TV news reporting
Bodies floating
Rising flood waters.
Superdome:
Man jumped to his death in Superdome
30.000 people now in dome as they move in sick and dying people -people on dialysis
Fist fights breaking out inside
Superdome full of human waste and filth
--
80 % of the city flooded
Filth and sewage everywhere
Dead animals floating
Fires raging
Toxic spills
Trapped people
Rampant looting
OMG! I am sick.
Photos look like a drowned war zone.
OMG! Katrina - Hell on Wheels!!
Moderator: Super Moderators
What I was wondering while watching the footage, and realizing that much of the town will have to be literally razed, is -- where will all the low-income people go? Will those poor neighborhoods be rebuilt for the prior tenants, or will new shiny expensive houses replace them?
Some businesses which were located in those high rises will survive, but all the street level ones will have lost their inventory.
I can't even imagine how one goes about cleaning this up and rebuilding.
Wonder how the insurance companies are feeling today.
Some businesses which were located in those high rises will survive, but all the street level ones will have lost their inventory.
I can't even imagine how one goes about cleaning this up and rebuilding.
Wonder how the insurance companies are feeling today.
Wow, Dot. Powerful thought there, and you're right.
I've been watching the pictures on TV, as I'm sure you all have. This is beyond imagination. Surreal. Unbelievably vile. I'm seeing aerial footage of Mobile and Biloxi. You described it very well, Sandy. Toxic flood waters. Debris everywhere. Buildings torn apart. A huge oil driling rig the size of several large buildings has been moved from 12 mi. offshore to barely offshore, and the shore itself has been moved inland. Piles of rubble so long and wide it's inconceivable how they can ever be cleared away. Entire neighborhoods completely inaccessible. People's lives and families torn asunder in ways that will never be completely repaired. A man crying because his house was destroyed and he couldn't hold on to his wife's hand... she drifted away, lost. A dog perched forlornly on a rooftop. New Orleans under so much water. Fires. Tornadoes. Looting. Destruction everywwhere. Millions stranded. The pictures that are coming in today are absolutely horrifying. There is no question that the death tolls will be rising for weeks. There are no words to describe this sickening, heartbreaking mess... I can only sit and cry.
I've been watching the pictures on TV, as I'm sure you all have. This is beyond imagination. Surreal. Unbelievably vile. I'm seeing aerial footage of Mobile and Biloxi. You described it very well, Sandy. Toxic flood waters. Debris everywhere. Buildings torn apart. A huge oil driling rig the size of several large buildings has been moved from 12 mi. offshore to barely offshore, and the shore itself has been moved inland. Piles of rubble so long and wide it's inconceivable how they can ever be cleared away. Entire neighborhoods completely inaccessible. People's lives and families torn asunder in ways that will never be completely repaired. A man crying because his house was destroyed and he couldn't hold on to his wife's hand... she drifted away, lost. A dog perched forlornly on a rooftop. New Orleans under so much water. Fires. Tornadoes. Looting. Destruction everywwhere. Millions stranded. The pictures that are coming in today are absolutely horrifying. There is no question that the death tolls will be rising for weeks. There are no words to describe this sickening, heartbreaking mess... I can only sit and cry.
Last edited by Iris on 08-30-2005 03:00 PM, edited 1 time in total.
We must, indeed, all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. B. Franklin
The hospital I worked at, in La Place, which is sits on low-lying land between the River, and Lake Pontchartrain, was evacuated Sunday. This comes as no surprise. There was a scandal regarding it's construction.
River Parishes was a new hospital then, yet it was in shambles - plaster crumbling, walls and windows cracked from settling due to the inadequately built foundation, and plumbing problems galore. It was just another scandal in a city awash with building scandals. The corrupt, incestuous government of New Orleans is based on the unique set of "family values". Everybody's bubba-in-law gets a taste of the action, gets a contract of some sort, qualifications be damned. This has always been the way of things in New Orleans. In fact the locals take a perverse pride in it.
I turned off the TV for awhile today. I couldn't take it any more. I baked bread, and washed my dishes. Now the TV is turned back on, and I am sinking, just sinking. My heart hurts so much I want to scream.
River Parishes was a new hospital then, yet it was in shambles - plaster crumbling, walls and windows cracked from settling due to the inadequately built foundation, and plumbing problems galore. It was just another scandal in a city awash with building scandals. The corrupt, incestuous government of New Orleans is based on the unique set of "family values". Everybody's bubba-in-law gets a taste of the action, gets a contract of some sort, qualifications be damned. This has always been the way of things in New Orleans. In fact the locals take a perverse pride in it.
I turned off the TV for awhile today. I couldn't take it any more. I baked bread, and washed my dishes. Now the TV is turned back on, and I am sinking, just sinking. My heart hurts so much I want to scream.
one of America's most charming cities into a vast cesspool tainted with toxic chemicals, human waste and even coffins released by floodwaters from the city's legendary cemeteries.
Updates as they come in on Katrina
04:42 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Tom Planchet
4:42 P.M. - (AP) Electric companies from around the country are rushing crews to the hurricane-ravaged South. They will help restore power to an area so devastated that it could be weeks or even months before the lights come back on in many places. David Botkins, a spokesman for Dominion Virginia Power, says 200 workers are headed to Louisiana and Mississippi.
4:40 P.M. - (AP) State officials say they are working on plans to evaucate inmates from the Orleans Parish prison and the Jefferson Parish jail. Both facilities face a threat of flooding.
The state Corrections Department is trying to figure out how to transfer 4,000 inmates from the New Orleans jail and another 1,000 from the Jefferson Parish jail in Gretna.
The inmates would be moved to state prisons including the highest-security at Angola. Corrections spokesman Pam LaBorde says it's quite a logistical situation to accomplish.
4:23 P.M. - Jefferson Parish officials say schools could reopen two months after Labor Day.
4:21 P.M. - WWL-TV Reporter quotes officials as saying there may now be 60,000 people in the Superdome and that more people are still being urged to go there.
3:59 P.M. - WWL-TV reporter Jonathan Betz reports widespread looting and WWL-TV cameras showed people walking out of Canal Street stores with racks of clothes and electronics. Some looters concentrated on basics and supplies, while others made no secret of their desire to get what they could.
3:53 P.M. - N.O. Mayor Nagin: Priorities - 1. Rescuing people. 2. Fixing levee breaks. 3. Taking care of refugees in Superdome and hospitals.
3:43 P.M. - Senator Vitter: New Orleans will "absolutely" be rebuilt.
3:25 P.M. - With conditions in the hurricane-ravaged city of New Orleans rapidly deteriorating, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Tuesday that people now huddled in the Superdome and other rescue centers need to be evacuated.
"The situation is untenable," Blanco said during a news conference. "It's just heartbreaking."
3:15 P.M. - Charity Hospital is out of commission and they are trying to evacuate patients, but it is hard to get there because rising water is surrounding the hospital. They will try to evacuate the patients to other cities.
3:13 P.M. - Governor Blanco: A lot of people have lost their lives, but we have no numbers because the priority is saving those who are alive so we don't have more casualties.
3:12 P.M. - Senator Vitter: Mayor Nagin's calm and control and command of the facts showed me that we have one of the best leaders in the country right here.
3:12 P.M. - Senator Landrieu - Scenes are similar to what she saw after the Tsunami.
3:11 P.M. - Senator Landrieu: Those who evacuated should be patient and thank God that they are okay because so many still need to get out.
3:09 P.M. - Senator Landrieu: Plenty of people still on rooftops in N.O. East waiting to be rescued. Every boat available is being used to try to save people.
3:07 P.M. - Governor Blanco: We are looking for ways to get people out of the Superdome and out of New Orleans said Governor Blanco as she tried to keep from crying.
3:03 P.M. - Latest on Northshore from St. Tammany Parish. Click here.
2:42 P.M. (AP) -- The question is not whether Congress will pass legislation to speed disaster relief to communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but how soon and how much. The answers: real soon and a lot.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has $2.5 billion in funds available for immediate assistance such as emergency shelters, food, and medical care, said Scott Milburn, spokesman for the White House budget office. But longer-term assistance, such as help in removing wreckage, rebuilding homes, and repairing highways and federal facilities will require a major infusion of cash provided by Congress.
2:39 P.M. - Jeff Parish councilman Tom Capella says pumps working near Veterans and West Esplanade and water is receeding there. He says break in levee at 17th Street canal continues to pour water into Lakeview.
2:32 P.M. - LSU to begin classes next Tuesday.
2:30 P.M. - Coast Guard says it has rescued 1,200 people so far in Louisiana.
2:24 P.M. - (AP) -- Hurricane Katrina forced scores more flight cancellations involving New Orleans and other Southern cities Tuesday as airlines juggled their schedules around one of the worst storms on record.
2:09 P.M. - Video on WAFB-TV shows the Twin Spans between I-10 and Slidell broken in dozens of spots.
2:07 P.M. - (AP) -- A top casino executive is calling on the Mississippi Legislature to enact emergency legislation to keep the state's coast gaming industry alive.
Treasure Bay Casino President and CEO Bernie Burkholder says most of the casino hotels on the coast survived Hurricane Katrina, but several gambling barges suffered extensive damage. He says it could take several years to rebuild.
2:01 P.M. - Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard says there is no plumbing and the sanitary situation is getting nasty. He told WAFB-TV that he is carrying around a bag for his own human waste.
2:00 P.M. - Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi says "this is going to be the most expensive natural disaster that's hit the United States in history."
1:30 P.M. - --The American Red Cross says it has thousands of volunteers mobilized for the hurricane. Spokesman Bradley Hague said it's the "largest single mobilization that we've done for any single natural disaster." The organization has set up operational headquarters in Baton Rouge.
--The Environmental Protection Agency dispatched emergency crews to Louisiana and Texas because of concern about oil and chemical spills.
--The Coast Guard closed ports and waterways along the Gulf Coast and positioned craft around the area to conduct post-hurricane search and rescue operations.
--The Agriculture Department said its Food and Nutrition Service would provide meals and other commodities, such as infant formula, distilled water for babies and emergency food stamps.
--The Defense Department dispatched emergency coordinators to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi to provide communications equipment, search and rescue operations, medical teams and other emergency assistance.
--The Health and Human Services Department sent 38 doctors and nurses to Jackson, Mississippi, to be used where needed, and 30 pallets of medical supplies to the region, including first aid materials, sterile gloves and oxygen tanks.
Some six-thousand National Guard personnel from Louisiana and Mississippi who would otherwise be available to help deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina are in Iraq.
Even so, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the states have adequate National Guard units to handle the hurricane needs. He said about six-thousand-500 National Guard troops were available in Louisiana, about seven-thousand in Mississippi, nearly ten-thousand in Alabama and about eight-thousand-200 in Florida.
1:26 P.M. - Officials at LSU and local hospitals say they are triaging thousands of people being brought from outside the Baton Rouge area for medical care. The people are being bused in.
1:08 P.M. - "I'm very hopeful, with the devastation we've had, that the number (of deaths) will be much more reasonable than people think. There are not thousands of people floating around." -- Terry Ebbert, New Orleans' homeland security chief.
1:05 P.M. - (AP) -- With much of the city emptied by Hurricane Katrina, some opportunists took advantage of the situation by looting stores.
At a Walgreen's drug store in the French Quarter, people were running out with grocery baskets and coolers full of soft drinks, chips and diapers. When police finally showed up, a young boy stood in the door screaming, "86! 86!" -- the radio code for police -- and the crowd scattered.
Around the corner on Canal Street, the main thoroughfare in the central business district, people sloshed headlong through hip-deep water as looters ripped open the steel gates on the front of several clothing and jewelry stores. 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."
12:55 P.M. - N.O. Mayor Ray Nagin says rescue operations with boats are continuing.
12:50 P.M. - St. John Parish hospital closed at this time. Water working but must be boiled. Parish president Nickie Monica asks residents who have evacuated to stay out. Good News, no major structural damage. Monica says schools and offices closed until further notice. He asks that St. John Parish be made a priority to be used as a staging area for other parishes that suffered worse fates. 911 not working...EMERGENCIES IN ST. JOHN PARISH...1-985-652-6338, 1-985-536-2112...west bank 1-985-497-3321.
12:45 P.M. - Reports of looting in downtown New Orleans of drugstores. Reports people rushing out with grocery carts of food, soft drinks and diapers. Ripped open steel gates at some Canal Street stores taking clothing.
12:44 P.M. - (AP) The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port did NOT suffer major damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina. And a port official says the flow of oil could resume within "a matter of hours" once its power supply is restored.
12:41 P.M. - Rescue efforts a priority. Clearing infrastructure to hospitals. Most streets blocked by pine trees. Slidell - A Hampton Inn on Old Spanish Trail with 20 feet. Fifteen feet of water downtown. One Slidell hospital had to be evacuated, the others are at maximum capacity.
11:58 A.M. - Homeland security chief optimistic that 3,000 pound sandbags can plug 200 foot levee break at 17th Street Canal.
11:55 A.M. - Super Wal-Mart in Kenner open for supplies.
11:54 A.M. - Kenner mayor asking for more National Guard. Asks anyone with the guard to call 468-7200.
11:53 A.M. - Two dead in Slidell in rising waters after attempting to get back to their homes. The victims had initially evacuated.
11:52 A.M. - Entergy reports 1.1 million outages in Mississippi and Louisiana.
11:50 A.M. JP Sheriff asking anyone with a boat to bring it to Sam's Parking lot on Airline and Cleary to help with evacuations.
11:46 A.M. - (AP) The president asked individual Americans to get involved with the relief effort, suggesting anyone who wishes to help could call 1-800-HELPNOW, log on to the Red Cross Web site or get in touch with the Salvation Army.
11:44 A.M. - LSU becoming a major staging area for injured and evacuees. Campus allowing families of students to house with them. Making facilities available as "community responsibility" according to Chancellor Sean O'Keefe.
11:43 A.M. - Councilman Byron Lee of Jefferson Parish, "This is not life as it used to be. It's like a war zone."
11:39 A.M. (AP) - National Guardsmen brought in people from outlying areas to the Superdome in the backs of big 2 1/2-ton Army trucks. Louisiana's wildlife enforcement department also brought people in on the backs of their pickups. Some were wet, some were in wheelchairs, some were holding babies and nothing else.
11:35 A.M. - (AP) Downtown streets that were relatively clear in the hours after the storm were filled with 1 to 1 1/2 feet of water Tuesday morning. Water was knee-deep around the Superdome. Canal Street was literally a canal. Water lapped at the edge of the French Quarter. Clumps of red ants floated in the gasoline-fouled waters downtown.
11:28 A.M. - JP Councilman Chris Roberts: Three rescued from Grand Isle, according to Grand Isle Mayor.
11:26 A.M. - New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper evacuating offices.
11:21 A.M. (AP) - The White House says President Bush is cutting short his vacation to return to Washington to monitor the hurricane recovery efforts.
11:16 A.M. - Gretna Police Chief...some people south of Gretna Blvd. trapped in water in homes, waiting to be rescued, but believed safe. Several looters arrested, chief says about 50. Lots of debris, at least some structural damage in 95 to 98 percent of buildings. Water is off in Gretna due to barge that was hit and dumped diesel into water supply. Plenty of homes with structural damage...a few that have collapsed. As far as police chief knows, No deaths in Gretna, two minor injuries. Chief says looting has been mainly for groceries. Law enforcement given "whatever authority they need" to prevent looting of homes.
11:15 A.M. - Hospitals with no power and rising waters are bringing patients to the Superdome.
11:13 A.M. - Plaquemines Parish...if you are found on the street...will be arrested. Marshall law in effect. 60 percent of homes flooded. 50 people rescued.
11:12 A.M. Governor Blanco, U.S. Senator Vitter - "Do Not come back Now" if you've evacuated.
11:06 A.M. Governor Blanco reports 700 people have been rescued since Monday afternoon, but that many more remain trapped.
11:01 A.M. - Break in 17th Street Canal Levee is now 200 feet wide and slowly flooding the City of New Orleans. Huge sand bags are being airlifted to try to stem the rush of water in that area.
10:53 A.M. - Latest on Northshore from St. Tammany Parish. Click here.
Updates as they come in on Katrina
04:42 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Tom Planchet
4:42 P.M. - (AP) Electric companies from around the country are rushing crews to the hurricane-ravaged South. They will help restore power to an area so devastated that it could be weeks or even months before the lights come back on in many places. David Botkins, a spokesman for Dominion Virginia Power, says 200 workers are headed to Louisiana and Mississippi.
4:40 P.M. - (AP) State officials say they are working on plans to evaucate inmates from the Orleans Parish prison and the Jefferson Parish jail. Both facilities face a threat of flooding.
The state Corrections Department is trying to figure out how to transfer 4,000 inmates from the New Orleans jail and another 1,000 from the Jefferson Parish jail in Gretna.
The inmates would be moved to state prisons including the highest-security at Angola. Corrections spokesman Pam LaBorde says it's quite a logistical situation to accomplish.
4:23 P.M. - Jefferson Parish officials say schools could reopen two months after Labor Day.
4:21 P.M. - WWL-TV Reporter quotes officials as saying there may now be 60,000 people in the Superdome and that more people are still being urged to go there.
3:59 P.M. - WWL-TV reporter Jonathan Betz reports widespread looting and WWL-TV cameras showed people walking out of Canal Street stores with racks of clothes and electronics. Some looters concentrated on basics and supplies, while others made no secret of their desire to get what they could.
3:53 P.M. - N.O. Mayor Nagin: Priorities - 1. Rescuing people. 2. Fixing levee breaks. 3. Taking care of refugees in Superdome and hospitals.
3:43 P.M. - Senator Vitter: New Orleans will "absolutely" be rebuilt.
3:25 P.M. - With conditions in the hurricane-ravaged city of New Orleans rapidly deteriorating, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Tuesday that people now huddled in the Superdome and other rescue centers need to be evacuated.
"The situation is untenable," Blanco said during a news conference. "It's just heartbreaking."
3:15 P.M. - Charity Hospital is out of commission and they are trying to evacuate patients, but it is hard to get there because rising water is surrounding the hospital. They will try to evacuate the patients to other cities.
3:13 P.M. - Governor Blanco: A lot of people have lost their lives, but we have no numbers because the priority is saving those who are alive so we don't have more casualties.
3:12 P.M. - Senator Vitter: Mayor Nagin's calm and control and command of the facts showed me that we have one of the best leaders in the country right here.
3:12 P.M. - Senator Landrieu - Scenes are similar to what she saw after the Tsunami.
3:11 P.M. - Senator Landrieu: Those who evacuated should be patient and thank God that they are okay because so many still need to get out.
3:09 P.M. - Senator Landrieu: Plenty of people still on rooftops in N.O. East waiting to be rescued. Every boat available is being used to try to save people.
3:07 P.M. - Governor Blanco: We are looking for ways to get people out of the Superdome and out of New Orleans said Governor Blanco as she tried to keep from crying.
3:03 P.M. - Latest on Northshore from St. Tammany Parish. Click here.
2:42 P.M. (AP) -- The question is not whether Congress will pass legislation to speed disaster relief to communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but how soon and how much. The answers: real soon and a lot.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has $2.5 billion in funds available for immediate assistance such as emergency shelters, food, and medical care, said Scott Milburn, spokesman for the White House budget office. But longer-term assistance, such as help in removing wreckage, rebuilding homes, and repairing highways and federal facilities will require a major infusion of cash provided by Congress.
2:39 P.M. - Jeff Parish councilman Tom Capella says pumps working near Veterans and West Esplanade and water is receeding there. He says break in levee at 17th Street canal continues to pour water into Lakeview.
2:32 P.M. - LSU to begin classes next Tuesday.
2:30 P.M. - Coast Guard says it has rescued 1,200 people so far in Louisiana.
2:24 P.M. - (AP) -- Hurricane Katrina forced scores more flight cancellations involving New Orleans and other Southern cities Tuesday as airlines juggled their schedules around one of the worst storms on record.
2:09 P.M. - Video on WAFB-TV shows the Twin Spans between I-10 and Slidell broken in dozens of spots.
2:07 P.M. - (AP) -- A top casino executive is calling on the Mississippi Legislature to enact emergency legislation to keep the state's coast gaming industry alive.
Treasure Bay Casino President and CEO Bernie Burkholder says most of the casino hotels on the coast survived Hurricane Katrina, but several gambling barges suffered extensive damage. He says it could take several years to rebuild.
2:01 P.M. - Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard says there is no plumbing and the sanitary situation is getting nasty. He told WAFB-TV that he is carrying around a bag for his own human waste.
2:00 P.M. - Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi says "this is going to be the most expensive natural disaster that's hit the United States in history."
1:30 P.M. - --The American Red Cross says it has thousands of volunteers mobilized for the hurricane. Spokesman Bradley Hague said it's the "largest single mobilization that we've done for any single natural disaster." The organization has set up operational headquarters in Baton Rouge.
--The Environmental Protection Agency dispatched emergency crews to Louisiana and Texas because of concern about oil and chemical spills.
--The Coast Guard closed ports and waterways along the Gulf Coast and positioned craft around the area to conduct post-hurricane search and rescue operations.
--The Agriculture Department said its Food and Nutrition Service would provide meals and other commodities, such as infant formula, distilled water for babies and emergency food stamps.
--The Defense Department dispatched emergency coordinators to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi to provide communications equipment, search and rescue operations, medical teams and other emergency assistance.
--The Health and Human Services Department sent 38 doctors and nurses to Jackson, Mississippi, to be used where needed, and 30 pallets of medical supplies to the region, including first aid materials, sterile gloves and oxygen tanks.
Some six-thousand National Guard personnel from Louisiana and Mississippi who would otherwise be available to help deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina are in Iraq.
Even so, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the states have adequate National Guard units to handle the hurricane needs. He said about six-thousand-500 National Guard troops were available in Louisiana, about seven-thousand in Mississippi, nearly ten-thousand in Alabama and about eight-thousand-200 in Florida.
1:26 P.M. - Officials at LSU and local hospitals say they are triaging thousands of people being brought from outside the Baton Rouge area for medical care. The people are being bused in.
1:08 P.M. - "I'm very hopeful, with the devastation we've had, that the number (of deaths) will be much more reasonable than people think. There are not thousands of people floating around." -- Terry Ebbert, New Orleans' homeland security chief.
1:05 P.M. - (AP) -- With much of the city emptied by Hurricane Katrina, some opportunists took advantage of the situation by looting stores.
At a Walgreen's drug store in the French Quarter, people were running out with grocery baskets and coolers full of soft drinks, chips and diapers. When police finally showed up, a young boy stood in the door screaming, "86! 86!" -- the radio code for police -- and the crowd scattered.
Around the corner on Canal Street, the main thoroughfare in the central business district, people sloshed headlong through hip-deep water as looters ripped open the steel gates on the front of several clothing and jewelry stores. 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."
12:55 P.M. - N.O. Mayor Ray Nagin says rescue operations with boats are continuing.
12:50 P.M. - St. John Parish hospital closed at this time. Water working but must be boiled. Parish president Nickie Monica asks residents who have evacuated to stay out. Good News, no major structural damage. Monica says schools and offices closed until further notice. He asks that St. John Parish be made a priority to be used as a staging area for other parishes that suffered worse fates. 911 not working...EMERGENCIES IN ST. JOHN PARISH...1-985-652-6338, 1-985-536-2112...west bank 1-985-497-3321.
12:45 P.M. - Reports of looting in downtown New Orleans of drugstores. Reports people rushing out with grocery carts of food, soft drinks and diapers. Ripped open steel gates at some Canal Street stores taking clothing.
12:44 P.M. - (AP) The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port did NOT suffer major damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina. And a port official says the flow of oil could resume within "a matter of hours" once its power supply is restored.
12:41 P.M. - Rescue efforts a priority. Clearing infrastructure to hospitals. Most streets blocked by pine trees. Slidell - A Hampton Inn on Old Spanish Trail with 20 feet. Fifteen feet of water downtown. One Slidell hospital had to be evacuated, the others are at maximum capacity.
11:58 A.M. - Homeland security chief optimistic that 3,000 pound sandbags can plug 200 foot levee break at 17th Street Canal.
11:55 A.M. - Super Wal-Mart in Kenner open for supplies.
11:54 A.M. - Kenner mayor asking for more National Guard. Asks anyone with the guard to call 468-7200.
11:53 A.M. - Two dead in Slidell in rising waters after attempting to get back to their homes. The victims had initially evacuated.
11:52 A.M. - Entergy reports 1.1 million outages in Mississippi and Louisiana.
11:50 A.M. JP Sheriff asking anyone with a boat to bring it to Sam's Parking lot on Airline and Cleary to help with evacuations.
11:46 A.M. - (AP) The president asked individual Americans to get involved with the relief effort, suggesting anyone who wishes to help could call 1-800-HELPNOW, log on to the Red Cross Web site or get in touch with the Salvation Army.
11:44 A.M. - LSU becoming a major staging area for injured and evacuees. Campus allowing families of students to house with them. Making facilities available as "community responsibility" according to Chancellor Sean O'Keefe.
11:43 A.M. - Councilman Byron Lee of Jefferson Parish, "This is not life as it used to be. It's like a war zone."
11:39 A.M. (AP) - National Guardsmen brought in people from outlying areas to the Superdome in the backs of big 2 1/2-ton Army trucks. Louisiana's wildlife enforcement department also brought people in on the backs of their pickups. Some were wet, some were in wheelchairs, some were holding babies and nothing else.
11:35 A.M. - (AP) Downtown streets that were relatively clear in the hours after the storm were filled with 1 to 1 1/2 feet of water Tuesday morning. Water was knee-deep around the Superdome. Canal Street was literally a canal. Water lapped at the edge of the French Quarter. Clumps of red ants floated in the gasoline-fouled waters downtown.
11:28 A.M. - JP Councilman Chris Roberts: Three rescued from Grand Isle, according to Grand Isle Mayor.
11:26 A.M. - New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper evacuating offices.
11:21 A.M. (AP) - The White House says President Bush is cutting short his vacation to return to Washington to monitor the hurricane recovery efforts.
11:16 A.M. - Gretna Police Chief...some people south of Gretna Blvd. trapped in water in homes, waiting to be rescued, but believed safe. Several looters arrested, chief says about 50. Lots of debris, at least some structural damage in 95 to 98 percent of buildings. Water is off in Gretna due to barge that was hit and dumped diesel into water supply. Plenty of homes with structural damage...a few that have collapsed. As far as police chief knows, No deaths in Gretna, two minor injuries. Chief says looting has been mainly for groceries. Law enforcement given "whatever authority they need" to prevent looting of homes.
11:15 A.M. - Hospitals with no power and rising waters are bringing patients to the Superdome.
11:13 A.M. - Plaquemines Parish...if you are found on the street...will be arrested. Marshall law in effect. 60 percent of homes flooded. 50 people rescued.
11:12 A.M. Governor Blanco, U.S. Senator Vitter - "Do Not come back Now" if you've evacuated.
11:06 A.M. Governor Blanco reports 700 people have been rescued since Monday afternoon, but that many more remain trapped.
11:01 A.M. - Break in 17th Street Canal Levee is now 200 feet wide and slowly flooding the City of New Orleans. Huge sand bags are being airlifted to try to stem the rush of water in that area.
10:53 A.M. - Latest on Northshore from St. Tammany Parish. Click here.
10:42 A.M. - Rising waters continue in N.O. due to failed pumps and breached levees at the 17th Street Canal and the Ninth Ward. Rising waters caused one hospital to evacuate patients to the Louisiana Superdome.
10:39 A.M. - Gretna officials say standing water is preventing them from getting to some people trapped in their homes. - Bill Capo.
10:37 A.M. GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) -- Rescuers in boats and helicopters searched for survivors of Hurricane Katrina and brought victims, wet and bedraggled, to shelters Tuesday as the extent of the damage across the Gulf Coast became ever clearer. The governor said the death toll in one Mississippi county alone could be as high as 80.
10:35 A.M. Governor Blanco - "Worse than our worst fears."
10:33 A.M. People trapped near Jefferson Parish and Orleans are being asked to get a boat and get to the Sam's Club parking lot on Earhart and Airline to meet the National Guard who will take you to the Superdome.
10:15 A.M. A spokeswoman describes Jefferson Parish as a "very dangerous" place. Jackie Bauer says there's gas leaks everywhere, water needs to be boiled, there's no commercial power, no pumping stations and the water's toxic.
And there's still some deep water in some neighborhoods. Bauer says there are other dangers -- snakes in the water, other vermin, loose dogs and cats everywhere. She says -- quoting now -- "We kind of have to fight for survival with them." - Associated Press
10 A.M. WWL-TV crew bugged out from French Quarter studios to transmitter site in Gretna. Trees down and sides of buildings collapsed. Roof shingles on the street are dangerous with nails and one WWL-TV car got a flat tire on the way over. - Dennis Woltering.
9:35 A.M. Marshal Law in effect in Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish. 60 percent of homes in Plaquemines Parish under water.
9:33 A.M. Uptown fared much better than the rest of the city. - Andy Jacobs, Uptown caller.
8:39 A.M. WWL-TV studios are being evacuated as rising water is coming into the station. The French Quarter is taking on water and water is expected to rise in the city for the next few days.
http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html
10:39 A.M. - Gretna officials say standing water is preventing them from getting to some people trapped in their homes. - Bill Capo.
10:37 A.M. GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) -- Rescuers in boats and helicopters searched for survivors of Hurricane Katrina and brought victims, wet and bedraggled, to shelters Tuesday as the extent of the damage across the Gulf Coast became ever clearer. The governor said the death toll in one Mississippi county alone could be as high as 80.
10:35 A.M. Governor Blanco - "Worse than our worst fears."
10:33 A.M. People trapped near Jefferson Parish and Orleans are being asked to get a boat and get to the Sam's Club parking lot on Earhart and Airline to meet the National Guard who will take you to the Superdome.
10:15 A.M. A spokeswoman describes Jefferson Parish as a "very dangerous" place. Jackie Bauer says there's gas leaks everywhere, water needs to be boiled, there's no commercial power, no pumping stations and the water's toxic.
And there's still some deep water in some neighborhoods. Bauer says there are other dangers -- snakes in the water, other vermin, loose dogs and cats everywhere. She says -- quoting now -- "We kind of have to fight for survival with them." - Associated Press
10 A.M. WWL-TV crew bugged out from French Quarter studios to transmitter site in Gretna. Trees down and sides of buildings collapsed. Roof shingles on the street are dangerous with nails and one WWL-TV car got a flat tire on the way over. - Dennis Woltering.
9:35 A.M. Marshal Law in effect in Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish. 60 percent of homes in Plaquemines Parish under water.
9:33 A.M. Uptown fared much better than the rest of the city. - Andy Jacobs, Uptown caller.
8:39 A.M. WWL-TV studios are being evacuated as rising water is coming into the station. The French Quarter is taking on water and water is expected to rise in the city for the next few days.
http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html
Mayor Ray Nagin said bodies have been seen floating in floodwaters, although neither city nor Louisiana state officials had issued a preliminary death toll.
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"The devastation is greater than our worst fears," said Louisiana state governor Kathleen Blanco.
"It is just totally overwhelming. It is a tragedy of great proportions."
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"The devastation is greater than our worst fears," said Louisiana state governor Kathleen Blanco.
"It is just totally overwhelming. It is a tragedy of great proportions."