Post Hurricane Katrina; God Help Them All

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina comes the the rescuing, the searching and the visions of just some of the most horrible sights I have seen since September 11, 2001. God help them all. From the AP, Crews Pass Dead to Reach Storm Survivors

New Orleans: Rescuers along the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast pushed aside the dead to reach the living Tuesday in a race against time and rising waters, while New Orleans sank deeper into crisis and Louisiana’s governor ordered storm refugees out of this drowning city. Two levees broke and sent water coursing into the streets of the Big Easy a full day after New Orleans appeared to have escaped widespread destruction from Hurricane Katrina. An estimated 80 percent of the below-sea-level city was under water, up to 20 feet deep in places, with miles and miles of homes swamped.

NYT: Rescuers Search for Survivors as Higher Death Tolls Are Feared

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 30 – The waters of swollen Lake Pontchartrain poured into this sunken city today through a gaping hole in a storm-damaged levee, as emergency workers labored to stanch the flow and used boats and helicopters to rescue hundreds of people stranded on rooftops.

News Day; Looting Takes Place in View of La. Police The unfortunate aftermath of such a disaster has to be made worse by looters who just take advantage of the opportunity. In some cases it is said to be a matter of survival.

A man walked down Canal Street with a pallet of food on his head. His wife, who refused to give her name, insisted they weren’t stealing from the nearby Winn-Dixie supermarket. “It’s about survival right now,” she said as she held a plastic bag full of purloined items. “We got to feed our children. I’ve got eight grandchildren to feed.”

(AP)

In Mississippi many are feared dead as the ravaged coastal areas are just mere memories of what they once appeared. The property values destroyed are massive only to be outdone by the loss of human life.

BILOXI, Mississippi (Reuters) – Helicopters plucked frantic survivors from rooftops of inundated homes on Tuesday and hundreds were feared dead along the U.S. Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina sent a wall of water into Mississippi and flooded New Orleans.

Millions are left without power in the wake of Hurricane Katrina “The City of New Orleans Is Devastated“. Those were the words of Mayor C. Ray Nagin.

Of most importance is the breach of the levee between Jefferson and Orleans Parish. “We probably have 80 percent of our city under water with some sections of our city the water is as deep as 20 feet”. Both airports are underwater The twin spans are destroyed. The Yacht club is burned and destroyed

The Times-Picayune simply stated the obvious: CATASTROPHIC AP: Utilities Rush Crews to Restore Power to Areas Damaged by Katrina

“It’s catastrophic. Working conditions are hazardous. It’s hot and humid,” said David Botkins, a spokesman for Dominion Virginia Power, which sent 200 workers to Louisiana and Mississippi. “The entire grid system in these areas is completely ruined. They’re starting from scratch.”

AP: “The situation is untenable,” Gov. Kathleen Blanco said. “It’s just heartbreaking.”

One Mississippi county alone said its death toll was at least 100, and officials are “very, very worried that this is going to go a lot higher,” said Joe Spraggins, civil defense director for Harrison County, home to Biloxi and Gulfport.

AP; Navy Sending Ships to Gulf Coast

Drudge Report also reporting that The Pentagon late Tuesday ordered five Navy ships and eight maritime rescue teams to the Gulf Coast to bolster relief operations as worsening conditions overwhelmed the initial response.

LA Times video
LA Times Video 2, Husband loses wife as he cannot hold on to her.
LA Times; Dozens Killed, Damage Heavy as Katrina Roars In

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said he feared the worst. “We know some people got trapped and we pray they are OK,” he said. But he grimly added his expectation: “There are a lot of dead people out there.”

Fifty people were killed in Harrison County, Miss., most of them at an apartment complex in Biloxi, Jim Pollard, spokesman for the county’s emergency operations center told Associated Press.

At least three others in Mississippi were killed by falling trees, officials said. In Alabama, two people died in a storm-related wreck.

Others covering Hurricane Katrina:
Wizbang, Dooms Day