"Cry Havoc, And Let Slip The Dogs Of War!"
And war it is, as the citizens of New Orleans attempts to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Below are official reports posted by the Times-Picayune over the last few hours. We’re both shocked at the destruction wrought by this storm. We, like the weather-casters, expected this storm to hit Florida with full force, not bounce off Florida and slam into New Orleans. I have few words that will be intermixed in the following reports. Words don’t begin to cover this. In my opinion, this is worse than 11 September in terms of dollars-to-damage estimates. The loss of life I doubt will reach over the 2800, or so, deaths from 11 September, but the repercussions of it will be felt for sure.
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08.html#075234
Late Blanco statement
By Robert Travis Scott
BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco called for an evacuation of the 20,000 storm refugees from theSuperdome after she visited the hurricane-damaged stadium Tuesday evening for the second time of the day.
‘Bout damn time. Can anyone say "cholera petri dish?
"She set no timetable for the withdrawal but insisted that the facility was damaged, degrading and no longerable to support the local citizens who had sought refuge in the Dome from Hurricane Katrina.
"It’s a very, very desperate situation," Blanco said late Tuesday after returning to the capital from her visit, when she comforted the exhausted throngs of people, many of whom checked in over the weekend.
"It’s imperative that we get them out. The situation is degenerating rapidly."Blanco also said the people in the New Orleans hospitals were being moved out.
The Dome has no electricity, holes in the roof have let in water and the sanitary conditions are growing worse, Blanco said. "It’s a little rough in there," Blanco said.
Blanco also visited a facility near the Dome where rescue helicopters have deposited people picked up from rooftops after becoming trapped at their homes by floodwaters. Those people are frightened about their situation and concerned about loved ones still left back in their neighborhoods, she said.
No s**t, Sherlock...Wouldn’t you be?
State officials are establishing evacuation sites, which will be outside of Orleans Parish, where power is expected to be off for many days if not weeks. Blanco said the commodes are not working in the Dome. Details of how and when the evacuation will take place are now being determined.
The neighboring New Orleans Arena is not an option, because it has water in it, she said.Blanco said part of the population in the Dome are people "who do not have any regard for others." But "many good people" also are living in the Dome, she said, including mothers with babies.
Meanwhile, Blanco said officials are working rapidly to fill the hole in the 17th Street Canal, where a 500-foot breach is allowing water to pour into the city. Areas of the city that were dry or had low water early Tuesday were slowly filling up with the water by Tuesday evening. The water is pouring in faster than the city’s pumps can push it out.
Madam Governor, it is time to move as many people left in the city to higher ground, and let the Army Corps of Engineers in there. They can repair the levee. Let them do it, but let’s not turn this into a Holly-Weird production where you wait until the last minute. You’re working against the clock, and it’s time is affected solely by how quickly the water comes into the city.
Major Gen. Don Riley with the Army Corps of Engineers said giant sandbags are being dropped into the Canal and large barriers are being lowered into the gap to close it off. It is a massive undertaking, hampered by nightfall.
Working in the city’s favor is the fact that the level of Lake Pontchartrain is falling, which puts less pressure on the canal stream. Once the flow is stemmed, the city’s pumps can clear out the water.Until then, the leak will "continue to flow down into the center of town," Riley said.
The Inner Harbor Canal also breached and poured water into St. Bernard Parish, but the level of the canal is now so low that water is flowing back into the canal, Riley said.
State Police send troopers to region
Tuesday, 10:30 p.m.
More than 40 State Police troopers are being sent to New Orleans to help local law enforcement combat what Col. Henry Whitehorn called "pretty severe" looting in the city.
Two mobile force units of 16 officers each will be deployed, as well as about a dozen tactical officers and one armored personnel carrier, which should be able drive through the deep flood waters, said Whitehorn at a 9 p.m. briefing at the state Office of Emergency Preparedness.
The State Police, which already has more than 250 officers in the area affected by the storm, will be supplemented by an additional 30 officers from various sheriff and city police office around the state. Whitehorn would not say exactly when the additional police will be deployed, saying they could go Tuesday night or on Wednesday. Whitehorn said they have had reports of all kinds of looting, as well as people shooting into vacant buildings. "It is a lot of chaos," he said. "If we see it, we will arrest it."
Martial law clarified
Tuesday, 9:02 p.m.
The state Attorney General's office on Tuesday sought to clarify reports in some media that "martial law' has been declared in parts of storm-ravaged southeast Louisiana, saying no such term exists in Louisiana law. But even though no martial law exists, Gov. Kathleen Blanco's declaration of a state of emergency gives authorities widespread latitude to suspend civil liberties as they try to restore order and bring victims to safety. Under the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act of 1993, the governor and, in some cases, chief parish officials, have the right to commandeer or utilize any private property if necessary to cope with the emergency.
Authorities may also suspend any statute related to the conduct of official business, or any rule issued by a state agency, if complying would "prevent, hinder or delay necessary action'' to mitigate the emergency. It also gives authority the right to compel evacuations, suspend alcohol and weapons sales and make provisions for the availability and use of temporary emergency housing. The law gives mayors similar authority, except they do not have the right to commandeer private property or make provisions for emergency housing, according to a background brief prepared by the state Attorney General's office.
At least we now have a definition of what the local municipalities believe "martial law" to be. Too bad it isn’t in the proper legal context. The governor is the only person with the authority to formally declare martial law, as that decree is followed by—usually—orders to the National Guard, which the governor can command in the even of an emergency. This is a power they possess, along with the president, alone. The mayor or parish officials cannot declare martial law as they have no authority over National Guard troops.
Theses are just a couple of the most recent updates on the situation in New Orleans. Thursday, bloggers are being asked to blog for disaster relief, and either include links to relief agencies, or provide links to other blogs that have a comprehensive list for the relief effort. Hugh Hewitt and Glenn Reynolds—of InstaPundit fame—will be leading the charge. The link above will provide our readers with the most up-to-date information regarding this tragedy. Below is a link to Michelle Malkin’s site, which is also keeping up with updates as they occur.
http://michellemalkin.com/
Please, read their updates and keep informed. For those who can, please contribute to the relief effort. Even if it’s a lousy dollar, donate it. This isn’t some third-world nation. This is OUR nation. "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party." ‘NUFF SAID!
Publius II
And war it is, as the citizens of New Orleans attempts to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Below are official reports posted by the Times-Picayune over the last few hours. We’re both shocked at the destruction wrought by this storm. We, like the weather-casters, expected this storm to hit Florida with full force, not bounce off Florida and slam into New Orleans. I have few words that will be intermixed in the following reports. Words don’t begin to cover this. In my opinion, this is worse than 11 September in terms of dollars-to-damage estimates. The loss of life I doubt will reach over the 2800, or so, deaths from 11 September, but the repercussions of it will be felt for sure.
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08.html#075234
Late Blanco statement
By Robert Travis Scott
BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco called for an evacuation of the 20,000 storm refugees from theSuperdome after she visited the hurricane-damaged stadium Tuesday evening for the second time of the day.
‘Bout damn time. Can anyone say "cholera petri dish?
"She set no timetable for the withdrawal but insisted that the facility was damaged, degrading and no longerable to support the local citizens who had sought refuge in the Dome from Hurricane Katrina.
"It’s a very, very desperate situation," Blanco said late Tuesday after returning to the capital from her visit, when she comforted the exhausted throngs of people, many of whom checked in over the weekend.
"It’s imperative that we get them out. The situation is degenerating rapidly."Blanco also said the people in the New Orleans hospitals were being moved out.
The Dome has no electricity, holes in the roof have let in water and the sanitary conditions are growing worse, Blanco said. "It’s a little rough in there," Blanco said.
Blanco also visited a facility near the Dome where rescue helicopters have deposited people picked up from rooftops after becoming trapped at their homes by floodwaters. Those people are frightened about their situation and concerned about loved ones still left back in their neighborhoods, she said.
No s**t, Sherlock...Wouldn’t you be?
State officials are establishing evacuation sites, which will be outside of Orleans Parish, where power is expected to be off for many days if not weeks. Blanco said the commodes are not working in the Dome. Details of how and when the evacuation will take place are now being determined.
The neighboring New Orleans Arena is not an option, because it has water in it, she said.Blanco said part of the population in the Dome are people "who do not have any regard for others." But "many good people" also are living in the Dome, she said, including mothers with babies.
Meanwhile, Blanco said officials are working rapidly to fill the hole in the 17th Street Canal, where a 500-foot breach is allowing water to pour into the city. Areas of the city that were dry or had low water early Tuesday were slowly filling up with the water by Tuesday evening. The water is pouring in faster than the city’s pumps can push it out.
Madam Governor, it is time to move as many people left in the city to higher ground, and let the Army Corps of Engineers in there. They can repair the levee. Let them do it, but let’s not turn this into a Holly-Weird production where you wait until the last minute. You’re working against the clock, and it’s time is affected solely by how quickly the water comes into the city.
Major Gen. Don Riley with the Army Corps of Engineers said giant sandbags are being dropped into the Canal and large barriers are being lowered into the gap to close it off. It is a massive undertaking, hampered by nightfall.
Working in the city’s favor is the fact that the level of Lake Pontchartrain is falling, which puts less pressure on the canal stream. Once the flow is stemmed, the city’s pumps can clear out the water.Until then, the leak will "continue to flow down into the center of town," Riley said.
The Inner Harbor Canal also breached and poured water into St. Bernard Parish, but the level of the canal is now so low that water is flowing back into the canal, Riley said.
State Police send troopers to region
Tuesday, 10:30 p.m.
More than 40 State Police troopers are being sent to New Orleans to help local law enforcement combat what Col. Henry Whitehorn called "pretty severe" looting in the city.
Two mobile force units of 16 officers each will be deployed, as well as about a dozen tactical officers and one armored personnel carrier, which should be able drive through the deep flood waters, said Whitehorn at a 9 p.m. briefing at the state Office of Emergency Preparedness.
The State Police, which already has more than 250 officers in the area affected by the storm, will be supplemented by an additional 30 officers from various sheriff and city police office around the state. Whitehorn would not say exactly when the additional police will be deployed, saying they could go Tuesday night or on Wednesday. Whitehorn said they have had reports of all kinds of looting, as well as people shooting into vacant buildings. "It is a lot of chaos," he said. "If we see it, we will arrest it."
Martial law clarified
Tuesday, 9:02 p.m.
The state Attorney General's office on Tuesday sought to clarify reports in some media that "martial law' has been declared in parts of storm-ravaged southeast Louisiana, saying no such term exists in Louisiana law. But even though no martial law exists, Gov. Kathleen Blanco's declaration of a state of emergency gives authorities widespread latitude to suspend civil liberties as they try to restore order and bring victims to safety. Under the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act of 1993, the governor and, in some cases, chief parish officials, have the right to commandeer or utilize any private property if necessary to cope with the emergency.
Authorities may also suspend any statute related to the conduct of official business, or any rule issued by a state agency, if complying would "prevent, hinder or delay necessary action'' to mitigate the emergency. It also gives authority the right to compel evacuations, suspend alcohol and weapons sales and make provisions for the availability and use of temporary emergency housing. The law gives mayors similar authority, except they do not have the right to commandeer private property or make provisions for emergency housing, according to a background brief prepared by the state Attorney General's office.
At least we now have a definition of what the local municipalities believe "martial law" to be. Too bad it isn’t in the proper legal context. The governor is the only person with the authority to formally declare martial law, as that decree is followed by—usually—orders to the National Guard, which the governor can command in the even of an emergency. This is a power they possess, along with the president, alone. The mayor or parish officials cannot declare martial law as they have no authority over National Guard troops.
Theses are just a couple of the most recent updates on the situation in New Orleans. Thursday, bloggers are being asked to blog for disaster relief, and either include links to relief agencies, or provide links to other blogs that have a comprehensive list for the relief effort. Hugh Hewitt and Glenn Reynolds—of InstaPundit fame—will be leading the charge. The link above will provide our readers with the most up-to-date information regarding this tragedy. Below is a link to Michelle Malkin’s site, which is also keeping up with updates as they occur.
http://michellemalkin.com/
Please, read their updates and keep informed. For those who can, please contribute to the relief effort. Even if it’s a lousy dollar, donate it. This isn’t some third-world nation. This is OUR nation. "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party." ‘NUFF SAID!
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 10:10 PM
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