God I hope this story is overblown right now!!!

[Dan Gould]

How to Help

Are they truly talking about evacuating the Superdome?

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Well, with no lights, a/c and overflowing toilets, I think its necessary.

In fact, they're talking about evacuating all shelters.

[ghost of miles]

How to Help

Are they truly talking about evacuating the Superdome?

←

Well, with no lights, a/c and overflowing toilets, I think its necessary.

In fact, they're talking about evacuating all shelters.

←

I'm sure they need to--but how, given that there are anywhere from 10-20,000 people inside the Superdome?

This from a diary on Kos, saying that martial law's been declared in New Orleans:

Martial Law Declared in New Orleans; Journalists Ordered Out; Suicide in Dome; 'Looting'

by MeanBoneII

Tue Aug 30th, 2005 at 07:37:42 PDT

Shepard Smith on Fox News, who yesterday was overly optimistic from his reports in the French Quarter, appears to be the first on the news networks to actually get it:

IT'S OVER FOR NEW ORLEANS. Please donate.

Smith said martial law has been declared, and all journalists have been ordered out of the city (no other confirmation on expulsion of journalists, but authorities are likely too busy to arrest them yet anyway). The situation is getting exponentially worse, there are no resources, it is only going to become more and more "impossible to sustain life" in New Orleans. There are people dying there right now, trapped by the rising floodwaters -- up to a total of approximately 97,000 people, according to the mayor's own (obviously rough) estimate. The worst-case scenario is unfolding, and New Orleans will be uninhabitable for the foreseeable future.

MeanBoneII's diary :: ::

UPDATE: As posted in comments, WWLTV is reporting that Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish are under martial law and the floodwaters are expected to rise to lake level.

UPDATE 2: The mayor has now ordered an emergency evacuation of the entire city. Important to note: Mayor Nagin estimated that about 80% of the city's 485,000 people evacuated before the storm. That has to be a very rough estimate and HOPEFULLY VERY LOW. If about 20% of the residents are still in the city, that's approximately 97,000 people. Up to 20,000 (see Update 6) or so are at the Superdome. That could leave about 77,000 trapped in homes rapidly flooding with toxic water, with no food or water or way to get out.

UPDATE 3: Bush is finally canceling his vacation and speeches in front of hand-picked audiences and returning to Washington as the enormity of this disaster becomes clear. Somebody apparently told him it's time to look like he's in charge again.

UPDATE 4: Conditions at the Superdome are drastically deteriorating. Local reporter on scene tells CNN a man intentionally jumped to his death from the second level balcony in the dome. Water is rising around the dome, as victims with serious injuries are brought to the dome where they could soon be trapped.

UPDATE 5: There are numerous reports of rampant "looting" in the city, but given the extreme life-or-death nature of these conditions, the vast majority of the thousands still in New Orleans are certainly just desperately grabbing any food, water and supplies they can get to stay alive.

UPDATE 6: Jeanne Meserve on CNN reports it is now estimated 15,000-20,000 people are at the Superdome. Rescuers are bringing victims to the dome, which is still above but surrounded by rising water. Hopefully the mayor was way off on his guess that nearly 100,000 people were in New Orleans when the storm hit yesterday.

FINAL UPDATE (diary is overbloated): WWLTV is reporting that Jefferson Parish President says residents will probably be allowed back in town in a week, with identification only, but only to get essentials and clothing. They will then be asked to leave and not come back for one month. I'd guess that the word "probably" is being used loosely and "asked" really means "ordered." Looks like wishful thinking.

[Dan Gould]

How to Help

Are they truly talking about evacuating the Superdome?

←

Well, with no lights, a/c and overflowing toilets, I think its necessary.

In fact, they're talking about evacuating all shelters.

←

I'm sure they need to--but how, given that there are anywhere from 10-20,000 people inside the Superdome?

This from a diary on Kos, saying that martial law's been declared in New Orleans:

UPDATE 5: There are numerous reports of rampant "looting" in the city, but given the extreme life-or-death nature of these conditions, the vast majority of the thousands still in New Orleans are certainly just desperately grabbing any food, water and supplies they can get to stay alive.

←

I certainly don't question how extreme the conditions faced in New Orleans are, but the picture painted by MSNBC is certainly quite different from the one this diarist claims:

Looters take advantage of tragedy

On New Orleans’ Canal Street, which actually resembled a canal, dozens of looters ripped open the steel gates on clothing and jewelry stores, some packing plastic garbage cans with loot to float down the street. One man, who had about 10 pairs of jeans draped over his left arm, was asked if he was salvaging things from his store.

“No,” the man shouted, “that’s EVERYBODY’S store!

Looters at a Wal-Mart brazenly loaded up shopping carts with items including micorwaves, coolers and knife sets. Others walked out of a sporting goods store on Canal Street with armfuls of shoes and football jerseys.

[Jim Alfredson]

All that stuff is really useful when you don't have a fuckin' house.

[ghost of miles]

Here's a blog from New Orleans TV station WWLV. These paras:

7:59 P.M. - Mayor Nagin: Pumps at 17th street canal has failed and water will continue pouring into the city. Nine feet of water is expected on St. Charles Avenue that will be nine feet high. Water is expected to spread throughout the east bank of Orleans and possibly Jefferson Parish.

6:41 P.M. - Efforts to stop the levee break at the 17th Street Canal have ended unsuccessfully and the water is expected to soon overwhelm the pumps in that area, allowing water to pour into the east bank of Metairie and Orleans to an expected height of 12-15 feet.

The Tulane hospital is evacuating patients from the roof.

Red Cross homepage.

[J Larsen]

William Gray has very little credibility. He has always been one of those obfuscating the "debate" on global warming, attempting to create the illusion of controversy where there is very little. While I admit that I can not prove it, I'd be willing to bet a *lot* that he is deep in someone's pocket.

August 30, 2005

Storms Vary With Cycles, Experts Say

By KENNETH CHANG

Because hurricanes form over warm ocean water, it is easy to assume that the recent rise in their number and ferocity is because of global warming.

But that is not the case, scientists say. Instead, the severity of hurricane seasons changes with cycles of temperatures of several decades in the Atlantic Ocean. The recent onslaught "is very much natural," said William M. Gray, a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University who issues forecasts for the hurricane season.

From 1970 to 1994, the Atlantic was relatively quiet, with no more than three major hurricanes in any year and none at all in three of those years. Cooler water in the North Atlantic strengthened wind shear, which tends to tear storms apart before they turn into hurricanes.

In 1995, hurricane patterns reverted to the active mode of the 1950's and 60's. From 1995 to 2003, 32 major hurricanes, with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or greater, stormed across the Atlantic. It was chance, Dr. Gray said, that only three of them struck the United States at full strength.

Historically, the rate has been 1 in 3.

Then last year, three major hurricanes, half of the six that formed during the season, hit the United States. A fourth, Frances, weakened before striking Florida.

"We were very lucky in that eight-year period, and the luck just ran out," Dr. Gray said.

Global warming may eventually intensify hurricanes somewhat, though different climate models disagree.

In an article this month in the journal Nature, Kerry A. Emanuel, a hurricane expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote that global warming might have already had some effect. The total power dissipated by tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic and North Pacific increased 70 to 80 percent in the last 30 years, he wrote.

But even that seemingly large jump is not what has been pushing the hurricanes of the last two years, Dr. Emanuel said, adding, "What we see in the Atlantic is mostly the natural swing."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/30/national...agewanted=print

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[neveronfriday]

Watching this unfold these past 24 hours, none of what the media said (and some TV stations were sadly and obviously waiting for) was overblown. This is a disaster of epic proportions.

A very sad thing to watch as NO is/was my favourite city in the US (no disrespect intended for all the other cities). I was there more than 10 times because of that very reason.

I hope and pray that it's not going to get as bad as it looks right now (and it looks like it will be of biblical proportions).

Very sad.

[Joe G]

The people in charge of these things are going to have to do some serious thinking about the wisdom of rebuilding there. It's in harm's way.

[scottb]

The people in charge of these things are going to have to do some serious thinking about the wisdom of rebuilding there. It's in harm's way

That's what I've been saying as well. New Orleans is TOTALLED! Take the insurance money and rebuild up the river. I'm being serious. I would think the insurance companies and taxpayers would be serious too. Why recover a whole city at the expense of $20 billioin+ (hell we could fight another war for that much)only to have it happen again. It will happen again, just as it was inevitable this time. A city on the gulf coast, below sea level WILL have catastrophic floods. Rebuild Biloxi, rebuild Gulf Port but think hard before rebuilding New Orleans.

And this from a native of Louisiana who understands what New Orleans means to the region economically.

[ghost of miles]

The people in charge of these things are going to have to do some serious thinking about the wisdom of rebuilding there. It's in harm's way.

←

Or restoring some of the one million acres of coastal wetlands that that area has lost to development over the past few decades. The natural "sponges" are gone, which is one reason why this is so much worse than Camille.

Edited August 31, 2005 by ghost of miles

[Big Wheel]

The people in charge of these things are going to have to do some serious thinking about the wisdom of rebuilding there. It's in harm's way

That's what I've been saying as well. New Orleans is TOTALLED! Take the insurance money and rebuild up the river. I'm being serious. I would think the insurance companies and taxpayers would be serious too. Why recover a whole city at the expense of $20 billioin+ (hell we could fight another war for that much)only to have it happen again. It will happen again, just as it was inevitable this time. A city on the gulf coast, below sea level WILL have catastrophic floods. Rebuild Biloxi, rebuild Gulf Port but think hard before rebuilding New Orleans.

And this from a native of Louisiana who understands what New Orleans means to the region economically.

←

After today's events and my own experiences during Andrew, I have to wonder how many insurance claims are going to be actually paid and by whom. These kinds of events seem to stretch insurance companies to the breaking point. In the end, it sounds like things worked out for the most part after Andrew, but there was definitely speculation at the time that companies were going to refuse to pay out.

Edited August 31, 2005 by Big Wheel

[ghost of miles]

Some interesting e-mails from Talking Points Memo posters caught in the storm's path.

[Aggie87]

The people in charge of these things are going to have to do some serious thinking about the wisdom of rebuilding there. It's in harm's way.

←

I understand the intent behind this...but if you're a home/land owner in the N.O. area, how would you feel? Technically you still own that piece of submerged land. And it may have been in your family for generations. What if you own it, but still have 25 years left to pay on it? Would you be able to walk away from that mortgage?

And if N.O. was somehow able to be rebuilt elsewhere, would you be "given" a comparable piece of land, somehow?

[clifford_thornton]

I can't even imagine what it must be like down there. Fuck.

RIP.

[Rooster_Ties]

Fuck is right...

Official:  Prisoners Riot, Take Hostages in New Orleans

Aug. 30, 2005 — Inmates at a prison in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans have rioted, attempted to escape and are now holding hostages, a prison commissioner told ABC News affiliate WBRZ in Baton Rouge, La.

Orleans Parish Prison Commissioner Oliver Thomas reported the incident to WBRZ.

A deputy at Orleans Parish Prison, his wife and their four children have been taken hostage by rioting prisoners after riding out Hurricane Katrina inside the jail building, according to WBRZ.

Officials are expected to hold a press conference regarding the riots at 9 p.m. ET.

A woman interviewed by WBRZ said her son, a deputy at the prison whose family is among the hostages, told her that many of the prisoners have fashioned homemade weapons. Her son had brought his family there hoping they would be safe during the storm.

source

Edited August 31, 2005 by Rooster_Ties

[minew]

The water is still rising so the worst may not be over but we're already fairly sure we've lost everything. Our house is in Lakeview, about 1.5 miles from the main breach. Photos we've seen from nearby blocks show water at rooflines.

We've been in Baton Rouge since Saturday and, aside from 30 hrs without power, have been comfortable and safe with friends. We are safe (me, wife, two kids) and I've been able to touch base with almost all family and close friends and they are, too. In that sense, we are very fortunate. Aside from being diplaced and dispossessed, the most difficult thing for us has been the total lack of communication in about a 10 parish area. Phones of any kind are useless. While the power was out, all information came from the two operable radio stations who were also powerless to make phone calls.

Since we can't go back for at least a week and won't want to live there for a month or two or more, we're getting ready to leave for Chicago to stay with family for a while. When they get sick of us, we'll head for Eugene, OR and family there.

When the time comes, we'll definitely be going back and rebuilding, as long as we don't get the finger from the good hands people. For now, I'm (unexpectedly) looking forward to the Chicago Jazz Festival.

[Jazzmoose]

Wow. With our family down there (all is safe) and us moving soon, it was a bit scary, but they (and us when we get there) aren't in the dangerous areas. Knowing Minew is actually living there brings it home even more so. Don't ask me where I'm going with this; I'm a bit overwhelmed right now. I think I'll skip the usual joking and posting tonight...

[scottb]

You know another side to this tragedy are the effects on other cities. Besides having some issues of its own like power outages and wind damage, suddenly Baton Rouge is a refugee camp.

I haven't seen any numbers but there must be tens of thousands (at least) of New Orleaneans in Baton Rouge right now. Schools are closed because they are being used as shelters. Doctors offices are closed because the doctors are clearing the hospitals for transfers from N.O. then accepting those transfers. There is a gas shortage and people are stealing gas from cars in hotel parking lots.

I have no idea what happens to 1 million homeless people for the weeks to months it takes to even reopen New Orleans, much less rebuild it.

[ghost of miles]

Minew and Moose, I'm really glad that you & your loved ones are safe. This is worse than 9/11.

[ghost of miles]

CNN was reporting a few minutes ago that martial law has been declared in the state of Louisiana. Can't find that on the website--but the main story sure seems to indicate the need for it:

New Orleans shelters to be evacuated

Floodwaters rising, devastation widespread in Katrina's wake

Wednesday, August 31, 2005; Posted: 1:01 a.m. EDT (05:01 GMT)

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- New Orleans resembled a war zone more than a modern American metropolis Tuesday, as Gulf Coast communities struggled to deal with the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Deteriorating conditions in New Orleans will force authorities to evacuate the thousands of people at city shelters, including the Louisiana Superdome, where a policeman told CNN unrest was escalating.

The officer expressed concern that the situation could worsen overnight after three shootings, looting and a number of attempted carjackings during the afternoon. (See video of the looting -- 1:25)

Officials could not yet provide accurate estimates for fatalities or time needed for recovery in the area and are focusing, instead, on widespread search-and-rescue operations.

The death toll from the storm so far is estimated at 70 -- mostly in Mississippi. Officials stressed that the number is uncertain and likely to be much higher. (See aerial video of the aftermath -- 3:02)

"A lot of people lost their lives, and we still don't have any idea [how many], because the focus continues to be on rescuing those who have survived," Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco told reporters Tuesday.

Elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, authorities used boats and helicopters to reach stranded residents and search for survivors.

The storm ripped ashore in Louisiana on Monday morning with winds topping 140 mph before scourging Mississippi and Alabama.

The U.S. Coast Guard said its crews assisted in the rescue Monday of about 1,200 people stranded by high water in the New Orleans area, and thousands more were rescued Tuesday morning.

Waters rising in New Orleans

New Orleans was left with no power, no drinking water, dwindling food supplies, widespread looting, smoke rising on the horizon and the sounds of gunfire. At least one large building was ablaze Tuesday. (Full story)

Mayor Ray Nagin told CNN that at least 30 buildings had collapsed, but that no attempt had been made to determine a death toll.

"There are dead bodies floating in some of the water," Nagin said. "The rescuers would basically push them aside as they were trying to save individuals."

Nagin said that as of late Tuesday "a significant amount of water" is flowing into the bowl-shaped city and sections of the city now dry could be under 9 or 10 feet of water within hours.

"The bowl is filling up," he said.

Frustration was also rising among people who now find themselves refugees in their own city.

Thousands of people were being housed in the Louisiana Superdome, where toilets were overflowing and there was no air conditioning to provide relief from 90-degree heat.

Nagin estimated the number of people in the Superdome at between 12,000 and 15,000 people as of late Tuesday. He said they could be there for a week unless evacuated sooner.

Blanco said officials are making plans to evacuate people from the Superdome and other shelters, but she did not say when that might happen or where they might be taken.

The city's main public hospital, Charity Hospital, was no longer functioning and was being evacuated, Blanco said.

Also under way was the evacuation of more than 1,000 people from Tulane University Hospital with the help of the U.S. military, hospital spokeswoman Karen Troyer Caraway said.

"It's an unbelievable situation," she said. "We're completely surrounded by water. There's looting going on in the streets around the hospital."

Hundreds of people were looting businesses downtown, throwing rocks through store windows and hauling away goods.

National Guard troops moved into the downtown business district, and state police squads backed by SWAT teams were sent in to scatter looters and restore order, authorities said late Tuesday.

Nagin told Mississippi television station WAPT a police officer was shot and wounded when he surprised a looter Tuesday, but the officer was expected to recover.

The biggest problem facing authorities, they said, was an inability to communicate.

Nearly all of the parishes in the New Orleans area -- Orleans, St. John the Baptist, Plaquemines, St. Tammany and Jefferson -- have curfews in place.

Inmates from a flooded parish jail were relocated to a freeway on-ramp, where they sat out in the sun, under the watch of armed officers.

Nagin said 80 percent of the city was under water, which was 20 feet deep in some places. (See video of knee-deep and rising water in the French Quarter -- 1:19)

Water from Lake Pontchartrain was pouring into the downtown area from a levee breach, rising steadily throughout the day. (Map)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported two major breaches in the levee system that protects New Orleans, much of which lies below sea level.

Authorities warned that efforts to limit the flooding have been unsuccessful, and that residents may not be able to return home for a month.

"The Corps Of Engineers has attempted to fix the situation under emergency conditions," Blanco told CNN. "They're not the best conditions, and probably too little, too late."

Getting anything into New Orleans will be difficult because of the damage to two bridge spans seven miles long that carry Interstate 10 over Lake Pontchartrain, linking the city to points east.

"This is a tragedy of great proportions, greater than any we've see in our lifetimes," Blanco said. "We know many lives have been lost."

The governor also said it was "impossible to even begin to estimate" how long it will take to restore power and drinking water in New Orleans.

Death toll rising in Mississippi

Katrina has inflicted more damage to Mississippi beach towns than did Hurricane Camille, and its death toll is likely to be higher, the state's governor said Tuesday. (Full story)

Camille killed 143 people when it struck the state's coastal counties in 1969 and a total of 256 after it swept inland.

"There are structures after structures that survived Camille with minor damage that are not there any more," Gov. Haley Barbour told reporters in Jackson.

Katrina destroyed "every one" of the casinos that raked in $500,000 per day in revenues to state coffers, Barbour said after a helicopter tour of the affected areas.

"There were 10- and 20-block areas where there was nothing -- not one home standing," he said.

Barbour would not give a confirmed death toll, but said it was likely to be higher than previous reports of 50 to 80 dead.

Jason Green of the Harrison County Coroner's Office said funeral homes in Gulfport had received 26 bodies since the storm passed Monday.

In the small town of Bay St. Louis, search and rescue crews put paint marks on homes known to contain bodies, because there weren't enough refrigerated trucks to remove the corpses.

In Biloxi, an employee of the city's Grand Casino was awed by the extent of the damage.

"I was a senior in high school when Hurricane Camille hit, in 1969, and I have never seen destruction of this magnitude," said Scott Richmond.

Part of the city's sea wall was washed away, and nearly every downtown building had extensive damage to its first level.

State emergency management officials said 80 percent of the state's residents had no power.

In Biloxi, a 25-foot swell of water crashed in from the Gulf of Mexico Monday and inundated structures there.

Up to 30 people are believed to have been killed when an apartment complex on the beach collapsed in the storm.

Distraught resident Harvey Jackson told a local television station about losing his wife in the floodwater as they stood on their roof. (Watch the video report of a husband whose wife slipped from his grip -- 1:07 )

"I held her hand as tight as I could and she told me, 'You can't hold me.' She said 'Take care of the kids and the grandkids,' " he sobbed. (Victims left with nothing)

Streets and homes were flooded as far as 6 miles inland from the beach, and looting was reported in Biloxi and in Gulfport, officials said.

Other developments

• In Mobile, Alabama, the storm pushed water from Mobile Bay into downtown, submerging large sections of the city, and officials imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew. (Full story)

• The impact of Katrina on U.S. oil production and refinery capabilities may be worse than initial reports estimated and could lead to a national gas crisis in the short-term, analysts warned Tuesday. (Full story)

• President Bush was returning to Washington two days ahead of schedule to help oversee Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, the White House announced. He will fly Friday to Louisiana to tour parishes ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu said. (Full story)

• The U.S. military Tuesday started to move ships and helicopters to the region at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid in rescue and medical needs, military officials said. (Full story)

• Katrina was downgraded to a tropical depression Tuesday. As of the 11 p.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center, the storm was pushing through the Ohio River Valley, causing flood watches in several states.

CNN's Anderson Cooper, Kathleen Koch, David Mattingly, Jeanne Meserve, Miles

[BERIGAN]

The people in charge of these things are going to have to do some serious thinking about the wisdom of rebuilding there. It's in harm's way.

←

Or restoring some of the one million acres of coastal wetlands that that area has lost to development over the past few decades. The natural "sponges" are gone, which is one reason why this is so much worse than Camille.

←

Yep, development and those levees...

Why Louisiana’s Wetlands Are Being Lost

Louisiana is losing coastal wetland areas for several reasons, both natural and man-made. All are interrelated.

Prior to the 1930s, Louisiana’s coastal wetland areas thrived. The Mississippi River fed them by bringing huge loads of river mud and replenishing silt from flooded upstream waters from 31 states. The deposits were left where the river meets the Gulf of Mexico to form a vibrant delta. As with most things, this annual flooding had a downside. Even though the Mississippi spring floods brought life to the region, it also brought devastating flooding and death.

In the 1930s, the Army Corps of Engineers built a series of levees on the river to prevent the annual flooding. Even though this project was considered very successful, it was not so successful in protecting the wetlands. Without the annual deposits of fresh mud and silt, the wetlands slowly started decaying and dying.

Because of levees, the Mississippi River is no longer able to change course to create new land or marshes, or is it able to seasonally overflow its natural banks to replenish existing wetlands with fresh water and sediment.

Without sediment from the river to stop it, the Gulf of Mexico has moved in. It has uncovered oil pipelines and killed fresh-water plants; the lost of these plants has hastened erosion in the wetlands. Without healthy wetlands acting as a buffer, ocean salt water is working its way into areas that were previously fresh-water marshes, killing fresh water plants whose roots once held the land in place. The salt water advances closer to the shore, threatening the nation’s energy supply.

The delta has another vital job Ñ it protects New Orleans and other coastal communities, where nearly half the states’ population lives, from storm surges of gulf water. Most of New Orleans population of approximately 438,000 people lives below sea level. In places, it is as much as 11 feet lower.

Another hit to the coastal wetlands happened in the 1960s when the Army Corps of Engineers dredged 14 major ship cannels leading to inland ports and oil companies. The building of these channels was instrumental in laying the oil and gas pipelines, which now supply vital energy resources to the rest of the nation. Coastal Louisiana has miles and miles of pipelines that carry the offshore oil and gas from the Gulf of Mexico to refineries.

However, these channels have become yet another damaging puzzle piece in the fight to save America’s Wetland. They give lethal seawater easy access to inland marshes, further damaging this fragile resource.

Essentially Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are being attacked from both sides - from the Mississippi River which is no longer able to save them due to a complex levee system and from incoming salt water from the Gulf of Mexico.

Additionally, some studies have shown the highest peaks of wetlands loss occur during or after the period of peak oil and gas production in the 1970s and early 1980s. Removal of millions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas caused a drop in subsurface pressure that led to underground faults. This caused the land to slip and then slump, thus putting more wetlands under water. This theory is known as regional depressurization.

All of these reasons contribute to the reasons why America’s Wetlands are dying.

http://www.naco.org/CountyNewsTemplate.cfm...ContentID=14710

Edited August 31, 2005 by BERIGAN

[Eric]

Following is an email update from the friend of a very trusted friend. I changed the names, but that's it. Amazing ...

Gang -

In regard to us and our immediate future, I offer the following updates:

-We filed claims with our home owner's insurance, flood insurance, and

with FEMA today to be one step ahead of the game

-We are heading to Michigan to my parent's home for an

indefinite period of time- Jennifer and the kids will be there at least 3

weeks to a couple of months

-I might be called back to NOLA in my role as UNO's Critical Incident

Stress Response team director to assist the university with its

emergency response to the post-hurricane needs of students and faculty.

At this point, the fall semester has been postponed until further notice, and it’s

pretty likely the entire term will be cancelled. As of this afternoon, the www.uno.edu Web site was down, so there’s no “official” communication from the school because the entire campus was evacuated on Sunday.

-If I am not called back for that role, I will likely head down as a

volunteer for the Red Cross to help out with the clean-up and relief

efforts in a week or so

- The last report from the NOLA mayor predicts that more than 1,000 people

in the city have died as a result of Katrina, and we haven’t even reached the point

where water-based diseases are spreading broadly.

Based on current images and reports, our home is likely under 10-20

feet of water and will remain so for a few days or weeks. We will probably

have to completely rebuild completely because the water is transferring

infectious diseases through building materials , and I am hopeful that we will be

able to do so. The house we were supposed to close on today is likely 20-30 feet

under water...so I don’t think we’ll be moving there any time soon.

I truly appreciate your offers and comments and want to thank you guys

for everything.

Who knows!? Maybe Jennifer and I will turn the whole thing into a vacation

and see some of you guys during our unexpected 'time off'!

-Randy

Edited August 31, 2005 by Eric

[Shawn]

I've been seeing pictures of the devestation in Biloxi and I just can't believe it. I was there about 5 months ago, it's unrecognizable now.

So far I've heard from my Mother and she is fine. I also got a text message from my Sister letting me know that she's alright. Still no word from my Aunt, Grandmother and other various cousins. There is no electricity, phone service and the cell phone service is so clogged you cannot call into the area. So I'm still sitting here wondering how my relatives are...it's too painful to describe.

I was supposed to be flying to Biloxi this Saturday, we were going to have a family reunion, that makes this even worse somehow....

[minew]

from the Times Picayune website late Tuesday.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Children's Hospital under siege

Tuesday, 11:45 p.m.

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.

The director has sought help from the police, but, due to rising flood waters, police have not been able to respond.

Bottcher said Blanco has been told of the situation and has informed the National Guard. However, Bottcher said, the National Guard has also been unable to respond.

[7/4]

from the Times Picayune website late Tuesday. 

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Children's Hospital under siege

Tuesday, 11:45 p.m.

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.

The director has sought help from the police, but, due to rising flood waters, police have not been able to respond.

Bottcher said Blanco has been told of the situation and has informed the National Guard. However, Bottcher said, the National Guard has also been unable to respond.

←

Now I'm pissed off and there's nothing to do about it. WTF. A Children's Hospital.