently no deaths have been reported [8]. At around 10:00AM CDT on August 31, it was reported on WWL-TV that St. Bernard Parish is "gone."
[edit]
Mississippi
Mississippi Emergency Management Agency officials have also recorded deaths in Hinds, Warren, and Leake counties. About 800,000 people are suffering power outages in Mississippi according to the Clarion Ledger. This is almost a third of the population. Rescuers are now reaching and saving residents from rooftops [9].
Governor Barbour says the damage he saw along the coast was indescribable.
According to MSNBC, a 30 ft. storm surge came ashore wiping out 90% of buildings along the Biloxi-Gulfport coastline.
US Navy officials announced that two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers under construction at Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS had been damaged by the storm, as well as the Amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island.
[edit]
Hancock County
Limited information is coming out of Hancock County. Sporadic reports from citizen journalists are posted at WLOX-TV [10].
The Clarion-Ledger reports the bridge between Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian is out. The roads in Pass Christian are filled with rubble. Casinos were ripped from their moorings and pushed inland. Destruction was heavy to residences and businesses. Some looting reported. [11].
Southern Diamondhead (near Bay St. Louis) was devistated, but Northern Diamondhead seems to be in relatively good shape.
[edit]
Harrison County
Harrison County, Mississippi was hit particularly hard by the hurricane and the storm surge. Its two coastal cities, Biloxi and Gulfport suffered severe damages and many casualties were reported. As of 8PM, 30 August, 100 people were confirmed dead. Joe Spraggins, civil defence director for Harrison County, added that the number of dead could eventually reach several hundred [12].
In the city of Biloxi, Mississippi widespread damage was reported as several of the cityīs attractions were destroyed. Many restaurants have been destroyed and several casino barges had been pulled out of the water and onto land [13]. In addition, most of the currently reported deaths (as of 6 am CDT, the total death toll is 55) occurred in Biloxi. Residents that survived Hurricane Camille state that Katrina was "much worse," with a storm surge reportedly reaching further inland than the previous catastrophic storm.
Thirty of those confirmed deaths in Harrison County were at the St. Charles apartment complex, near the beach in casino resort town of Biloxi, said Kelly Jakubic with the countyīs Emergency Operations Center [14] [15]. The apartment complex was reported, by local news sources, to have collapsed with dozens of residents inside. A spokeman for the City of, Vincent Creel, said that hundreds may have been killed when a 30-foot (9 metre) storm surge came ashore [16].
Initial assessments at Keesler Air Force Base, located in Biloxi, indicate extensive damage, however there do not appear to be any fatalities of base personnel and their dependents who rode out the storm in shelters on base. As well, the pet shelter remained in good shape.
Interstate 10 between Gulfport and Biloxi is impassible due to debris in the vicinity of Biloxi River.
As of 5 PM 8/30, the following roads are closed until crews can clean the area [17]:
* Interstate 10 and Highway 90 from the Lousiana state border to the Alabama state border;
* Highway 49 from Jackson to Gulfport, Mississippi;
* Interstate 59 from Meridian to Picayune;
* Highway 63 from Lucedale to Moss Point;
* Highway 607;
* Highway 84 from Collins to Alabama;
* Highway 98 from Mobile to Hattiesburg.
Helicopter video from WLBT [link to www.wlbt.com] confirms the Biloxi-Ocean Springs bridge totally gone.
Mississippi newspapers are reporting that Beauvoir, the last home and Presidential Library of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, was totally destroyed. In addition to the home, the site also housed the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and was a Biloxi tourist attraction.
Authorities in Gulfport, Mississippi told CNN that 10 feet of water cover downtown streets [18]. An Armed Forces Retirement Facility within two blocks of the coastline was flooded on Monday, forcing patients, staff, and equipment to the upper floors. Additionally, three fire stations in the city reported various degrees of structural damage.
[edit]
Alabama
In Mobile, Alabama, Mobile Bay spilled into the downtown area to the depth of 2 to 3 feet. A flotel (floating habitat used by oil platform crews) broke loose of its moorings and slammed into the Cochrane Bridge.
Damage is quite heavy in coastal Alabama (similar to Hurricane Ivan in 2004), including significant structural damage. Even in the inland counties, some damage was reported - particularly related to fallen trees [19].
More than 584,000 people are without power in Alabama.
Tornadoes have been reported near Brewton, Alabama.
Only two deaths have been reported in Alabama so far, both in a traffic accident related to Katrina.
[edit]
Florida
Damage to an Exxon gas station in Pensacola, Florida during Katrina.
Enlarge
Damage to an Exxon gas station in Pensacola, Florida during Katrina.
Damage to a mobile home in Davie, Florida following Katrina.
Enlarge
Damage to a mobile home in Davie, Florida following Katrina.
So far, 12 fatalities have been reported in Southern Florida according to a local weather service report [20]. A family of five feared dead was rescued by the United States Coast Guard [21]. Furthermore, more than 1 million customers were left without electricity [22], and damage in Florida was estimated at between $1 and $2 billion. The American Red Cross will be providing substantial support to those affected [23].
In addition, two traffic fatalities related to Katrina have been reported on the Florida Panhandle in Walton County [24].
[edit]
Georgia
Western Georgia has been hit with bands of Hurricane Katrina resulting in heavy rains, damaging winds and several reports of tornadoes in Polk County, Heard County, and Carroll County. In Polk County, 3 homes were reported damaged by a tornado. At around 5 p.m. EDT, a fatal tornado in Carroll County resulted in the death of one person in a vehicle collision and caused damage to as many as 30 homes [25], and one additional fatality was reported [26].
Severe weather has also been reported in northeastern Georgia, including tornadoes in White County and Hall County. In White County, a tornado struck the tourist town of Helen, ripping the top floor from an Econolodge hotel and damaging businesses at a nearby outlet mall. Thirty people were displaced by the storm, but no injuries were reported. In Hall County, several homes were reported damaged by a possible tornado in Lula [27].
According to WCTV in Tallahassee, a tornado in a feeder band moved through Decatur County to the west of Bainbridge in southwestern Georgia during the evening of 29 August 2005.
As of 4:00 p.m. EDT on August 30, 2005, tornado watches were still in effect through most of Georgia, as well as much of Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia.
[edit]
Texas
Texas avoided any direct damage from Katrina, but the state has taken in many people who have sought refuge from Louisiana. The Reliant Astrodome in Houston will soon take on the 10-to-20,000 who had initially sought shelter in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
In addition, the American Red Cross is using Reunion Arena in Dallas as a central shelter in that city. The Red Cross in Dallas has stated that they are currently housing 500 people in two smaller shelters who will eventually be moved to Reunion. More than 300 students from Tulane University, including the schoolīs football team, who were displaced by the hurricane are currently staying at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
The New Orleans Saints football team, who are also displaced from the Superdome, which is their home facility, are currently staying in San Antonio. A practice facility is still being determined for them and they will likely remain in San Antonio for some time. It remains uncertain, at this time, what will happen with the Saintsī upcoming season, though it appears that they will likely utilize their San Antonio practice facility as their "home" stadium until such time as both the city of New Orleans and the Superdome are prepared to host sporting events once again.
[edit]
Tennessee
At the stormīs peak, at least 80,000 customers were without power, primarily in the Memphis and Nashville areas [28].
Some damage has been reported, primarily due to fallen trees. However, there have been no deaths or injuries reported in Tennessee as a result of Katrina.
[edit]
Kentucky
Western Kentucky was already suffering flooding from storms that had passed through during the weekend prior to Katrinaīs arrival. Part of Christian County High School, located just outside Hopkinsville, collapsed during the weekend [29].
Significant flooding has been reported in the Hopkinsville area. Many homes have been flooded and in addition, one person was killed in flood waters during Katrina that had already been high from the previous storm.
The Governor of Kentucky, Ernie Fletcher, has declared Christian, Todd and Trigg counties disaster areas due to flooding [30].
[edit]
Virginia
A tornado related to Katrinaīs outer bands touched down in Marshall, damaging at least 13 homes. [31]
[edit]
Ohio
Some flooding and power outages have been reported (no numbers available), and several areas have been evacuated throughout the state. One hospital had to be evacuated as it lost power and its generator failed in Dennison, but it was restored later in the day.
Two deaths have been blamed on the storm in Ohio - both indirect deaths from an accident caused by Katrinaīs rains in the Monroeville area. [32]
[edit]
West Virginia
Significant flooding has been reported in several communities, including Sissonville, forcing some local evacuations [33].
[edit]
New York
Western New York has had many reports of flooding, as well as damage caused by fallen trees. In addition, at least 2,200 customers were without power in the Buffalo area. [34]
Damage (primarily to trees which knocked into some neighborhoods) and flooding was also reported in the northern part of the state, near the Ontario border. About 1,100 customers lost power in that area. [35] |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Iīve been hearing a clip of a half-hysterical woman on the radio. She said the Blackhawk helicopters are visibly loaded with supplies but they are not dropping anything - no water, no food.
For 2 days the helicopters have been flying over stranded people on rooftops and overpasses, just watching them wave and scream for help.
Thatīs crazy.
How many thousands of troops, femas and assistant personnel are moving into the area?
I think maybe the food and water is for them.
Not the people. |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
third breach in the levees reported 1/2 hour ago
this should be breaking news, but so far only 2 mentions of the new breach and no analysis. guess itīll take an hour or two for an assessment and update from the field |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
UPDATE 4-US military doubling Guard force in storm-hit area
Wed Aug 31, 2005 5:54 PM ET
WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. military will send 10,000 more state National Guard troops to Louisiana and Mississippi by late Friday, swelling to 21,000 the number on duty in four hurricane-battered Gulf states to control lawlessness and provide aid, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, head of the militaryīs National Guard Bureau, said one-third of the 21,000 troops will be dedicated to help civilian police keep law and order in the devastated region, which also includes Alabama and Florida.
Blum said the governors of the four states, especially Louisiana and Mississippi where looting has taken place in the wake of Hurricane Katrinaīs assault on Monday, were worried about lawbreaking.
"Right now, weīre worried about law and order, food and medical care," Blum said.
The military deployment, part of one of the biggest U.S. domestic disaster relief efforts ever undertaken, also includes warships, dozens of rescue helicopters and hundreds of trucks, the Pentagon said.
Blum said that dozens of heavy military trucks will begin moving in the coming days and that the fresh troops will include communications, engineering and medical units for the devastated area.
"Essentially, weīre going to double the force in the days ahead," the general told a Pentagon briefing.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Pentagon said it was adding at least seven Navy ships, including two helicopter assault vessels and the hospital ship Comfort, and at least 60 big supply and rescue helicopters to the relief effort.
At least one 500-bed mobile Army hospital was already being prepared to go to New Orleans and the military readied 1.5 million cases of battlefield "Meals Ready to Eat," or MREs, for residents of Louisiana and Mississippi.
WARSHIPS AND FLOATING HOSPITAL
The U.S. militaryīs Northern Command said the Comfort, with 12 operating rooms and 1,000 beds, would depart Baltimore for a weeklong trip to the area, and the helicopter carrier USS Bataan and another warship were already conducting rescue missions from off the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts.
The USS Iwo Jima, another helicopter assault ship, was also preparing to sail from Norfolk, Virginia, with at least three other vessels and was due to arrive in four or five days, the Navy said.
The Bataan and the Iowa Jima carry heavy MH-53 and HH-60 "medivac" (medical evacuation) and supply helicopters.
Blum stressed that the National Guard troops were not being sent to take over law and order duties, only to "supplement" local police forces.
He also said that the fresh deployment of Guard troops would not in any way change planned rotation of thousands of Guard troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, where fighting with insurgents has put a major strain on the U.S. military.
Assistant Defense Secretary Paul McHale said some Military Police units were on alert for possible duty quelling looting but it was unlikely President George W. Bush would need to take the unusual step of authorizing active-duty troops for civilian police work.
U.S. law bars federal troops from performing domestic law enforcement duties, but state laws permit governors to use their National Guard troops for such work.
The military set up a Joint Task Force at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, to coordinate support for the disaster relief effort led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.
[link to today.reuters.com] |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Third breach?
They donīt want to talk about it because they already claimed it was under control.
When is high tide on Pontchartrain tonight? |
| Anonymous Coward
12/8/2005 10:09 AM | | Re: Latest Katirna updates | Quote |
Whoa, bad move.
Nagin ordered the Guard, etc., to stop search and rescue missions immediately and go after the looters.
ooh where did glp go?? |
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