Now that relief supplies have arrived, how have you changed your view of how the disaster has been handled?
FEMA Katrina Situation Update
Here's the part of FEMA's National Situation Update for Saturday, September 3, 2005 relating to hurricane Katrina:
To cries of "Thank you, Jesus!" and catcalls of "What took you so long?," a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled through axle-deep floodwaters Friday into what remained of New Orleans and descended into a maelstrom of fires and floating corpses.
More than four days after the storm hit, the caravan of at least three-dozen camouflage-green troop vehicles and supply trucks arrived along with dozens of air-conditioned buses to take refugees out of the city. President Bush also took an aerial tour of the ruined city, and answered complaints about a sluggish government response by saying, "We're going to make it right."
In what looked like a scene from a Third World country, some people threw their arms heavenward and others nearly fainted with joy as the trucks and hundreds of soldiers arrived in the punishing midday heat. But there were also profane jeers from many in the crowd of nearly 20,000 outside the convention center, which a day earlier seemed on the verge of a riot, with desperate people seething with anger over the lack of anything to eat or drink.
The soldiers' arrival-in-force came amid angry complaints from the mayor and others that the federal government had bungled the relief effort and let people die in the streets for lack of food, water or medicine. By nightfall Friday, the mayor's tone had changed. Nagin returned from a meeting with President Bush a picture of calm. A day earlier, the mayor erupted in tears during a radio interview and told the government to "get off your asses and let's do something."
The president took a land and air tour of hard-hit areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and admitted of the relief effort: "The results are not enough." Congress passed a $10.5 billion disaster aid package, and Bush quickly signed the measure.
What were perhaps the first signs of real hope for recovery came on a day that was ushered in with a thunderous explosion before daybreak and scattered downtown building fires that only confirmed the sense that New Orleans was a city in utter collapse.
The explosion at a warehouse along the Mississippi River about 15 blocks from the French Quarter jostled storm refugees awake and sent a pillar of acrid gray smoke over a city that the mayor has said could be awash with thousands of corpses. Other large fires fire erupted downtown.
With a cigar-chomping general in the convoy's lead vehicle, the trucks rolled through muddy water to reach the convention center. Flatbed trucks carried huge crates, pallets and bags of relief supplies, including Meals Ready to Eat. Soldiers in fatigues sat in the backs of open-top trucks, their rifles pointing skyward.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the military presence helped calm a jittery city. The governor also said refugees in the convention center should be evacuated Saturday. Guardsmen carrying rifles also arrived at the Louisiana Superdome, where a vast crowd of bedraggled people — many of them trapped there since the weekend — stretched around the entire perimeter of the building, waiting for their deliverance from the heat, the filth and the gagging stench inside the stadium.
Within minutes of the soldiers' arrival at the convention center, they set up six food and water lines. The crowd was for the most part orderly and grateful for the first major supply convoy to reach the arena. With Houston's Astrodome already full with 15,000 storm refugees, that city opened two more giant centers to accommodate an additional 10,000. Dallas and San Antonio also had agreed to take refugees.
At the broken levee along Lake Pontchartrain that swamped nearly 80 percent of New Orleans, helicopters dropped 3,000-pound sandbags into the breach and pilings were being pounded into place to seal off the waters. Engineers also were developing a plan to create new breaches in the levees so that a combination of gravity and pumping would drain the water out of the city, a process that could take weeks.
Law and order all but broke down in New Orleans over the past few days. Storm refugees reported being raped, shot and robbed, gangs of teenagers hijacked boats meant to rescue them, and frustrated hurricane victims menaced outmanned law officers. Police Chief Eddie Compass admitted even his own officers had taken food and water from stores. Officers were walking off the job by the dozens.
Some of New Orleans' hospitals, facing dwindling supplies of food, water and medicine, resumed evacuations Friday. Rescuers finally made it into Charity Hospital, the city's largest public hospital, where gunfire had earlier thwarted efforts to evacuate more than 250 patients. Behind, they left a flooded morgue where residents had been dropping off bodies. After it reached its capacity of 12, five more corpses were stacked in a stairwell. Other bodies were elsewhere in the hospital. (Media Sources)
There is a shortage of fuel of all types in the affected area. Several electric utilities have lost infrastructure, causing power outages throughout the region. Additionally, cellular and other telephone services have also been disrupted.
FEMA is working with other federal agencies to provide assistance to state and local governments in the affected areas. The U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has provided 605 buses to transport evacuees out of the affected areas (primarily New Orleans). An additional 500 buses will be provided shortly. DOT is coordinating the use of military and commercial aircraft to speed up the evacuation process out of Louisiana. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will assist by expediting passenger inspection.
The U.S. Coast Guard has deployed Search and Rescue (SAR) Units from throughout the country to provide 24-hour assistance to residents in Mississippi and Louisiana. The USCG is also working to open all waterways in the affected areas, especially for the movement of gasoline and coal barges. USCG law enforcement assets have been deployed to the Gulf region to assist local and state police agencies. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Spenser arrived in New Orleans Thursday evening (September 1).
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The U.S. Navy has deployed 10 ships to support Katrina recovery efforts.
FEMA is coordinating with states and other federal agencies to provide commodities to the affected areas. The current priorities are food, water, fuel, and ice. FEMA is prepared to deploy 30 million Meals-Ready-To-Eat (MREs) to the affected area; many of which have already been distributed.
FEMA is also working with state and other federal officials to develop long-range plans for the recovery of the affected area. Initial recovery plans include development of temporary housing for the several thousand residents of New Orleans and other areas that have been displaced by the hurricane damage. (FEMA HQ)
Other stories
Major Developments in Katrina's Aftermath
Countries Pledge Hurricane Aid to U.S., China offers U.S. $5 mln in aid ahead of Hu visit, Europe Offers U.S. Hurricane Assistance, Four Canadian Ships Heading to Gulf
More than 50 countries have pledged aid to the USA: Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Britain, Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
China has offered $5 million of aid for Hurricane Katrina victims. President Hu Jintao is due to visit the U.S. September 5-17.
Offers of help have poured in from Europeans sympathetic to the plight of the victims but surprised at the unpreparedness of the USA and dismayed at the administration's attitude to global warming.
Three Canadian warships and a coast guard vessel will set of for Louisiana once they have been filled with relief supplies, possibly arriving on Friday. They will carry 3 helicopters and 1,000 personnel including divers.
Bush orders more troops to chaos of New Orleans, US sending 10,000 more Guardsmen for relief effort
President George W. Bush has ordered 7,000 more troops into to New Orleans. 10,000 extra National Guard troops will be sent to Louisiana and Mississippi.
Katrina a Tough Political Test for Barbour, New Orleans Mayor Calm After Bush Meeting, Landrieu Presses Bush for Aide Coordinator, La. Rep.: U.S. Must Ask Tough Questions, Was Race a Factor in Relief Delay?, Emergency Communication Problems Persist, New Orleans Asks Why Help Took So Long
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is showing signs of strain has he tries to cope with the devastation in his state. He has risen to the challenge, but some are critical or impatient.
Mayor Ray Nagin has calmed down after meeting President Bush, now that he has drawn attention to the problems and relief efforts are picking up.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat, has called on President Bush to appoint a cabinet-level official to direct the federal response to the disaster. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., is to introduce legislation next week to separate FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security again, and wants a complete review of FEMA operations.
In the Democrats' weekly radio address, Rep. Charlie Melancon of Louisiana said that Americans must start "asking tough questions" about their safety.
Most of the victims of hurricane Katrina were black and poor, and questions are being asked about whether race and/or economic class was a factor in the delay in relief efforts.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown only learnt about the many thousands of hungry, thirsty, sick and exhausted refugees at the New Orleans Convention Center from a reporter, displaying just how poor emergency communications are.
Many are wondering why there seems to have been such a lack of urgency in evacuating New Orleans before Katrina arrived and in bringing relief afterwards.
Current Katrina Quotations
Superdome Evacuations Resume, Evacuation Finally Begins to Pick Up, Ill Refugees Rescued by Military, In New Orleans, desperation blights stranded poor, Troubled New Orleans Hospitals Evacuated, Guard Sees Parallels to Iraq in Louisiana, Sewage in Floodwaters Carries Disease, Vignettes From the Aftermath of Katrina, Cos. Offer Powerful Speakers for Katrina, Latin America Searches for Storm Victims, Possible Outbreak Worries Military Doctors, Army Awaits Word on Troops for Relief, In Remotest Miss., the Forgotten Wait, Online Usage Plummets in Battered Gulf
Evacuation of the Superdome resumed on Saturday and many people left there and the convention center. Dozens of dead bodies remained. The military continued to rescue sick people.
New Orleans was littered with bloated bodies, and people on the streets begged for water.
New Orleans' Charity and University hospitals have been evacuated. Three patients died.
A member of the National Guard recently returned to Louisiana from Iraq saw many parallels with conditions in Iraq.
The waters covering much of New Orleans are a unhealthy mix of sewage and toxic chemicals, and likely to cause disease in those wading in them.
A company has loaned high-powered loudspeakers normally used by the police or the military in Iraq to emergency responders. Another company has offered to donate similar equipment to FEMA but has not yet had a response.
Latin American nations are searching for their citizens in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. They are concerned that they might be afraid to come forward for help if they are illegal. They have been assured that the USA will not pressure or persecute them.
Military doctors are concerned that there may be outbreaks of infectious diseases as well as dehydration to contend with in the area devastated by hurricane Katrina, particularly in New Orleans where there is so much dirty standing water for mosquitoes to breed in.
The army hs deployed nearly 20,000 National Guard troops to hurricane-stricken Louisiana and Mississippi. The number may grow to 50,000, but there will not be many active-duty troops. There are at least 24 Black Hawk and Chinook transport helicopters too. Marines are also being sent with vessels and aid, and 15 helicopters are already there. The Air Force also has airmen deployed.
Small communities in remote parts of Mississippi are missing out on food, water, gasoline and electricity.
The number of people getting online in the area that hurricane Katrina hit has fallen to a tiny percentage of normal levels, but sites like RedCross.org have seen a huge increase in traffic.
300 US airmen bound from Iraq, Afghan to Mississippi
More than 300 airmen will return home Mississippi from Iraq and Afghanistan to help their families and the recovery of the Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi.
Houston Opens Two More Refugee Centers, Houston Center Helps Parents Find Children, Airlines ferrying hurricane victims out, Evacuee Bus Overturns in La.; One Killed, America Scrambles to Cope With Refugees, U.S. Eases Emergency Food Stamp Rules
Houston has opened its convention center and an exhibition hall to refugees, and Texas is looking to more cities to offer space as shelters in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio filled up
Houston has a "lost and found" department for children who have become separated from their parents in the Astrodome, and for children who arrive without their parents. They also have a list of about 500 kids whose whereabouts parents do not know.
U.S. commercial airlines expect to fly more than 25,000 New Orleans residents to safer locations, initially to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
A New Orleans evacuation bus crashed and overturned. One person was killed, and 17 injured. According to one account, a refugee on a bus became agitated and struggled with the driver. According to another, the driver lost concentration.
Hundreds of thousands of people have had to be evacuated and have no homes, food, jobs or money. Communities are struggling to find living space and money for them.
The Agriculture Department has eased its food stamp program to help the victims of hurricane Katrina who have been moved to other states. This is the first time there has been a mass evacuation to another state after a hurricane.
U.S. networks set September 9 for Katrina telethon, Norman Lends Helicopter to Katrina Relief, Red Cross Trains Citizens for Storm Relief, Company donors to set record with Katrina--experts
CBS, ABC, Fox, NBC, the WB and UPN networks will televise a telathon on September 9.
Golfer Greg Norman has lent his helicopter and pilot to the relief effort.
The Red Cross is recruiting and training thousands of citizen volunteers nationwide. Volunteers will spend at least 2 weeks in Katrina-affected states.
U.S. companies have offered a record amount of aid in cash and kind for Katrina victims.
No Threat Yet From Tropical Storm Maria
Tropical Storm Maria was growing stronger in the Atlantic but was not threatening land.
Waveland Residents: Rebuild or Move On?, Hurricane Victims Wondering What's Next, Counting Dead Will Take Time, Experts Say, Government Acts to Replace Housing, Cash
Resident of Waveland, Mississippi, which was razed by hurricane Katrina, are wondering whether to stay or to move on.
After waiting on their roofs and in shelters, hurricane victims are wondering where they will have to wait next, and whether they want to stay or return home.
With communications broken down and many areas not yet searched for bodies because search and rescue is still ongoing and much of New Orleans is still under water and may people sent who-knows-where, it will be some time before the death toll for hurricane Katrina is known. Some may simply decide to start a new life elsewhere and never be seen again.
The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service have waived restrictions on low-income housing so that people displaced by Hurricane Katrina can find shelter. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation says it will replace pension checks. The IRS is expanding extensions for tax deadlines and suspended enforcement.
Tulane Cancels Fall Semester Due to Storm
Tulane University of New Orleans has cancelled its fall semester, encouraging its students to take classes elsewhere. Other universities are hoping to provide some kind of tuition. With communications disrupted, information is being posted on the Internet, including by the National Association for College Admission Counseling and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).
Draining New Orleans Could Take Months
It could take months to drain New Orleans, depending on possible further storms and the condition of the drowned equipment.
Contact Info for Katrina Relief Aid Groups, List of National Charitable Organizations
Many charitable and religious organizations are accepting donations, including the American Red Cross (1-800-HELP-NOW) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish), and the Salvation Army (1-800-SAL-ARMY). Others are listed at FEMA or the coalition InterAction. Cash is preferred to people just turning up in the area.
Forecast: Hurricane Season Far From Over
There are likely to be more storms in the next 2 months, particularly in September.
Iraq's Kirkuk crude oil exports halted-source
A major oil pipeline from Kirkuk in Iraq to Ceyhan on Turkey's Mediterranean coast was blown up Saturday, stopping oil exports, starting a fire that took several hours to control, and spilling oil for up to 2 km (1.2 miles).
Toxic Gas Kills Three Cruise Workers
Three cruise workers died as a result of the toxic sewer gas hydrogen sulphide as they worked on repairing a waste pipe of a ship in the Port of Los Angeles. None of the departing passengers were affected.
Iran Seeks to Save Rare Cheetahs
Two groups of rare Asiatic cheetah have been spotted in recent months. Fewer than 60 are believed to exist, mostly in Iran. There are hopes of protecting the cheetahs in Iran.
Hundreds of Dead Geese Found in Oregon
About 300 dead Canada Geese were found between last November and this March near McMinnville, Keizer and Salem in Oregon. The cause is believed to be zinc phosphide, a poison used to kill mice that is normally supposed to be placed in holes where other animals cannot get at it. Another 36 were found last month in Dayton and Hillsboro and have been sent for testing. All had acted drunk before collapsing on their stomachs with wings flared out.
Camera Helps ID Unknown Sea Creatures
Marine researchers have returned to the Gulf of Mexico after Katrina and are using cameras to study the depths. They have seen a previously unknown six foot long squid and have discovered animals that can see ultraviolet light. Something had overturned their 1,800 feet deep 200-pound camera while they were gone, but as the battery had run out they do not have a picture of it. Details from Operation Deep Scope.
Univ.of Hawaii to Build Biocontainment Lab
The University of Hawaii has been granted nearly $25 million to construct a regional bio-containment laboratory for bio-defence and emerging infectious disease research.
U.S. Confirms Citrus Greening in Florida
A bacterial disease known as citrus greening has been found for the first time in the USA, in South Florida. If it spread it would devastate the citrus industry, but it is harmless to humans. It is spread by insects, citrus psyllids, which were first found in the USA in Delray Beach in 1998. Florida already has to deal with citrus canker.
Breaking Glaciers Imperil Arctic Lifestyle
Huge chinks of ice are breaking off of the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier into an Arctic fjord, to the concern of Greenland's Inuit population. The new icebergs drift past Ilulissat, where environmental officials met last month. The ice has become so thin due to global warming that they are no longer able to live in their traditional way, walking and sledding on the ice and fishing though holes. New animals and plants are arriving, threatening the existing ecology. The USA may still be ignoring global warming, but it is having a major impact here.
Index of topics in this series.
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Here's the EPA's Response Activity for Saturday, September 3, 2005 relating to hurricane Katrina:
EPA boat operations in New Orleans, which had been halted temporarily, resumed with an additional 50 people rescued. Approximately 550 rescues have been made by EPA.
EPA is assisting the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals in assessing drinking water and will deploy 45 more EPA personnel to Louisiana during the week of Sept. 5. EPA is providing assistance on water assessment to Mississippi at its emergency operations center and expects to assist with site assessments. EPA estimates the number of water systems affected by the hurricane is now 72 in Alabama, 436 in Louisiana and 466 in Mississippi. Systems running on generators will need additional fuel to stay operational. An EPA mobile laboratory will be deployed next week to provide analytical services as drinking water service is restored to communities.
EPA is continuing collection and analysis of flood water samples for biological and chemical contaminants in Louisiana.
EPA has mobilized 12 environmental emergency response teams to provide assistance with overall search and recovery efforts and is conducting initial assessments of the environmental impacts including potential impacts from chemical facilities, oil refineries, and water treatment plants. Rapid needs assessment is being done over the next two days to identify damage in New Orleans. EPA and state officials are compiling a comprehensive database of potential pollution sources in preparation for additional over-flights and on-ground inspections in the coming weeks.
EPA’s environmental surveillance aircraft is being used to assess spills and chemical releases. On Sept. 2, the aircraft surveyed the smoke plume of a fire at a reported chemical facility. Low levels of chemical compounds were detected in air.
EPA personnel continue to oversee and offer technical assistance in the disposal of hazardous waste and other debris left behind by the storm. Teams are working closely with the Coast Guard to conduct assessments of potential oil spills and chemical releases caused by the hurricane. EPA will be providing environmental guidelines for residences and commercial buildings. EPA has practical and scientific expertise in the environmental health hazards caused by flood waters, especially the effects of molds and mildew.
EPA emergency response personnel are working in partnership with FEMA to continue to help assess the damage and prepare for cleanup in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. EPA is responsible for cleanup of hazardous material including oil and gasoline in the area. Our national and regional Emergency Operations Centers are activated 24 hours a day.
