Katrina

The following reached me through my old EverQuest guilds messageboard from someone on the outskirts of the Katrina disaster zone:

  • People are dying in N.O. due to lack of medical supplies.
  • Hospitals in N.O. are working without power or water moving patients up one story at a time.
  • Sharks have been spotted swimming in the streets
  • Out lying parishes are allowing people to register thier children for the local schools
  • Jefferson parish is going to allow people with ID to go home and collect what they can on Monday, but then they must leave for at least 1 month.
  • Orleans parish will not be allowed to even do that.
  • 30% of the US oil production was impacted
  • Major refineries have been shutdown
  • Current expectation is that water levels in N.O. will be 3 ft more than the Gulf.
  • Prisoner have taken hostages
  • Police have been shot attempting to control looting
  • Looters are taking firearms and firing on police stations
  • Gas lines are ruptured and there are burning fountains bubbling up out of the water
  • The body count has not even started
    • Doomsday estimates from worst case were 20-30 thousand.
    • Unofficially they expect this to be more than 9/11…hopefully no where near the above.
  • People are jumping from the top sections of the Superdome in despair
  • There are no hotel rooms available in La. Dallas (500 miles away) is the closest available.
  • Biloxi and Gulfport are almost completely gone
  • Major interstate bridges were destroyed
  • How are the displaced people going to pay bills or even recieve them?
  • In Iraq and Indonesia, no matter how bad those were, communications still existed…not here.
  • People are calling on cell phones to media outlets begging for rescue.
  • Phone communications is spotty at best…911 is out.
  • Cell phone towers are running out of battery power
  • Officials estimate that N.O. will take 6 weeks just to finish rescue and repair levees.
  • It is unknown how long to drain.
  • Private individuals are being asked to bring boats and volunteer to help rescue.
  • People are dying in shelters because they have no medicine or prescription information to get items refilled.
  • Parents have just lost everything they ever worked for.
  • Children are sleeping on concrete.

American Red Cross – Together we can save a life