New Orleans Status Updates--NO POLITICS

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

*Caution* Humor Ahead ... repeat *Humor Warning*

I had to laugh a little after I read your post the first time, major "WTF" moment.

I read "...that NO FOFCers have been in my thoughts" as the word "no", not as the abbreviation for New Orleans.

I thought you had finally snapped completely until I read it the second time.

I thought the exact same thing when I saw it...

[Cringer]

Well, with no general Hurricane thread I wasn't sure were to post this. I guess this will do.

Just watching FOXNews, it is amazing how there are still people sitting at houses surrounded by water still. Watching helicopters drop boxes of food and water down into the water and the people wading out into the water to collect it. This never ceases to shock me, every day.

And now FOX is showing that the white people have lost their mind. There are people swimming in a pool. The pool water looks kind of clean, but is surrounded by te nasty flood water. Wacky mofo's.

Oh and about crying as people were talking about early in this thread. Don't worry, I have gotten the teary eyes several times over the last week. Mainly when I have to see some of the kids or pleas to find family members, it is hard not too.

[Masked]

My family has found a house in Lake Charles to live in. My aunt recently moved, but has not sold her old house yet. They just need to get some furniture. At least my mother's spirits are better since she was joking about how stupid it was that it took her 48 hours to remember this.

[terpkristin]

Where is Lake Charles?
Glad to hear your mom's got her humor back.

/tk

[Masked]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Where is Lake Charles?
Glad to hear your mom's got her humor back.

/tk

Lake Charles is in the southwestern corner of La. It is about halfway, between New Orleans and Houston.

[Cringer]

Yeah, Lake Charles is about 25 miles from the Texas state line on I-10.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm very glad to hear about your mother finding a place to live, Masked.

I'm hearing from some of my friends and colleagues and am glad to hear that they are safe. A few of my colleagues are volunteering in Baton Rouge, and I'm feeling guilty that I'm not there volunteering. At least I'll be able to volunteer in Shreveport and maybe head to Baton Rouge as well once I get my family settled in at the apartments next week.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'm very glad to hear about your mother finding a place to live, Masked.

I'm hearing from some of my friends and colleagues and am glad to hear that they are safe. A few of my colleagues are volunteering in Baton Rouge, and I'm feeling guilty that I'm not there volunteering. At least I'll be able to volunteer in Shreveport and maybe head to Baton Rouge as well once I get my family settled in at the apartments next week.

I am not sure how many displaced people are there, but judging from the packed hotels the other day when I drove through, there has to be plenty who will need to be going into shelters/temp housing in Shreveport soon. I would think there will be need for volunteers in that area for sure. Of course, I guess this pretty much is true for most 'untouched' towns int he area. You just don't here much about it from afar....

edit:spell check.

[Vince]

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you (and everyone not on the board) affected by the Hurricane. Such a tremendous tragedy...it's great to hear that most all of you are doing well, though.

[Eaglesfan27]

This isn't directly related to me, but this is from a friend of mine who doesn't mind me sharing this email. There are a lot of heroic stories that we haven't heard and I thought a few uplighting tales might be nice. This friend of mine is an internal medicine doc who did some great things along with a friend of his who is an Intensive Care Specialist:


I have just arrived in Houston.

We spent 6 days in Methodist Hospital with very limited resources. Without Mike Parker half of the 700 people in Methodist would have died. We went as long as 12 hours with no generator power and had to bag all of the vent patients we had no suction, etc. Mike P got to his boat and with the help of many people procurement of diesel and water was done. We were able to keep the vents on in the ICU 80% of the time. The rest of the hospital was completely without power.. We ate very little, and slept less than 2 hours a day. We lost 14 patients. In my opinion about half were headed there anyway.

Jan McC did a laparotomy in the ICU without power or suction. We had to move several patients to the roof that weighed 350 plus and one that weighed 500 plus lbs. We had patients on the roof for hours. UHS tried to send us supplies but several boats and helicopters were taken by FEMA. On Thursday we started evacing patients. It was not until the army showed up on Friday in full Helo force with Chinoos that we could move patients quickly.

I am very proud of my fello MDS, nurses and medical staff. With a coordinated team effort a bigger catostrophe was avoided. We had several near misses. Time does not allow me to tell you everything.

Several people including Natalie Barroccas and my wife and family and people I don't even know got the message out. For the first 2 days Methodist did not exist in media.. I thank them all for their help.

I think that this will make us all better and loving people. I will never stay for another Hurricane like that but I thank God that I had the opportunity to stay a Methodist and play a small role in helping my fello man. There are many Heros in this story.. When we get together I will share them with you.

[terpkristin]

I don't know if you all have seen it, but this map is a Google interactive map like the FOFC Map we have, but it's got reports from people on area status: http://www.scipionus.com/

Edited to add: Based on the above map, looks like my brother's place escaped flooding, but they say that looting is rampant in the area, including many residential break-ins. We're assuming the worst, in terms of looting, since he lived on the ground floor.

/tk

[Pumpy Tudors]

Good news about my uncle. He's on a bus to San Antonio right now. My aunt and cousin (who lived together) still have not been heard from.

[Eaglesfan27]

That is excellent news about your Uncle. I will continue to pray for your Aunt and Cousin. Hopefully, they just haven't been able to make contact. Kathy and I just heard from a few friends today who were only now, finally able to make contact.

[albionmoonlight]

"Salt in the Wound"


http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_09.html#076625

Saints to move?

By Robert Travis Scott
Capital bureau

New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson is leaning strongly toward moving the Saints permanently to San Antonio following the devastation to the city and the Superdome by Hurricane Katrina, a state senator who has spoken with a top team official said Saturday.

Sen. Mike Michot, R-Lafayette, said he spoke with Saints’ chief of administration Arnold Fielkow by phone Friday morning about Benson’s potential plans.

Team officials could not be reached Saturday. The team had previously announced it was looking for a new home for the current season, and San Antonio was one of the options.

Michot said he was told that Benson has not made a final decision, but the owner is serious about moving once and for all to San Antonio. “We may lose them permanently,” Michot said.

A possible move by the team is a “huge concern” among a few state officials who have become aware of it, but every significant political figure in the state is preoccupied with reacting to the storm aftermath.

State officials want to convince Benson to delay a decision so that the state can focus on the rescue and rehabilitation effort and later find a way to keep the Saints at home in New Orleans.

“This is like pouring salt into the wound,” Michot said.

Michot said decency dictates that Benson should postpone any decision on a permanent move until state officials have had a chance to talk with him.
“Give us time,” Michot said.
Another state official confirmed a similar conversation with Fielkow.

Michot is the vice-chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, a key committee for legislation related to state agreement with the Saints.
He said that in the long run the Saints might be better off staying in New Orleans because a revived city with national support could provide a better stadium.

[Buccaneer]

5:01 P.M. - (AP): The Superdome is nearly empty. Just 300 people remain out of the 25,000 evacuees who were staying in the stadium-turned-shelter.



Buses have been carrying out people by the hundreds all day. But at last word, the final 300 evacuees were still waiting with no bus in sight.



This last group to leave the Superdome may be the most difficult. Many of them were homeless before Hurricane Katrina hit and were forced by the National Guard and other authorities to stay at the sports stadium. About 100 of the final evacuees have spent the day searching out beer and alcohol kept at the stadium. Some are unruly and at least one had to be put in hand cuffs by police.



Meanwhile, the scene inside and around the Superdome is being described as a total mess. Garbage, debris and discarded belongings has stacked up in four-foot piles that stretch for two blocks past the stadium.
------
4:23 P.M. - (AP): Only pockets of stragglers remain in the streets around the New Orleans Convention Center, and paramedics have begun carting away the dead.



Most of the hurricane survivors were taken away earlier today by bus and helicopter.



Many of those who filed onto the buses had to walk past corpses to make their escape. Conditions were so crowded that many refugees had to leave bags full of belongings at the side of the road.



One woman who had been stuck at the convention center for five days said "anyplace is better than here."



National Guardsmen are providing security at the center. They confiscated knives and letter openers from people before they boarded the buses.

That is goodd news about these two places, which have been the unfortunate focus all week. I do, however, take exception to calling the Superdome a "shelter". It was never set up to be a shelter, which ended up being one of the biggest mistakes, I think.

[Buccaneer]

I guess now they start concentrating on doing a house to house search. Knowing the many blocks within the city, I suspect that will take a long time to do a systematic search. I also wonder what percentage they will find bodies, whether most of them got out or would it be a higher percentage.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

The 82nd Airborne Division is now in New Orleans. Let's go kick some ass All Americans.

[Karlifornia]

When will this situation go from "Another narrowly-averted hurricane disaster" to "holy shit it's actually happening this time" to "It's like a third world country now" back to "It's getting better" ?

I'm pretty far removed from this disaster, as I was with 9-11, living in California and all. I suppose the only way I could really know the pain you all are going through would be (knock on wood) if my area suffered a disaster like that. I was just down in Huntsville, AL last month.....They're probably pretty torn up about it....

Pumpy, Masked, and everyone else who has family or friends there, I have you in my thoughts, and look forward to hearing some good news...

[Cringer]

Not sure if this has been posted, I have missed some stuff after all.....

http://www.nola.com/forums/searching/

Basically a missing persons list....loooooooooooooooooong list.

[Masked]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Not sure if this has been posted, I have missed some stuff after all.....

http://www.nola.com/forums/searching/

Basically a missing persons list....loooooooooooooooooong list.

There is no communication infrastruture in place. No one can be contacted by their home or cell phone. Lots of people don't have access to their primary email, etc.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by Masked

There is no communication infrastruture in place. No one can be contacted by their home or cell phone. Lots of people don't have access to their primary email, etc.

I understand that, I just wanted to pass along the site.

[JW]

I got this from another board tonight, provides some info on the condition of the French Quarter, fyi:

from (deleted name), owner of A Gallery for Fine Photography on Chartres St.:
THANKS - Too much to say right now.

I got a few things out and have them in Baton Rouge.

Just got out last night. I could have stayed, my supplies would have lasted for seven more days.

But, the fires have started.

The reports of looting downtown are exaggerated. Yes, they broke into the grocery stores, drugstores, gas stations, for food, etc. Canal Street had a few hours of thugs doing sports shops, but all other shops and the ENTIRE French Quarter is safe and untouched. The storm did glass and roof damage and trees UPTOWN. Just needs to be swept. Looks LESS dirty than a typical Mardi Gras day.

THE FLOOD did NOT get into the French Quarter, and along the river to AUDUBON PARK.

I stayed and helped and photographed and bicycled these areas every day.

NO shooters, some idiots, but everyone doing the best to get along and survive. Other flooded areas, it is very desperate and there are some battles going on, but very isolated.

[Doug5984]

Just kind of an update from the Lafayette area. I have been looking for a house of my own. I was taking my time since I have a lease at my apartment until december- but since the hurricane every apartment in town is booker and just about every house is selling so fast...I'm not sure what this is going to do for the future populations of Lafayette / New Orleans- Don't know if these people will settle and stay here, or if they will move back in a year or so.

[Cringer]

Local news from down here about stuff going on to help those in the hurricane....NEWS ARTICLE

My favorite part....

Stilettos Gentleman’s Club in Pharr and Brownsville is donating all $5 cover charges today () and Sat., Sept. 10, to the Red Cross. The club’s valet service, Cameo Parking, is also donating their $5 valet fees to the Hurricane Relief, said Manager EbrahimMorales. And on Sept. 10, the club’s entertainers will hold a car wash at the Pharr location, where management will sell $5 barbeque plates of chicken, rice and beans at its Pharr location.

Throughout the week, Stilettos will continue to collect cash donations, as well as clothing, diapers and canned food to partner with Valley Trucking Company and transport the donations to Louisiana.

[Airhog]

I think too many people equate gentlemens clubs with the dregs of society. It's nice to know that not all club owners are totally bad people.

[Ryan S]

Is it just me, or did the WWL streaming video quality go downhill after Yahoo took over the hosting? The video seems to stop every 5 seconds or so for me.

[Galaril]

This is a morbid thought but the number of fatalities sounds like we will be looking at deaths in the tens of thousands range., which is incredible in an advanced country that had fair warning. I am not insinuating any blame here BTW.

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

If some of you folks are still thinking about giving money to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina, I'd like to recommend the Search Dog Foundation. This organization rescues dogs from shelters, and trains them to be search and resuce dogs. To date, they've sent twenty six dogs to search for survivors of the hurricane.

They don't receive any government funding, but respond when the government calls on them. They've sent teams to the Oklahoma City bombing site, the WTC on 9/11 and most recently the mudslides in Southern California.

If that doesn't convince you, howabout a gratuitous cute puppy dog picture? This is Cody. He and his handler Linda are in Mississippi looking for survivors.

[Cringer]

Canal repairmen killed by police......wonderful.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Canal repairmen killed by police......wonderful.

Heard it on FOx News too. Apparently they were Army Corps of Engineers, Oh boy! Looks like there are some itchy fingers and nerves over there.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by CHEMICAL SOLDIER

Heard it on FOx News too. Apparently they were Army Corps of Engineers, Oh boy! Looks like there are some itchy fingers and nerves over there.

FOX is putting out a different story now, hopefully this one is right.

They say that the contractors are alright, and that guys with guns indeed were the ones shot as first reports said. I think they said the contractors were shot at by the 'bad guys' I guess.

[terpkristin]

Not to derail this important piece of news, but PLEASE keep things of a political bent out of here. I'm hoping that this thread will be a place where our New Orleans (and other affected areas) residents can check in and let us know they're OK. I don't want it to turn into the mess that the other Katrina thread was. Besides, there are other threads here for general news related to Katrina.

EDIT TO ADD: Sorry, I probably sound like a bitch, but I just don't want a nightmare to start like the other one did...(though the news is quite important...).
/tk

[JW]

Update - AP is now reporting that some Corps of Engineers contractors were fired on and the police responded and killed some of the assailants. WWL-TV of New Orleans, using Lousiana Public Broadcasting facilities, is reporting this and has retracted the story saying the contractors were killed. For those in Louisiana, apparently LPB has given its studios to WWL for the time being.

Damn, let me add that another AP report is now saying some contractors were killed. This report was filed after the one I cited above, and the WWL announcers gave the sequence of reports and retractions. So no one seems to be sure about this one.

Another update. Corps of Engineers rep at a news conference this afternoon said Corps contractors were fired on but none were hit. All other details still up in the air, but it appears no contractors were killed.

[Glengoyne]

Along with the notes above about local support for the Hurricane victims. Our church is offering to bring a family displaced by Katrina to our small town in CA. We have a parsonage with no tennant, and a couple of members who own small/mid-size businesses that are offering employment. So if we are able to locate a family willing to forsake the Gulf Coast, and start again in California we're in position to give them a good start.

[McSweeny]

i was up in boston last night at a punk rock basement show/party. and the guy who owns the place has a show there about twice a month and charges people 5 bucks to drink from the kegs. anyway, around 40-60 people show up and he usually makes enough money to cover the kegs and any equipment that gets busted (mic stands, etc etc).

well last night he made the announcement that he was passing the hat around to collect donations for the Red Cross and that he'd match everything that was donated. He also said that he'd be matching and donating all the money people had paid to drink from the keg. It was so great to see everyone reaching into their pockets and dumping pretty much whatever they had into the hat. Spare change, crumpled up 5 dollar bills, everything. I only wish that i had more than 20 bucks on me. It really made my night though

i know it didn't end up being a whole lot of money, but the fact that we could contribute in even this meager way made me feel pretty proud.

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Linky

New Orleans Couple Weds in Shelter

Sunday, September 04, 2005



JACKSON, Miss. — Trenise Williams and her fiance were going to be married in New Orleans (search) just hours before Hurricane Katrina (search) unleashed catastrophic damage on the Gulf Coast.

They fled the area instead and "with the snap of an eye, I lost everything," she said. The only remnants of the wedding-to-be was a marriage license Williams, 28, tucked into her purse.

She and Joseph Kirsh joined about 3,000 other refugees at the Mississippi Coliseum (search) shelter about 190 miles north of New Orleans.

Shelter resident Rochelle Smith, a Jackson-area woman who was homeless before the storm, heard of Williams' plight on Thursday and decided that a lack of wedding dress or cake wasn't going to stop the couple from having their special day.

On Saturday, the couple were married.

As children played and weary survivors slept, Williams and Kirsh exchanged vows before an Episcopalian minister and a crowd seated in folding chairs. Some snapped photos with instant cameras, while others used camera phones to capture the moment.

The ceremony couldn't approach what the couple had originally planned, but they were touched by the outpouring.

"It's beautiful," said Williams' mother, Evelyn. "It's real hard; we lost everything at once."

Smith took on the role of wedding planner, coordinating donations from local businesses, including jewelry and shoes. Others donated hair and makeup services, a traditional dress and five lilac bridesmaid gowns.

The couple approached local entrepreneur Bob Ford, who owns Sanctuary Golf Club in Brandon. Ford and his wife, Joyce, were cooking food for shelter residents throughout the week. Ford helped finance the ceremony.

"We want to uplift everyone here ... give people something to live for," Ford said.

[sachmo71]

Ugh...

New Orleans Begins Counting Its Dead


Email this Story

Sep 4, 9:19 PM (ET)

By ROBERT TANNER


NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New Orleans turned much of its attention Sunday to gathering up and counting the dead across a ghastly landscape awash in perhaps thousands of corpses. "It is going to be about as ugly of a scene as I think you can imagine," the nation's homeland security chief warned.

As authorities struggled to keep order, police shot eight people, killing five or six, after gunmen opened fire on a group of contractors traveling across a bridge on their way to make repairs, authorities said.

Air and boat crews searched flooded neighborhoods for survivors, and federal officials urged those still left in New Orleans to leave for their own safety.

To expedite the rescues, the Coast Guard requested through the media that anyone stranded hang out brightly colored or white linens or something else to draw attention. But with the electricity out though much of the city, it was not known if the message was being received.


With large-scale evacuations completed at the Superdome and Convention Center, the death toll was not known. But bodies were everywhere: floating in canals, slumped in wheelchairs, abandoned on highways and medians and hidden in attics.

"I think it's evident it's in the thousands," Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said Sunday on CNN, echoing predictions by city and state officials last week. The U.S. Public Health Service said one morgue alone, at a St. Gabriel prison, expected 1,000 to 2,000 bodies.

In the first official count in the New Orleans area, Louisiana emergency medical director Louis Cataldie said authorities had verified 59 deaths - 10 of them at the Superdome.

"We need to prepare the country for what's coming," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on "Fox News Sunday.""We are going to uncover people who died, maybe hiding in houses, got caught by the flood. ... It is going to be about as ugly of a scene as I think you can imagine."

Chertoff said rescuers have encountered a number of people who said they did not want to evacuate.

"That is not a reasonable alternative," he said. "We are not going to be able to have people sitting in houses in the city of New Orleans for weeks and months while we de-water and clean this city. ... The flooded places, when they're de-watered, are not going to be sanitary."

In Sunday's bridge confrontation, 14 contractors on their way to help plug the breach in the 17th Street Canal were traveling across the Danziger Bridge under police escort when they came under fire, said John Hall, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers. Police shot at eight people carrying guns, killing five or six, Deputy Police Chief W.J. Riley said. None of the contractors was injured, authorities said.

Meanwhile, a civilian helicopter crashed Sunday evening near the bridge. The two people on board escaped with only cuts and scrapes, according to Mark Smith of the state office of emergency preparedness.

In addition to the lawlessness, civilian deaths and uncertainty about their families, New Orleans' police have had to deal with suicides in their ranks. Two officers took their lives, including the department spokesman, Paul Accardo, who died Saturday, according to Riley. Both shot themselves in the head, he said.

"I've got some firefighters and police officers that have been pretty much traumatized," Mayor Ray Nagin said. "And we've already had a couple of suicides, so I am cycling them out as we speak. ... They need physical and psychological evaluations."



The strain was apparent in other ways. Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish, dropped his head and cried on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"The guy who runs this building I'm in, emergency management, he's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home, and every day she called him and said, 'Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?' And he said, 'And yeah, Momma, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday' - and she drowned Friday night. She drowned on Friday night," Broussard said.

"Nobody's coming to get her, nobody's coming to get her. The secretary's promise, everybody's promise. They've had press conferences - I'm sick of the press conferences. For God's sakes, shut up and send us somebody."

Hundreds of thousands of people already have been evacuated, seeking safety in Texas, Tennessee and other states. The first group of refugees who will take shelter in Arizona arrived Sunday in Phoenix. With more than 230,000 already in Texas, Gov. Rick Perry ordered emergency officials to begin preparations to airlift some of them to other states that have offered help.

What will happen to the refugees in the long term was not known.

Back in New Orleans, walk-up stragglers at the Convention Center were checked by Navy medics before they were evacuated. Lt. Andy Steczo said he treated people for bullet wounds, knife wounds, infections, dehydration and chronic problems such as diabetes.

"We're cleaning them up the best we can and then shipping them out," Steczo said.

One person he treated was 56-year-old Pedro Martinez, who had a gash on his ankle and cuts on his knuckle and forearm. Martinez said he was injured while helping people onto rescue boats. "I don't have any medication and it hurts. I'm glad to get out of here," he said.

In a devastated section on the edge of the French Quarter, people went into a store, whose windows were already shattered, and took out bottles of soda and juice.

A corpse of an elderly man lay wrapped in a child's bedsheet decorated with the cartoon characters Batman, Robin and the Riddler. The body was in a wooden cart on Rampart Street, one shoe on, one shoe off.

Rene Gibson, 42, driving a truck while hunting for water and ice, said people are not going to leave willingly. "People been (here) all their life. They don't know nothing else," he said.

Amid the tragedy, about two dozen people gathered in the French Quarter for the Decadence Parade, an annual Labor Day gay celebration. Matt Menold, 23, a street musician wearing a sombrero and a guitar slung over his back, said: "It's New Orleans, man. We're going to celebrate."

In New Orleans' Garden District, a woman's body lay at the corner of Jackson Avenue and Magazine Street - a business area with antique shops on the edge of blighted housing. The body had been there since at least Wednesday. As days passed, people covered the corpse with blankets or plastic.

By Sunday, a short wall of bricks had been built around the body, holding down a plastic tarpaulin. On it, someone had spray-painted a cross and the words, "Here lies Vera. God help us."

[Cringer]

In addition to the lawlessness, civilian deaths and uncertainty about their families, New Orleans' police have had to deal with suicides in their ranks. Two officers took their lives, including the department spokesman, Paul Accardo, who died Saturday, according to Riley. Both shot themselves in the head, he said.

This is very sad. Poor guys had one hell of a time in that city, all politcal B.S. aside. I can't imagine what it was like for them trying to do their jobs.

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Mayor Nagin is sending N.O. police and fire fighters on all expense paid vacations to Las Vegas. Begining ASAP.

Linky

City to Offer Free Trips to Las Vegas for Officers

By JOSEPH B. TREASTER and CHRISTOPHER DREW
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 4 - A day after two police suicides and the abrupt resignations or desertions of up to 200 police officers, defiant city officials on Sunday began offering five-day vacations - and even trips to Las Vegas - to the police, firefighters and city emergency workers and their families.

The idea of paid vacations was raised by both Mayor C. Ray Nagin and senior police officials who said that their forces were exhausted and traumatized and that the arrival of the National Guard had made way for the officers to be relieved.

"I'm very concerned about individuals who have been here, particularly since the first few days, and have been through a lot of hardship," Mr. Nagin said in an interview.

He said most of the police officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers "are starting to show signs of very, very serious stress, and this is a way to give them time to reunite with their families."

Mr. Nagin, who has been demanding more federal assistance for days as his city struggled with despair, death and flooding, said he had asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for the trips but the agency said it could not. He said the city, therefore, would pay the costs.

He said he believed there were now enough National Guard members in the city to allow the police to take a break and still keep the city secure, and he brushed off questions about whether such a trip might look like a dereliction of duty.

"I'll take the heat on that," Mr. Nagin said. "We want to cater to them."

His words were seconded by the police superintendent, P. Edwin Compass III, in a separate interview. "When you go through something this devastating and traumatic," Mr. Compass said, "you've got to do something dramatic to jump-start the healing process."

The officials were planning to send 1,500 workers out in two shifts for five days each. They are sending them to Las Vegas because of the availability of hotel rooms and to Atlanta because many of them had relatives there.

They said that they were trying to get the first officers on their way on Monday and that the first stop would be Baton Rouge, about 75 miles from here.

There the officers will be given physical examinations and inoculations against possible infection from the polluted floodwaters, said Col. Terry Ebbert, the director of homeland security for the city, who has authority over the police and fire departments and other emergency services.

Then, Colonel Ebbert and other officials said, those who want to go to Las Vegas or Atlanta will be given air transportation and a hotel room. The city is reserving hotel rooms in Baton Rouge, they said, adding that the officers and firefighters may also be given the choice of flying to other cities.

Colonel Ebbert, the senior official running the recovery and rescue operation, and Mr. Compass both said that they planned to take a break as well, but probably for less than five days, and that they would continue to direct the recovery by telephone.

Officials said they expected the military, with much greater resources, to expand rescue work, begin cleaning up the city and take the first steps toward reconstruction.

W. J. Riley, the deputy superintendent of police, said that by late Sunday afternoon more than 2,900 National Guard members and law enforcement officers from around the country were operating in New Orleans. By early evening, Mr. Riley said, the advance units of a 2,200-person force from the 82nd Airborne Division had landed.

Several thousand more soldiers were expected, including members of the First Cavalry Division.

Reinforcements are also expected for the fire department. Senior firefighters, who have been forced to ignore some fires and to try merely to keep the worst blazes from spreading, said that several hundred firefighters with fire engines and radio equipment were heading for New Orleans from departments around the country.

New Orleans officials said they would remain in charge. Mr. Riley, who has been on the police force for 24 years, will oversee the police department in the superintendent's absence.

"We haven't turned over control of the city," Colonel Ebbert said.

Mr. Riley said that 40 percent of the city's force of about 1,200 officers would remain at their posts while the others were on leave. When the first group returns, Mr. Riley said, those who stayed behind will get a break.

Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Matthews, who is also the director of the city's Office of Emergency Preparedness, said officials viewed the time off for their security forces as essential. "We've been at this six days and we need to give our people a break," he said.

[Buccaneer]

Withdrawn out of respect for kristen and this thread. Sorry.

[terpkristin]

Seriously, if there are going to be pot-shots either way here, can you PLEASE take it out of this thread and start a new thread about said issue?

At least then, the pissing contest will be kept to its own thread and those looking for the updates on conditions and people won't have to comb through partisan bashing? Please?

EDIT: This post refers to something that has since been removed from this thread. Thank you Bucc and the other person who'd posted (flere?) for taking it to a different thread, I (and I'm sure the others looking for the status updates of our FOFC-maters) appreciate it.

/tk

[sachmo71]

There's a video on CNN that some of you may want to watch called the Faces of Katrina. I was very moved by it, mostly because it reminded me that even this horrible devistation will not break New Orleans. It may change it, but you can't break the spirit of a city with roots this deep. It's just not possible.

[JW]

This from a La. internet forum.

I just came back from downtown N. O. Had to go through six roadblocks to

Posted by xxxxxx on September 5, 2005 at 3:53 p.m.

get in, first one at I-10 at Gramercy.
I picked up some animals from two houses in the uptown area. Lots of trees down, many roads blocked, roof damage everywhere, but not a lot of major structural damage and no flooding. Saw 8-10 residents moving around in the area from Causeway to Tchoupitoulas at I-10, a few people standing guard over their businesses, but mostly just official and emergency vehicles.

The area around the Dome flooded as far as the eye can see. Still a couple of homeless guys walking the deserted I-10, a few boats putting in the water between the Dome and cemeteries. The interstate is flooded and impassable in both directions at the cemetery. No traffic at all, no people. Helicopters everywhere, Sea Stallions, CH-43's (I think), lots of Huey and even civilian ambulances and police choppers. The sky is full; looked like DaNang.

Saw one boat putting in to pick up a body floating between the fence and the interstate just north of the dome.

On the return trip, saw several convoys of ambulances, looked like one of them (25) was from Mass. or one of the Commonwealth states. Another was from Tennessee. Several convoys of National Guard and one regular Army group. Many 18-wheelers are on the roads headed into the city, getting off at Clearview and Causeway.

We went in on Clearview, to River Road, then Magazine to Jefferson. Came back to Tchoupitoulas to I-10, back to St. Charles, up to Jackson, back over to Magazine, to River Road, to Causeway and I-10 back to BR. Brought two cats and a hamster out of there..all okay, but glad to see a human!

But access is still very limited, River Road and Magazine are still one lane in a lot of places because of downed trees and other debris. The main power infrastructure looks fine, saw no damage to two large transformer substations, and the HV lines all look intact. Lots of downed electric, telephone and cable lines are down in the neighborhoods though, including one huge bundle which crossed I-10. That bundle is now a speed bump on the interstate.

Lots of M-16's, flak vests. NG troopers standing guard on many street corners, fully armed. Wal-Mart on Tchoupitoulas has been set up as a staging area for the military and emergency people, and that whole parking lot is full of equpment and tents.

It's bad, folks, not that you didn't already know it. But it's eerie down there in the Uptown, not a sound but a few birds and a chopper going by, all those blank and boarded houses covered in downed trees and power lines. Surreal, and I was glad to get back to BR.

God bless the people who lived there.......

[Eaglesfan27]

Just thinking today about the barbeque that we were supposed to host with all of the friends that were supposed to come over today.

2 of them are in Florida with their family. 4 of them are in Houston at various hotels. 2 of them are in Tennessee and are seriously considering buying a home there and permeantly relocating

The other 2 I haven't heard from, but I'm fairly sure they are somewhere safe.

Oh well, time to figure out where myself and the family are going to eat tonight.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Just thinking today about the barbeque that we were supposed to host with all of the friends that were supposed to come over today.

2 of them are in Florida with their family. 4 of them are in Houston at various hotels. 2 of them are in Tennessee and are seriously considering buying a home there and permeantly relocating

The other 2 I haven't heard from, but I'm fairly sure they are somewhere safe.

Oh well, time to figure out where myself and the family are going to eat tonight.

Good to hear that most of your friends are safe. Are the 2 in Tennessee scared to go back, or just are comfortable in Tennessee? Are you and your wife still thinking about relocating outside the state? Here is a site for Little Rock's restaurants...http://www.hellolittlerock.com/Restaurants.Cfm

[JeeberD]

I waited on a family (husband, wife, teenage son) today who is from New Orleans. I walked up to the table and asked how them how they were doing (my usual greeting) and the wife said, "Ugh...you don't want to know." I kinda laughed it off at first, and then she mentioned that it had been a long time since they were at an OG and that they were from New Orleans...and I really didn't know what to say except for "Oh...I'm sorry." I wanted to get them a discount or free food or something, but the manager who was there today is a hardass and wouldn't do anything.

After they had eaten I tried to talk to them a little bit about their situation and it sounded like they think their house has some water damage but they don't think it's completely flooded. And once again, all I could do was tell them that I was sorry and wish them the best of luck with their situation...

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Good to hear that most of your friends are safe. Are the 2 in Tennessee scared to go back, or just are comfortable in Tennessee? Are you and your wife still thinking about relocating outside the state? Here is a site for Little Rock's restaurants...http://www.hellolittlerock.com/Restaurants.Cfm

We've never really thought about relocating outside the state except for in the short term. We will be in Little Rock for at least 2 more days, possibly 4 more days. Hopefully, by then at least 1 of our apartments should be ready and we will move back to Shreveport. Thanks for the link, I'm looking for some more ideas for dinner now, but it looks I've been outvoted and it looks like we are going to a chinese restaurant tonight.

As far as my friends, they just don't want to come back. Their home was in a hard hit area and they feel it is certainly going to have taken heavy damage. They also are enjoying Tennessee.

[Buccaneer]

New Orleans is getting tough with people who are still refusing to leave the hurricane-ravaged city.



Mayor Ray Nagin says water will no longer be handed out to people who refuse to leave.

BYOW.

[albionmoonlight]

Update on my family:

A friend went to see my sister and Brother in law's apartment. The roof caved in and everything is lost to water damage/mold. That's the bad news. The good news is that their cat was alive and was rescued and is now safe.

The friend also saw my parent's house, and it only had minor wind damage. That's good news, too.

My Brother-in-law's job will take him to Jacksonville for the short term. They are leaving to go there tomorrow. My sister may or may not be relocated to Houston for the short term.

The stress of dislocation is starting to get to my Mom, but I suppose that that is to be expected.

[sachmo71]

My nephew went back to survey the damage in Kenner...

He, his brother, and two of his sisters live with their father. They have no homeowners insurance. Luckly, they only got a few inches of water in the house, so most of their clothes and electronices made it. Since they won't be able to stay and dry the place out, they aren't sure how it's going to look in a couple of months, but they still have some property.

My other niece, who does have homeowners insurance, wasn't as fortunate. They had about 2 feet of water in the house, some structural damage from the winds. Good news is that her husband's truck did not sustain damage, as the water only made it up to his bumper.

All in all, the family was rather lucky. Hopefully my brother-in-law didn't lose his stash...that would be just HORRIBLE!