Current News

About 12,000 families made homeless by last year's hurricanes began checking out of their federally financed hotel rooms January 13, after a federal judge let FEMA stop paying directly for their hotel rooms. The Federal Emergency Management Agency promised the evacuees from hurricanes Katrina and Rita that they will still receive federal rent assistance that they can put toward hotel rooms or other housing. But the agency will no longer pay for their hotel rooms directly.

Medical Community Helping: Free and Immediate Health Care for New Orleans at Health Fair (http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=1&load=~/PortalModules/ViewPressRelease.ascx&itemid=3421)

The City of New Orleans Health Department and the Morehouse School of Medicine are hosting a full-service Health Fair through February 12, 2006. The health fair features free, comprehensive health care, and includes medical, dental and eye care services. Glasses and contact lenses can be received immediately. Participants can also have an electronic medical record which they can take with them. No prior registration is necessary. The health fair begins at 8:00 am daily and is being held at the Audubon Zoo and Gardens, 6500 Magazine Street. Doctors, nurses, and medical technicians are donating their services.

Students Helping: University of Delaware Service Project to Help Pascagoula, Missippi (http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2006/feb/trip020906.html)

Students from the University of Delaware will be spending Spring Break helping residents in Pascagoula Mississippi repair hurricane damage. They will be joined by faculty members and residents from Newark. Participants will pay for their own transportation. The First Baptist Church of Pascagoula will arrange for accomodations for many of the participants.

Mayor Nagin May Seek Foreign Aid for New Orleans (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N03281051.htm)

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says that he may seek foreign aid to rebuild New Orleans, because U.S. aid has not been sufficient to get the city back on its feet. Five months after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans remains largely in ruins. "I know we had a little disappointment earlier with some signals we're getting from Washington but the international community may be able to fill the gap," Nagin said when a delegation of French government and business officials passed through on Friday to explore potential business partnerships.

Puppy Boom in Gulf Coast (http://www.localnewsleader.com/brocktown/stories/news-00119909.html)== Puppies are popping up everywhere amid the rubble left by Hurricane Katrina — and animal welfare workers on the northern Gulf Coast fear it is only the start of a big boom in dog births. Workers have yet to see a spike in cat births, but there‘s no doubt about what dogs have been doing since the hurricane, said Tara High, executive director of a shelter in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Mobile May Benefit From New Orleans' Scaled Down Mardi Gras Celebration (http://www.mobilebay.org/ab_mardigras.php)

Mobile, (http://www.cityofmobile.org/mardigras.php) Alabama, which boasts that it hosts the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in America, is hoping that it will benefit from reluctance of tourists to travel to New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year. A full schedule of parades (http://www.mobilemardigras.com/parades/parades.php) and mardi gras balls (http://www.mobilemardigras.com/Balls/balls.php) will be held from January 28, 2006 until fat Tuesday on February 28, 2006. Mobile promotes its festival (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=a9vlztFf.pBU&refer=Canada) as a family-friendly alternative to the New Orleans event, anticipating that tourism this year may triple from pre-Katrina levels. As Mobile's celebration begins earlier than that of New Orleans, many tourists may opt to visit both cities while are located only 118 miles from each other.

Senate Holding Hearings on Katrina (http://hsgac.senate.gov)

US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, (http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Home) chaired by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) has been holding a series of hearings about the adequacy of response to Hurricane Katrina. The hearings have been focused on what went wrong and what can be done to improve that situation.

Removed February 9, 2006

Thunderstorm with High Winds Batters New Orleans (http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1569433)

Feb 2, 2006 — A violent thunderstorm swept through neighborhoods hit hard by Hurricane Katrina, tearing off roofs, knocking down utility poles and collapsing at least one previously storm-damaged house early Thursday, authorities said. No serious injuries were reported. The storm ripped part of a roof off Louis Armstrong International Airport, then hit the suburb of Kenner and the hurricane-ravaged lakefront area of New Orleans where at least one house collapsed.

Federal Judge Orders New Orleans Elections Must Go Forward (http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/2221692.html)

The primary election in New Orleans, originally scheduled for February 4, will be held by Late April, and the state will be required to choose a date by January 24, 2006. The failure to plan for an election has come under the supervision of the Federal Court. (http://www.laed.uscourts.gov/)Prior to Katrina, the population of New Orleans was 1.2 million. Now the New Orleans population (http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=6047) has been estimated to be between 100 thousand people and 150 thousand, and it is unclear how this will impact the results. Registered voters are needed as election workers, and a request has been made to the citizens (http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=6046) to come to classes so they can man the polls. Workers will be paid $100. for the one day job. Mayor Ray Nagin has come under attack by the press (http://magic-city-news.com/article_5191.shtml) for recent remarks (http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/oluwatoyin012106.htm) regarding the need for black citizens (and probably registered voters) to return to the city. With Nagin up for reelection, the difficulty of holding an election (http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=6024)—where even the registrars don’t have to be living at the address where they are registered to vote—will likely be an additional source of discomfort for New Orleans in the coming weeks.

Removed January 22, 2006

Dolphin Update: Moving to the Bahamas (http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/politics/13547830.htm)

Several dolphins that were swept out to sea by Hurricane Katrina will soon be reunited at a resort in the Bahamas. Atlantis, a resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, will take on 17 dolphins from the Marine Life Oceanarium - eight of which were rescued from open water in September. The dolphins will live in seven interconnected resident pools at Atlantis, with more than 6 million gallons of sea water. The dolphins will each have 250,000 gallons of water - more than 10 times the amount required by U.S. regulations. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species permit was issued Dec. 28. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also issued a permit.

AP Names Hurricane Katrina Top News Story of 2005 (http://www.writenews.com/blog/wnblog.php?zone=103061)

Associated Press editors have named Hurricane Katrina as the top story for 2005. The hurricanes received 252 first-place votes out of 288 ballots cast. Number two was the Papal transition, and number three pick was Iraq. The Asian Quake, which rocked Kashmir, was named as number seven.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for I-10 Bridge (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/3569178.html)

Gov. Kathleen Blanco joined federal officials Thursday, January 5, 2006 in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the reopening of a major bridge over Lake Pontchartrain that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The new Interstate 10 bridge links New Orelans, and Slidell, Louisiana.

Disaster Tourists View Damaged New Orleans (http://www.bet.com/Community/HurricaneKatrinaToursBegin.htm??Referrer=%7B03CE5360-2620-42CB-AD7E-77E4249C5FB7%7D)

Gray Line New Orleans has begun a bus tour program which views some of the worst sights in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The three hour tour costs $35.00 and includes Canal Street, a breached levee, hart-hit neighborhoods and the Convention Center. Gray Line is donaing three dollars for every ticket purchased to non-profits which have been directly affected by the Hurricane.

Greeks Helping: Foreign Minister of Greece to present $85,000. check to Habitat for Humanity (http://www.hellenicnews.com/readnews.html?newsid=4549&lang=US)

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, Panagiotis Skandalakis, the U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Charles Ries, and the Greek Ambassador to the U.S., Alexandros Mallias, joined by AHEPA Supreme President, Gus James, will be in Atlanta on Monday, January 9, to present to the Habitat for Humanity a check of $85,000, as a symbolic gesture of solidarity of the Greek people to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Katrina Relief Fund in Greece raised the money from two concerts held in Athens last October and November, and from individual donations.

Removed January 6, 2006

Blanco and Nagin Defend Katrina Response in Washington (http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051214/APN/512141042&cachetime=3&template=dateline)

Under scrutiny from a congressional committee, Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin defended their Hurricane Katrina evacuation decisions In Washington on December 14, 2005. Lawmakers questioned Wednesday why thousands of people were left stranded in New Orleans without transportation as the storm barreled toward Louisiana. Blanco, in often tense exchanges with committee members, said the mass movement of citizens was one of the most successful evacuations in Louisiana's history, saving more than a million people from harm and Katrina's devastating flooding.

Mortgage Delinquencies Soar in Mississippi and Louisiana (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-delinquent1505dec15,0,735930.story?coll=orl-business-headlines)

Mortgage delinquencies jumped in Louisiana and Mississippi during the third quarter because of the record-breaking storm, the Mortgage Bankers Association of America reported Wednesday. But the delinquency rate in Louisiana as of Sept. 30 was 24.63 percent -- the highest level recorded by the trade group since it started its survey in 1972. Mississippi's delinquency rate leaped to 17.44 percent, the second-highest statewide level on record.

Dolphin Update: Moving to the Bahamas (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Katrina_Dolphin_Rescue.html)

New Orleans Event Planned to Reunite Pets with Owners (http://sev.prnewswire.com/charity/20051214/LATU05813122005-1.html)

Locate Your Lost Katrina Pet" will be held Friday, Dec. 16, through Sunday, Dec. 18, at the Garden District Hotel in New Orleans. "Several thousand families are still searching for the pets they lost in the hurricanes. And it has been very difficult for them to navigate all of the available resources," said Francis Battista, director of the Best Friends Hurricane Relief Center. "This event will allow people to get help and do final comprehensive searches in one place for their pets before the extended foster periods expire. We will set up banks of computers and invite families to work with reunion specialists to search for their pets -- on a first-come, first-served basis," Battista said.

Internet Volunteer Efforts Continue to Reunite Pets with Owners (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3526040.html)

Evacuee Nureka Chapman-Jacobs was forced to leave her Samoyed dog behind in her backyard when she loaded her Dodge minivan with her five daughters, her Pomeranian and a 95-year-old woman she was caring for and fled New Orleans just before Katrina arrived. Days later, a tearful Jacobs appeared in a photograph on the front page of the Houston Chronicle as she and her family were turned away from the Astrodome. Late Wednesday, the white dog they hadn't seen since before Hurricane Katrina's devastation in New Orleans was reunited with its owners thanks to the efforts of a California Internet volunteer.

Behavior of New Orleans Residents in Aftermath of Katrina Badly Reported (http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=10882)

How bad was the reporting? You probably saw and heard stories of mayhem at the Superdome and the Convention Center, and on the streets of New Orleans. You may have missed the admissions weeks later by NBC, the New Orleans Times-Picayune, The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times that, as the Baltimore Sun noted, stories about "murders, rapes and beatings have turned out to be false."

Removed November 2, 1005

Alligator Hunting Season Extended due to Hurricane (http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/apps/netgear/index.asp?cn=lawlf&pid=13&id=1128108128)

The State of Louisiana has extended alligator season until Oct. 30, 2005, due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Personnel from the New Iberia Fur and Refuge Division office of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and fisheries will be available to relocate nuisance alligators that may have been displaced by storm activity. The damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has severely impacted hundreds of thousands of acres of coastal marshes. Alligator populations in affected areas have been displaced and suffered some degree of direct mortality. Assessments are ongoing.

Musicians Helping: Two CD Set Will Benefit Katrina Charities (http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001307692)

Four major record labels have banded together to produce a two cd set featuring nearly 30 well known recording artists. Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now" is expected to be released in mid-November and includes songs with an accent on New Orleans performed by Sting, Coldplay, Fats Domino, Barbra Streisand, Elton John, and James Brown, among many others. Proceeds have been earmarked for the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and the MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund.

Wilma leaves 4 Million Floridians Without Power (http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/oct2005/flor-o28.Hurricane)

Four days after Hurricane Wilma hit South Florida, close to 4 million people remain without power and the phone system is largely inoperable.Hurricane Wilma’s four-hour assault on Florida cut power to millions of homes. As of Wednesday evening, nearly 1.6 million Florida Public Lighting (FPL) customers in Broward and Miami-Dade counties alone were still in the dark. While the damage and human suffering inflicted by this latest storm have not been as severe as that caused by Hurricane Katrina, Wilma was a major hurricane, making landfall in South Florida as a category 3 storm with 125 mph winds and pounding waves. Wilma flooded the Florida Keys, and moved onto Naples and Miami-Fort Lauderdale. Wilma was the strongest storm to hit the Miami area since August 1992, when Hurricane Andrew caused more than $25 billion in damage. It was the eighth hurricane to strike Florida in 15 months.

Removed October 28, 2005

Churches Helping: Plenty of Free Drinking Water in Uptown New Orleans

Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral (http://www.cccnola.org/), located at 2919 St. Charles Ave. in the uptown area of New Orleans, has obtained a water purifying system capable of producing multiple thousands of gallons of potable water a day. The church will be offering the water to the community Mondays through Saturdays from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. People wishing to receive water must bring their own container to transport the water in as the church does not yet have those resources. Also available are various personal hygiene products and cleaning supplies for those who can make their way to the church grounds.

Housing Boom Hits Biloxi (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051001/D8CUUJJO2.html)

The Mississippi coast, wracked by Hurricane Katrina, is caught up in a real estate rush, as speculators and those looking to replace their own wrecked homes pinpoint broken and battered waterfront neighborhoods. In the weeks since the hurricane, prices of many homes - even damaged properties - have jumped 10 to 20 percent.

Removed October 25, 2005

Fierce Wilma Forces Florida Evacuation (http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20051019:MTFH44653_2005-10-19_16-12-57_N19385585:1)

With Hurricane Wilma bearing down,Monroe County, Florida (http://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/Pages/index) officials have issued a mandatory evacuation of all visitors and non-residents of the Florida Keys (http://www.conchrepublic.com/history.htm) beginning at noon Wednesday, September 19, 2005. "We understand the inconvenience of having to ask visitors to leave, but their safety is our first priority," said Monroe County Emergency Management Director Irene Toner. "We certainly hope they return once the risk has passed and all is okay." An evacuation order for residents is tentatively scheduled to begin at noon Thursday. According to Florida officials, Florida is prepared for a storm, (http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051019/WEATHER01/510190406/1075) and less reliant on FEMA than other states.

Wilma Gains Hurricane Status, Exhausts Alphabet (http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/18/D8DAGV406.html)

Hurricane Wilma is now the Atlantic hurricane season's 21st named storm. This ties the record for storm activity set in 1933 and also exhausts this year’s the list of storm names. Areas impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will likely be spared by Wilma. "There's no scenario now that takes it [the hurricane] toward Louisiana or Mississippi, but that could change," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center. (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/) The six-month hurricane season ends Nov. 30. Wilma is the last on the list of storm names for 2005; there are 21 names on the yearly list because the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z are skipped. If any other storms form, letters from the Greek alphabet would be used, starting with Alpha. Storms have gotten alphabetical names only in the past 60 years.

Due to Rollbacks, removal of following between date above and date below

South Asia Earthquake: 30,000 Feared Dead

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9626146/

A massive earthquake (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7807001) which struck South Asia on the morning of Saturday, October 8 has killed more than 30,000 people in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir (http://paktribune.com/?PHPSESSID=0d5e0086b56bc962c052e10152eb1aba) alone. Tremors continued for hours afterward. Saturday's magnitude 7.6 quake also struck India (http://in.rediff.com/news/quake05.html) and Afghanistan, which reports hundreds dead. In Kashmir, the quake flattened dozens of villages and towns, crushing schools and houses. "This disaster is by far the biggest in its magnitude and scale so far that we have witnessed in Pakistan's history," said (http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/09quake4.htm) military spokesman Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan

Removed Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Donors and Taxpayers: How You’re Helping (http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-6GQ4HN?OpenDocument&rc=2&emid=TC-2005-000144-USA)

FEMA reports that over one million Louisiana residents have applied for state and federal disaster aid, and that they have approved or paid
$2 billion in housing assistance. The American Red Cross has served more than 4.7 million meals in Louisiana and has sheltered 66,000 people in 256 facilities. The Salvation Army has served 1.6 million meals to state residents. Both organizations have been supported by the Southern Baptist Convention, which has provided field kitchens and cooking. 348 shelters remain open in Louisiana providing emergency housing for more than 47,000 evacuees. State and Federal agencies have removed more than one million cubic yards of hurricane debris to date.

A Nation Helping: Convicts Aid in Animal Rescue

Every American, no matter what his or her circumstances, wants to help in hurricane recovery efforts, and prison inmates are no exception. In an unusual partnership, announcements were made by both the Louisiana Department of Correctionsand (http://www.corrections.state.la.us/KATRINA/DCI%20inmates%20help%20care%20for%20animals.pdf) the Humane Society of the United Statesdetailing (http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/hsus_and_other_animal_welfare_groups_relocate_rescued_katrina_pets_to_Louisiana_Prison.html) their cooperation in helping to care for both dogs and farm animals in the wake of the Gulf Coast hurricanes. “Helping with these animals has a positive effect on our inmates,‿ said Warden James LeBlanc. “They enjoy interacting with animals, who, in turn, respond positively to them. It’s rehabilitative.‿ At last count, 160 dogs, five ducks, five geese, 17 hens and three roosters were being housed and cared for at a former dairy barn east of the main prison compound at the Dixon Correctional Institute (DCI) in Jackson, Louisiana.

Citizen-Volunteer Profile: Pasado’s Safe Haven

They don’t eat meat, they don’t wear leather, they would like a donated hot meal (http://www.katrinahelp.info/wiki/index.php/Help_Needed#Hot_meals_for_the_rescuers) (only $3.38/person) but they know how to save dogs. The rescuers of Pasado’s Safe Haven, (http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/) a Seattle, Washington based animal rescue organization, have emerged as a heroic, results-oriented group that won’t give up on homeless New Orleans animals in the face of difficult and even horrifying conditions. While they may not have the high profile of nationwide humane charities, and depending entirely on volunteers, they pledge to work at least until mid October. They are even looking for additional people to help. Not only do their volunteers know how to rescue starving, scared dogs, they are capable of harnessing donated resources (http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/NEWS/NEWS.htm) as varied as privately owned jets to trucks from Haliburton to accomplish their mission. A group of dedicated volunteers from the NOLA Pet Rescue Forum (http://www.nola.com/forums/animals/index.ssf) who are working around the clock to reunite missing pets with owners have only praise for them and their work.

Potential Nationwide Heartworm Epidemic May Be Averted

With cold weather approaching, Gulf Coast pet rescuers (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-10-05-rescue-pets-cover_x.htm) are breathing a sigh of relief. Heartworm (http://www.la-spca.org/dedication/tt_heartworms.htm) is a major problem in dogs rescued from the area, and the rescued dog refugees (http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=146382) are moving throughout the country, (http://www.krqe.com/expanded.asp?ID=12331) and even into Canada, (http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=d6786b0e-0f90-4fe4-a5b5-c8c90a3d7032) in a large-scale effort to save their lives. While shelters are diagnosing and treating afflicted dogs, owners relocating with their pets may have not tested their dogs or given them preventative care. As a result, people in regions far from the South may find their animals at greatly increased risk until cold weather. Heartworm spreads through mosquito bites from infected dog to non-infected dog. Because the onset of winter will kill the mosquitoes, it is likely that a potential nationwide epidemic will be averted. In the meantime, pet owners should exercise extreme caution to keep their pets healthy.

Katrina Survivors at One Month: Status Report Impossible (http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051002/OPINION02/510020325)

The garbage is piling up, they can’t find the Red Cross, or insurance adjusters, or where to apply for food stamps. Phone calls aren’t returned, or they sit for hours on hold and then their call is dropped. Yet it would appear, despite their problems, residents who remained or returned to the New Orleans area may have fared best of all, and are getting their story out to the rest of the country. Elsewhere, there are reports of people still living from good-hearted church potlucks, in moveable shelters that open and close, and people who say they can’t get basic clothing or formula. Four weeks after Katrina, it is fair to say that the only status report that can be made is that the South has not been on such hard times since the 1860’s. Getting a real picture what is happening throughout the region, however, is nearly impossible. Kind hearted journalists in their urge to help have walked away from their usual skepticism. (http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/tuck/2005/100105.html) Sorting out truth from fiction has become a nearly impossible task. Even rumor buster snopes.com—which has a special page for Hurricane Katrina (http://www.snopes.com/katrina/)—has limited information.

== [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9626146/ South Asia Earthquake: 30,000 Feared Dead] == A massive earthquake (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7807001) which struck South Asia on the morning of Saturday, October 8 has killed more than 30,000 people in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir (http://paktribune.com/?PHPSESSID=0d5e0086b56bc962c052e10152eb1aba) alone. Tremors continued for hours afterward. Saturday's magnitude 7.6 quake also struck India (http://in.rediff.com/news/quake05.html) and Afghanistan, which reports hundreds dead. In Kashmir, the quake flattened dozens of villages and towns, crushing schools and houses. "This disaster is by far the biggest in its magnitude and scale so far that we have witnessed in Pakistan's history," said (http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/09quake4.htm) military spokesman Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan

Removed Sunday. October 2, 2005

Animal Rescue Efforts at Fever Pitch - National Guard to Assist

Senator John Ensign (R-Nevada), a licensed veterinarian, announced that the National Guard will begin escorting animal rescue crews in Louisiana. This report was greeted with relief by internet animal rescuers. The posts are flew at nearly one a minute at NOLA.com’s pet rescue forum following reports of wholesale dog slaughter in St. Bernard’s parish. A ers.html $5,000 reward (http://ericsdogblog.blogspot.com/2005/09/5000-reward-offered-for-dog-shoot) and an additional $10,000 reward (http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/NEWS/REWARD.htm) is being offered for information leading to the conviction of anyone involved.

Hurricane Rita Delays Progress in Drying Out New Orleans (http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2005/09/25/ap/headlines/d8cr80ho1.txt)

Federal officials said Saturday it will take two to three weeks to pump out floodwaters created by Hurricane Rita. The water poured in through levees that were patched after Hurricane Katrina. Water rose to the tops of cars in one neighborhood and seeped into homes in other sections of the city that were pumped dry days ago. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers trucked rocks and airlifted giant sandbags to plug one of the levees, and the corp's commander on the ground was leery about how stable the makeshift repairs to the city's fragile flood-control system would prove.

Deaths at Superdome Apparently Greatly Exaggerated (http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_26.html#082732)

Rumors always follow catastrophes, and the horror at the Superdome is no exception. Following numerous reports of killings and deaths from evacuees experiencing the nightmare in New Orleans, a FEMA doctor brought a refrigerated 18 wheeler and three doctors to process bodies. Only six dead persons were found. Of those, four died of natural causes, one overdosed, and another jumped to his death in an apparent suicide. That the nation's front-line emergency management believed the body count would resemble that of a bloody battle in a war is but one of scores of examples of myths about the Dome and the Convention Center treated as fact by evacuees, the media and even some of New Orleans' top officials, including the mayor and police superintendent. As the fog of warlike conditions in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath has cleared, the vast majority of reported atrocities committed by evacuees have turned out to be false, or at least unsupported by any evidence. Update (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/national/nationalspecial/29crime.html?ei=5090&en=1ba20914f5888e10&ex=1285646400&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1127998837-dUb23oxvthQ0MrMgl9neEg&pagewanted=print)

Shut Down Oil Refineries Appear to have Limited Damage (http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112759399369751198,00.html)

Damage to the vital concentration of oil refineries along the Texas coast Sunday appeared relatively light, although industry officials said it was too early to assess whether there would be an impact on oil prices. "There will be some modest disruption of supplies of gasoline and other products," said William Veno, an analyst at Cambridge Energy Research Associates. "But I don't think it's going to be as severe a situation as Hurricane Katrina." An interactive map (http://online.wsj.com/documents/info-flash05a.html?project=gulfoil0509&h=450&w=780&hasAd=1) of refinery conditions is available through the Wall Street Journal Online, (http://online.wsj.com/public/us), which has emerged as one of the best resources for news and information in the wake of Hurricane Rita. In response to emergency conditions, the financial publication’s Storm News Tracker (http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB112731385505947351-BJ0nkKk5ENd7mMG3PLMk1lEXK88_20060921,00.html?mod=blogs) has been made available to non-subscribers as a free feature. The Storm News Tracker, which is updated frequently and automatically refreshes in a browser window, incorporates in-depth reports and wire service feed, as well as items usually relegated to blogs.

Going Home: Concerns for Residents Returning After Rita (http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/spe/2005/hurricane/what_to_do_after/)

The Dallas, Texas News has published several tips for Texans returning home after Rita, which includes the advice toBefore entering or cleaning a tornado-damaged building be sure that walls, ceiling and roof are in place and that the structure rests firmly on the foundation before entering a building, and not turning on lights before an electrician has checked the house.

Removed Thusday, August 29, 2005

TxDOT to Rita Returnees: Please Return According to Plan (http://www.dot.state.tx.us/txdotnews/039-2005.htm)

The State of Texas has announced a phased return plan for residents who evacuated from the Gulf Coast areas of Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation has released a map (http://www.dot.state.tx.us/hcr/goinghome/) which graphically shows when residents should return. The return trip is to be taken by evacuees stretching from Sunday, September 25 through the following Tuesday. The goal of the re-entry plan is to have a safe and orderly return of 2.5 million people to Houston. Heavy traffic and very limited fuel availability are still issues that motorists will face. It is estimated that 2.4 million people left the Texas Gulf Coast in escaping from Hurrican Rita.

Algiers Neighborhood Residents May Return Home (http://abcnews.go.com/US/HurricaneRita/wireStory?id=1159666)

The New Orleans mayor's office announced that residents of Algiers, which largely escaped the flooding brought by the twin onslaughts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, would be able to return home starting at 10 a.m. on September 26, 2005. Algiers has working power, water and sewer services. In addition, business owners in the Central Business District, the French Quarter and the Uptown section would be allowed in to inspect property and clean up.

Georgia Takes Leadership Position on Fuel Conservation (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=ak84KrcsyDrg&refer=us)

With Gulf Coast refineries closed, fuel concerns are real concerns. In order to help, Georgia will close all public schools on Monday, saving 500,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

Removed Monday, August 26, 2005

Mismanagement in Louisiana’s Emergency Planning Agency Not a New Concern (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-money17sep17,0,1698555.story?coll=la-home-nation)

Senior officials in Louisiana's emergency planning agency already were awaiting trial over allegations stemming from a federal investigation into waste, mismanagement and missing funds when Hurricane Katrina struck. Federal auditors are still trying to track as much as $60 million in unaccounted for funds that were funneled to the state from the Federal mergency Management Agency dating back to 1998.

Removed September 1 or Prior

August 30

5:00PM CST Boats, especially flat bottomed boats are urgently needed in Metarie. If you can safely make it to the intersection of Cleary and Airline Drive in Metairie please go with your boat.
12:56PM A 24 hour curfew is in effect for New Orleans until further notice. Much of the area is subject to "Martial Law." Persons violating the curfew will not only endanger the lives of others, they will be arrested. Do not attempt to return to New Orleans. 9-1-1 is out in most areas, but Internet remains hardy where there is power. Many cellphones within the region work locally but are unable to receive incoming calls from outside the local area. If you have friends and loved ones in the area you can safely assume that they have no power and no cellphone available. Turn to the resources to which Katrinahelp links for further help and information.
2:51AM CST The city of New Orleans is closed. Do no attempt to enter the area. 200 boats should be in the water covering the city by dawn Tuesday searching for survivors, and another 50 boats are promised from Texas. The enire area is under extreme stress and those who have evacuated should stay put for the present.
2:42AM CST The French Quarter, the oldest and highest area of New Orleans, appears to be largely spared. There is a curfew in effect and the area is closed.
12:15AM CST There appears to be extreme devastation with New York Times reporting 55 deaths, but other reports of 40 deaths in Biloxi, Missippi alone. New Orleans, which is below Sea Level, has extreme flooding. Water will have to be pumped out from the entire city before people can return. Portions of I-10 appear to be missing. With widespread power outages throughout the region, news reports will be slower than usual. Many blogs which planned to report throughout the day were never updated after dawn.

Monday, August 29, 2005

10:51 CST It will be daybreak until there can be any real damage assessments in many of the regions. Reports of power outages throughout the region. Fires in New Orleans.

5:31PM CST More than 600,000 people have lost power in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. Reports

4:52 PM CST 210,299 people in Alabama without power. Unclear whether cell phones not working due to overusage or infranstucture loss. Use ground lines if possible to call. Better yet, use email, text messaging, or talk over the internet on Google Talk (http://www.google.com/talk/).

4:40 PM CST FEMA will be coordinating relief efforts through DC office. Red Cross says it can use volunteers.

4:28PM CST Storm is weakening and has been downgraded to a Catagory I Hurricane. The Gulf States of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana are all affected. Current eye is just North of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

3:54PM CST Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said about 115 people were stranded on rooftops but rescue teams were not being sent until winds subsided. She said access routes to New Orleans would be shut down and told the hundreds of thousands of people who evacuated to stay away. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said he'd had reports that more than 20 buildings were collapsing in the city.

1:18 pm EST: FEMA Director is now in Baton Rouge and will be holding a press briefing (article (http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08.html#074826))
12:02 pm CST: Hundreds of thousands have been evacuated from the affected area, and there is an international effort on this wiki to provide resources for the hurricane affected.

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