Do you feel that people should be refused water and forced to leave their own homes for their own health?
FEMA Katrina Situation Update
Here's the part of FEMA's National Situation Update for Monday, September 5, 2005 relating to hurricane Katrina:
Thousands of angry, exhausted and desperate storm victims gained a measure of deliverance Saturday as the evacuation of New Orleans continued and troops poured in to restore order after almost a week of near-anarchy. By yesterday evening, significant progress had been made clearing the Superdome and the city's convention center, two potentially dangerous flash points of anger where as many as 50,000 people had spent five grueling days since Hurricane Katrina struck.
Having largely emptied the cavernous Superdome, which had become a squalid pit of misery and violence, officials turned their attention to the convention center, where people waited to be evacuated as corpses rotted in the streets. The death toll in the city is not known, but the dying continues as people succumb to illness, exhaustion and days without food and water.
Craig Vanderwagen, rear admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service, said one morgue alone, at a prison in the town of St. Gabriel, expected 1,000 to 2,000 bodies. Search-and-rescue operations continued throughout New Orleans. State officials said thousands more remained trapped in the city and a full evacuation could take weeks.
Almost 13,000 Coast Guard personnel are in the city performing search-and-rescue operations and another 3,000 are expected to join them Monday. At the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, about 1,000 people - tired and dirty from living for days on the sidewalks outside the center - were loaded into air-conditioned buses in the first two hours of the evacuation operation Saturday morning. An estimated 25,000 people have been waiting for help outside the center.
Food and water arrived there on military trucks for the first time Friday. People were relieved to get some supplies, but they were more interested in escaping the dreadful conditions. The National Guard said the evacuees will be taken to shelters in Houston, San Antonio and Baton Rouge. People were allowed to take whatever belongings they could carry onto the bus. Some carried or dragged bags and suitcases loaded with possessions from home; others took ice chests, food and blankets.
Louis Armstrong International Airport served as a massive clearing house for some of the storm's sickest victims Saturday. Military and Coast Guard helicopters flew a steady stream of evacuees from hospitals and rooftops to the airport southwest of downtown. Inside the four triage tents, medical personnel tended to people who had gone for days without their medication, some of whom were not lucid enough to describe their ailments.
With the evacuee situation stabilizing somewhat, and increasing numbers of armed soldiers and police on the streets, officials said Saturday they would start aggressively dealing with the bands of armed looters who pushed the city to the brink of complete breakdown. Frustration at the slow rate of recovery and the federal response to the disaster also mounted Saturday in Mississippi and Alabama, where storm victims voiced resentment that New Orleans seemed to be getting most of the attention. (Media Sources)
The fifth hurricane of an already deadly season developed in the open Atlantic, growing stronger as it moved over warm water but on a course expected to keep it away from land.
At 11 p.m. EDT Sunday, Hurricane Maria was centered 475 miles east-southeast of Bermuda and was moving north-northwest at 13 mph. Maria's hurricane force winds extend for 15 miles and had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.
A gradual to turn north is expected on Monday with a decrease in forward speed. The system is likely to strengthen before reaching the cooler water that is expected to sap its strength later in the week. Currently, it only poses a threat to shipping.
Maria is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, one of the busiest on record. Historically, only about four or five named storms form by this time of year, according to the National Hurricane Center. Peak storm activity typically occurs from the end of August through mid-September. (National Hurricane Center)
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) personnel have saved more than 1,300 people in support of Hurricane Katrina activities, conducting around-the-clock search and rescue (SAR) operations staged from Jackson, MS.
Currently, 25 HH-60 helicopters and more than 100 Air Force pilots, pararescuemen, combat controllers, medical and support personnel are assisting the efforts to remove the injured, ill and stranded from the flooded streets of New Orleans.
AFSOC’s HH-60s are capable of air-refueling and night operations, enabling the non-stop SAR effort. Several of the command’s HC and C-130 Hercules aircraft are staging out of locations in Patrick Air Force Base, FL, and Moody AFB, GA, to refuel the helicopters and provide supplies to the units located in Jackson, New Orleans International Airport and Naval Air Station New Orleans where rescue and medical teams have been aiding in the relief efforts.
AFSOC has been staging SAR missions into New Orleans from Jackson, MS, since Tuesday, August 30, and is ferrying survivors to collection points and area hospitals depending on the care required for the individuals.
Airfield operations at the New Orleans International Airport and NAS New Orleans are continuing with the aid of AFSOC combat controllers teams who’ve been in place since Aug. 31. The combat controllers set battery-powered lights and operate other navigational aids, then function as air traffic controllers with portable radios allowing military aircraft to land and take off.
HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters are specifically designed to find and recover individuals in hazardous areas. Pararescuemen are highly trained emergency medical technician special operators. Combat controllers and pararescuemen are accustomed to operating in the most difficult and hostile conditions and are trained in numerous special operations skills such as SCUBA and parachute operations. (US Air Force)
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Major Developments in Katrina's Aftermath
Katrina Aid Pours in From Around the World, Europeans Ready to Aid Katrina Victims, US thanks NATO for help with Katrina disaster
Aid has poured in from all over the world, with the largest donation being $500 million from Kuwait.
Aid on offer from European nations includes two cruise ships to house refugees from Greece and aircraft to help distribute aid shipments from Sweden in additional to many smaller items. Some supplies have already been sent now that their offers have been accepted.
The top U.S. envoy to NATO has thanked Europe for its support and promises of aid. The United States has issued a list of what it needs most.
Shocked Africans wonder at slow aid after Katrina
Many in Africa, which has its share of humanitarian disasters, are chocked and disappointed at the government response to the disaster. Some blamed racism, others bureaucracy. They were surprised by the looting.
Bush Promises Help for Katrina Victims, Bush: U.S. will "do what it takes" after Katrina, Clinton, Bush launch new fund to help flood refugees, Katrina response prompts questions of race in U.S, New Orleans Levees Not Designed for Storm, Experts: Homeland Security Was Off Guard, Katrina's Victims Poorer Than U.S. Average
President Bush "a huge effort" for Hurricane Katrina victims when visiting Louisiana. Gov. Kathleen Blanco seemed less than delighted to be visiting relief efforts at the same time as him - she had not been informed that he was coming. Rather than signing over National Guard control to the federal government, she has called on former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief James Lee Witt to help.
Criticism of President Bush's slow response continues. Jefferson Parish president Aaron Broussard broke down on NBC's "Meet the Press" broke down when he described how he was still waiting for the federal "cavalry" to come. Some progress has been made, but there is still a great deal to overcome.
Former U.S. presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton have launched a fund for the Hurricane Katrina survivors. They and other politicians are beginning to think of the support that will be needed in the longer term.
Many are asserting that race played in a part in the delays in rescue and aid in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson compared the condition of evacuees to "Africans in the hull of a slave ship." Conspiracy theories abound. Some victims had a more positive attitude, having been rescued by whites.
The New Orleans flood control system was only designed fr a category 3 hurricane, not a category 4 like Katrina was when she approached the shore. Some lawmakers are wondering why. Louisiana lawmakers were unhappy that Corps of Engineers programs were not adequately funded.
Experts say that the Homeland Security Department spent so much of the past 4 years concentrating on terrorism that it was caught off guard by the hurricane. Fore some reason they did not anticipate both a hurricane and the levees giving way at the same time.
Residents in the worst hit areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were more likely to be from a minority, poor and car-less than average. Lack of money and transportation were major factors in their not getting away before the hurricane hit. This was known to emergency planners.
Commander: More Soldiers to Offer Relief
Yet more soldiers are being sent to the New Orleans area, and they are likely to be there for weeks. There are 21 navy ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. The Air Force has flown more than 1,000 missions, rescued more than 3,600 people, and flown 2,600 medical patients out. There are roughly 38,000 National Guard troops in Louisiana and Mississippi. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have toured the area.
Army Corps says closing gaps in New Orleans levee
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had closed the major gap in the London Street Canal levee Monday and was close to closing the one at 17th Street. They were working to restart pumps and more were being brought in. some levees were breached to let water out. The Mississippi River has been opened to vessels under 39-foot draft.
Hurricane Katrina Transforms Baton Rouge
The population of Baton Rouge has doubled with refugees from New Orleans and its surroundings and rescue workers. Supplies are short and hours working to supply or protect people are long. Houses are selling like hotcakes and their prices rising. Some people will no doubt stay and congestion is great, so Mayor-President Kip Holden is asking Congress for funds to help the city to cope and to augment the infrastructure. He pointed out that Houston, Texas was considerably smaller than Galveston until Galveston was destroyed by a hurricane in 1900.
Mayor: Katrina Death Toll May Hit 10,000, Many Still Refuse to Leave New Orleans, Thousands return to New Orleans homes, La. Parish Locals Allowed to Return Home, Week after Katrina, search still on for victims, Vignettes From the Aftermath of Katrina, From All Over, People Step Up to Offer Aid, Soldiers: Storm-Ravaged Areas Are No Iraq, New Orleans searches for dead and living, Residents Guard Neighborhoods From Looters, New Orleans police kill looters in shoot-out, Door-to-Door Search Could Take Weeks, Civilian helicopter crashes in New Orleans, New Orleans kill looters as body hunt gains pace, Hardship Turned to Horror at Superdome, New Orleans' Thin Blue Line Stretched Taut
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin believes that death toll in the city could reach 10,000. He felt that progress was beginning to be made. Some residents were allowed back to salvage what they could from their homes. Some found their homes salvageable; others were beyond saving. Shooting incidents continue, including one on the Danziger Bridge, and some looters.
There is a huge area of the coast to complete search and rescue and provide essentials. Louisiana's largest newspaper, the Times-Picayune, called on President Bush to fire every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Police are still trying to persuade some residents of New Orleans to leave, saying that there is no food, water, power or jobs for them. They will no longer be given water. There are believed to be less than 10,000, some of whom want to stay in their own homes and others who wanted to engage in criminal activities. They are also asking that nobody return. About one third of the police force is not reporting for duty, for various reasons.
People were still being rescued from rooftops. Well over 100 died in Mississippi, and New Orleans has hardly started counting. Electricity has been restored in a few areas. It is likely to take 80 days to pump out New Orleans. In the French Quarter, Molly's and Johnny White's bars have been serving customers.
Many Australian tourists were rescued by Australian media. South Korea is struggling to account for up to 2,500 South Korean expatriates living in New Orleans.
Some soldiers who have returned from Iraq are saying that they had a more comfortable life in Iraq than people are during the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort, with electricity, water and communications laid on.
Armed residents remaining in New Orleans are guarding their own neighbourhoods against thieves.
Military and other relief flights are operating from four major airports in Louisiana and Mississippi, but it is not known when commercial flights will be able to resume.
A civilian helicopter crashed in New Orleans near the Danziger Bridge on Sunday. Two people were slightly hurt. It was not a rescue helicopter and it is not known why it was there or why it crashed.
The situation at the Superdome got increasingly more unpleasant, scary and dangerous as time went on, and some essential supplies did not arrive until after the people had been evacuated.
Dozens of New Orleans police handed in their badges and two committed suicide; others have simply not turned up for duty - possibly they were trapped in their own homes. Others carry on in spite of appalling conditions and not knowing where their families are.
Witt Says La. Crisis 'Our Worst Nightmare', Commander: More Soldiers to Offer Relief, NYC Offers Support to Katrina Victims
Former Federal Emergency Management Agency director James Lee Witt, hired to advise Louisiana's governor Kathleen Blanco, called the crisis "our worst nightmare."
Hundreds more NYC police officers and firefighters were headed for New Orleans on Monday.
Katrina Evacuees Arriving at N.C. Shelter, Katrina Victims Get Seized Knockoff Items, Katrina Survivor Gives Birth to Twin Boys, Storm Evacuees Begin Looking for New Jobs, Perry Orders Refugees Moved Out of Texas, States Struggling With Katrina Refugees, Firms Offer Technology for Katrina Effort, Small La. Town Getting Makeshift Morgue, Doctors Hamstrung in Relief Efforts, Paperwork Greets Evacuees at Fort Chaffee, A Look at Refugee Situation Around U.S.
Thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims have been given knockoff or counterfeit items seized by federal customs officials.
Katrina evacuees have begun to arrive at the Charlotte Coliseum, N.C.
A New Orleans woman gave birth to twin boys after being hastily transferred to an ambulance when being airlifted to hospital. She was separated from her family at the Superdome when she went into labour.
Refugees from Katrina who have nothing have begun looking for jobs.
Texas shelters are full to overflowing with 230,000 evacuees so some are being sent on to other states.
High-tech companies from different parts of the USA are offering money, equipment and expertise.
A warehouse at St. Gabriel, Louisiana is being used as a morgue for the dead of New Orleans, to the concern of the residents. The mostly poor rural area already has two prisons and used to have a leprosy facility.
Red tape is preventing many volunteer physicians from helping. One state-of-the-art mobile hospital is marooned in rural Mississippi with 100 surgeons and paramedics. The first cases of dysentery have already closed one centre.
Evacuees arriving at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, had to submit to a search, have their photos taken and fill in paperwork before they could get cleaned up and rest.
Texas has more than 230,000 refugees and is looking to pass some on. Other states have or expect or are willing to take: Louisiana 50,000, Arkansas 50-70,000, Tennessee 13,000, Mississippi 17,000, Alabama 10,000, Michigan 10,000, New Mexico 6,000, South Carolina 5,000, Minnesota 5,000, Oklahoma 5,000, North Carolina 1,500, Florida 14,600, Arizona 1,000, Colorado 1,000, Oregon 1,000, Georgia 900, Missouri 500, West Virginia 500, Illinois 500, Utah 450, California 480.
Grim Outlook for 4 Gulf Coast Refineries
Four Gulf Coast oil refineries which normally contribute more than 5% of U.S. capacity are likely to be shut for some considerable time, but two have resumed operation. Two others may restart this week. Refineries outside the worst hit area are increasing production as they receive more crude oil thanks to the Capline Pipeline and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Some oil tankers are now reaching Baton Rouge as restricted navigation on the Mississippi River resumed.
Cities Raising Glasses to Help Big Easy
New York and other U.S. cities will be serving New Orleans Cocktails on Sept. 12 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to raise money for 80,000 hospitality workers from New Orleans.
Experts: Too Many People in Nature's Way
These days natural events such as earthquakes, tsunamis and tropical storms are leading to greater mass destruction and loss of life because more people are living in harm's way, with Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans being only the latest in a long list of examples. Our technology, such as levees, cannot always save us. We need to pay much more attention to nature and to rely much less on technology and energy from fossil fuels when building. Preparation also helps: Jamaica had a 20 foot storm surge when hurricane Ivan hit in 2004, but only 8 people died - far fewer than due to Hurricane Katrina even when deaths in New Orleans are excluded.
La. Wants Government to Save Coastline
Louisiana's coast has been eaten away for years, losing about 1,900 square miles of marsh and swamp since the 1930s. Much of it was south of New Orleans, which has become closer to the Gulf of Mexico and therefore to hurricane storm surge. Environmentalists hope that hurricane Katrina will at least make people more willing to listen and to act. They believe that the levees and saving the coastline should be part of the same project. If the coast is not saved, then saving New Orleans could become a waste of money and effort.
There are a variety of causes for the loss of wetlands, some due to man and some natural; oil speculation, coastal forest cutting, oil drilling, levees and other earthworks, a rise in sea levels and the sinking of land. Louisiana has used television spots, documentaries and celebrities to highlight its "America's Wetland" campaign. The wetlands not only protect New Orleans and other communities from worse storm damage, but are important to the economy because they are important to fish, ports and energy as well as wildlife.
Gulf Barrier Islands Now More Vulnerable
Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed the barrier islands protecting the Gulf Coast, leaving it far more vulnerable to storm surges. Little of some of the islands remained above water, though some fared better. Many were twice as large 100 years ago. The Chandeleurs are a bird reserve.
Dutch Anti-Flood Plans to Be Reviewed
The Netherlands will be looking carefully to see what lessons can be learnt from New Orleans. Much of the Netherlands has been reclaimed from the sea with the Amsterdam and Rotterdam regions both being below sea level.
Spain's drought worst on record, no relief seen
The drought in Spain is the worst on record and insufficient rain to replenish reservoirs is forecast. There has been massive crop failure ahd hydroelectric production fell by over a third.
Climate change raises risk of hunger - scientists
Climate change and reduced crop yields could mean that about 50 million more people could be suffering hunger by 2050, on top of current figures of about 500 million. 75% would be in Africa. Greenhouse gas emissions and ozone are blamed.
EU to help China tackle greenhouse gas emissions
The European Union is to give China the technology for a clean coal-power plant that can capture its own carbon dioxide emissions and bury them in porous rock underground.
Kenyan Rangers Arrest Three With 22 Tusks
Kenyan rangers Have arrested 3 men who were trying to sell 22 elephant tusks weighing 287 pounds.
Kenyan Rangers Resume Move of Elephants
Kenya has resumed transporting large numbers of elephants from one reserve to another. The operation was halted briefly when a bull elephant proved too heavy for the reinforced truck, but about 50 elephants have now been moved with 350 to go.
Conservationists warn great apes face extinction, Congo Hosts Conference to Save Apes
Conservationists are warning that the great apes face extinction as a result of poaching, logging and disease. Delegates from 23 countries were told that new strategies to save them were needed by Richard Leakey at a conference in Kinshasa, Congo.
U.S. Nuclear Sub Collides With Cargo Ship
The U.S. nuclear submarine USS Philadelphia travelling on the surface of the Gulf collided with the Turkish-flagged bulk carrier M/V Yaso Aysen. Damage was minor and both ships docked in Bahrain.
Australia's cane toads love the nightlife
Scientists studying the cane code, an invasive species that was introduced to Australia in 1935 and is now a major pest, have found a weak spot. It likes black disco lights, or the insects that they attract, and so can be lured and captured.
South African farmers clean up with "green sugar"
Environmentalists say that South Africa's sugar industry is destroying vital wetlands as it uses up a lot of water and produces dirty water as waste which causes erosion, harms river systems and damages habitats.
According to WWF International one pound of sugar needs 68 to 114 gallons of water. It is hoping to persuade farmers to use greener methods which help farmers use less water and retain their soil.
Sodium Nitrate Could Be Disease Cure
Sodium Nitrate, a salt used to preserve hot dogs, is being researched as a cure for several ailments. This could be a breakthrough, and a cheap remedy. It works by supplying oxygen when it is low in the body for some reason suhc as a heart attack, brain aneurysm, sickle cell anaemia, or pulmonary hypertension in babies.
Chernobyl radiation death toll 56 so far - U.N
A U.N. report says that so far 56 people have died as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. It had been thought that far more had died. About 4,000 people developed thyroid cancer but the vast majority survived it.
Smart cars could cut accidents
Researchers are coming up with new ways to make driving safer, by using senses that cas do not currently use, such as smell or vibration, to alert drivers and help keep them awake.
Explorer Says Lost Peru City Is Plundered
An American explorer says that a 7th century pre-Incan site, the Gran Saposoa ruins in Peru, has been plundered by tomb robbers.
Index of topics in this series.
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Here's the EPA's Response Activity for Monday, September 5, 2005 relating to hurricane Katrina:
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 to identify damage in New Orleans. EPA and state officials are compiling a comprehensive database of potential pollution sources in preparation for additional overflights and on-ground inspections in the coming weeks.
EPA search and rescue operations continue in the hurricane area. EPA has 65 boats providing support to local response efforts by moving supplies and conducting search and rescue missions. Yesterday, EPA search and rescue missions helped evacuate about 120 persons, bringing the total rescues made by EPA to 770. EPA also is helping distribute food and water.
EPA's environmental surveillance aircraft is being used to assess spills and chemical releases. On Sept. 4, the aircraft identified a large inland oil spill that resulted from a failed storage tank at the Murphy Oil Co. in Chamlette, La.. The company and its contractors are working with EPA and Coast Guard officials to repair the storage tank, contain the oil and begin cleanup. EPA and state officials continue to collect information from daily aerial helicopter inspections of facilities in the hurricane area. On-the-ground inspections of these facilities will provide additional information during the upcoming weeks.
EPA planned more sampling today of flood waters in New Orleans. Samples already taken are being analyzed at labs in Houston and Lafayette, La. EPA has granted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a waiver from water discharge permits to aid the Corps in pumping out hurricane flood waters.
EPA estimates that 1,223 drinking water systems have been affected by the hurricane; 72 in Alabama, 683 in Louisiana and 468 in Mississippi. Systems running on generators continue to need additional fuel to stay operational.
EPA is continuing its assessment of damage to local drinking water systems in Mississippi and providing technical assistance to help restore safe drinking water to those systems. EPA is sending a mobile laboratory to Mississippi to assist the state Department of Public Health in drinking water analysis. Boil-water notices have been issued to 468 water systems in Mississippi. Samples from these systems will be analyzed for total coliform bacteria before the systems restore service.
In Alabama, many water systems were disabled or impaired by loss of electrical power. Most are again operational, although waiting for test results to ensure that the water has been restored to standards safe for public consumption. Eight systems in Alabama currently have boil-water advisories. EPA reminds residents in areas affected to follow the boil-water advisories in place.
EPA and the state of Louisiana are working to restore off-line drinking water systems. Over 30 EPA personnel are assisting the state in inspecting local drinking water systems. About 100 systems have restored their operations.
To alleviate fuel shortages, EPA has granted several fuel waivers in the wake of the hurricane. In consultation with the U.S. Department of Energy, EPA also is closely monitoring gasoline supplies as it considers requests for waivers in other areas.
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, and in disposal of household hazardous waste and building debris from storm-damaged buildings. EPA is urges the public to exercise caution when re-entering hurricane-damaged buildings and take precautions if household hazardous waste or asbestos-containing building materials are present.
