Thoughts & Prayers [Archive] - Firefighter Forums @ The WatchDesk

EMT/FF99

08-28-2005, 11:02 PM

Immense Hurricane Roars Toward New Orleans (http://adelphia.net/news/read.php?ps=1018&id=12158711)
Sunday, August 28, 2005 8:44 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By ALLEN G. BREED

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A monstrous Hurricane Katrina barreled toward New Orleans on Sunday with 160-mph wind and a threat of a 28-foot storm surge, forcing a mandatory evacuation of the below-sea-level city and prayers for those who remained to face a doomsday scenario.

"Have God on your side, definitely have God on your side," Nancy Noble said as she sat with her puppy and three friends in six lanes of one-way traffic on gridlocked Interstate 10. "It's very frightening."

Katrina intensified into a Category 5 giant over the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico, reaching top winds of 175 mph before weakening slightly on a path to hit New Orleans around sunrise Monday. That would make it the city's first direct hit in 40 years and the most powerful storm ever to slam the city.

Forecasters warned that Mississippi and Alabama were also in danger because Katrina was such a big storm — with hurricane-force winds extending up to 105 miles from the center. In addition to the winds, the storm packed the potential for a surge of 18 to 28 feet, 30-foot waves and as much as 15 inches of rain.

"The conditions have to be absolutely perfect to have a hurricane become this strong," National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield, noting that Katrina may yet be more powerful than the last Category 5 storm, 1992's Hurricane Andrew, which at 165 mph leveled parts of South Florida, killed 43 people and caused $31 billion in damage.

"It's capable of causing catastrophic damage," Mayfield said. "Even well-built structures will have tremendous damage. Of course, what we're really worried about is the loss of lives."

By evening, the first squalls, driving rains and lightning began hitting New Orleans. A grim Mayor C. Ray Nagin earlier ordered the mandatory evacuation for his city of 485,000 people, conceding Katrina's storm surge pushing up the Mississippi River would swamp the city's system of levees, flooding the bowl-shaped city and causing potentially months of misery.

"We are facing a storm that most of us have long feared," he said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime event."

Conceding that as many as 100,000 inner-city residents didn't have the means to leave and an untold number of tourists were stranded by the closing of the airport, the city arranged buses to take people to 10 last-resort shelters, including the Superdome.

Nagin also dispatched police and firefighters to rouse people out with sirens and bullhorns, and even gave them the authority to commandeer vehicles to aid in the evacuation.

For years, forecasters have warned of the nightmare flooding a big storm could bring to New Orleans, a bowl-shaped city bounded by the half-mile-wide Mississippi River and massive Lake Pontchartrain. As much as 10 feet below sea level in spots, the city is as the mercy of a network of levees, canals and pumps to keep dry.

Scientists predicted Katrina could easily overtake that levee system, swamping the city under a 30-feet cesspool of toxic chemicals, human waste and even coffins that could leave more than 1 million people homeless.

"All indications are that this is absolutely worst-case scenario," Ivor van Heerden, deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center, said Sunday afternoon.

Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard said some who have ridden out previous storms in the New Orleans area may not be so lucky this time.

"I'm expecting that some people who are die-hards will die hard," he said.

Katrina was a Category 1 storm with 80-mph wind when it hit South Florida with a soggy punch Thursday that flooded neighborhoods and left nine people dead. It reformed rapidly as it moved out over the warm waters of the Gulf Mexico.

By 8 p.m. EDT, Katrina's eye was about 130 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm was moving toward the northwest at nearly 11 mph and was expected to turn toward the north. A hurricane warning was in effect for the north-central Gulf Coast from Morgan City, La., to the Alabama-Florida line.

Despite the dire predictions, a group of residents in a poor neighborhood of central New Orleans sat on a porch with no car, no way out and, surprisingly, no fear.

"We're not evacuating," said 57-year-old Julie Paul. "None of us have any place to go. We're counting on the Superdome. That's our lifesaver."

The 70,000-seat Superdome, the home of football's Saints, opened at daybreak Sunday, giving first priority to frail, elderly people on walkers, some with oxygen tanks. They were told to bring enough food, water and medicine to last up to five days.

"They told us not to stay in our houses because it wasn't safe," said Victoria Young, 76, who sat amid plastic bags and a metal walker. "It's not safe anywhere when you're in the shape we're in."

By nightfall, fitter residents seeking to get in lined up for blocks in the pouring rain, clutching meager belongings and crying children.

In the French Quarter, most bars that stayed open through the threat of past hurricanes were boarded up and the few people on the streets were battening down their businesses and getting out. But a few stragglers remained.

Tony Peterson leaned over a balcony above Bourbon Street, festooned with gold, purple and green wreathes as Katrina's first rains pelted his shaved head.

"I was going to the Superdome and then I saw the two-mile line," the 42-year-old musician said. "I figure if I'm going to die, I'm going to die with cold beer and my best buds."

Airport Holiday Inn manager Joyce Tillis spent the morning calling her 140 guests to tell them about the evacuation order. Tillis, who lives inside the flood zone, also called her three daughters to tell them to get out.

"If I'm stuck, I'm stuck," Tillis said. "I'd rather save my second generation if I can."

But the evacuation was slow going. Highways in Louisiana and Mississippi were jammed as people headed away from Katrina's expected landfall. All lanes were limited to northbound traffic on Interstates 55 and 59, and westbound on I-10.

"I'm expecting to come back to a slab," said Robert Friday, who didn't bother boarding up his home in suburban Slidell, La., before driving north to Mississippi. "We may not be coming back to anything, but at least we'll be coming back."

Evacuation orders were also posted along the Mississippi and Alabama coast, and in barrier islands of the Florida Panhandle, where crashing waves swamped some coastal roads. Mississippi's floating casinos packed up their chips and closed.

New Orleans has not taken a major direct hit from a hurricane since Betsy blasted the Gulf Coast in 1965. Flood waters approached 20 feet in some areas, fishing villages were flattened, and the storm surge left almost half of New Orleans under water and 60,000 residents homeless. Seventy-four people died in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida.

Tourists stranded by the shutdown of New Orleans' Louis Armstrong Airport and the lack of rental cars packed the lobbies of high-rise hotels, which were exempt from the evacuation order to give people a place for "vertical evacuation."

Tina and Bryan Steven, of Forest Lake, Minn., sat glumly on the sidewalk outside their hotel in the French Quarter.

"We're choosing the best of two evils," said Bryan Steven. "It's either be stuck in the hotel or stuck on the road. ... We'll make it through it."

His wife, wearing a Bourbon Street T-shirt with a lewd message, interjected: "I just don't want to die in this shirt."

———
Just by reading this article, these people are in for a hell of a ride!!!! Truely hope everyone gets out ok & safely.

Lets all put aside any differences we have n offer up a prayer for the residents of the areas impacted or to be impacted by Katrina and for our fellow emergency service workers, military members and other disaster officials who will be sent to deal with the coming hurricane and it's aftermath! God grant them all safe passage, watch over them and keep them in your mercy..Amen!
Truely & seriously Amen to all!

FireChic87

08-28-2005, 11:34 PM

Nice Thread EMTMOM! I definitely agree that they need to be kept in our thoughts and prayers over the next through days. It sure sounds like things are gonna get hellaish (sp?) during the next 24 to 48 hours. I've been watching the news reports and such...
To those affected by this monsterous storm, good luck, your in my thoughts and prayers!

Emtmom

08-29-2005, 07:10 AM

She's been downgraded to a category 4, still with a hell of a punch, this is one nasty hurricane! Last report I heard they were predictiing that as far up as Tenn., the strong winds could do damage.
Crash and joefireman, you guys stay safe down there!!!!

AC302

08-29-2005, 08:27 AM

Crash and Joe Fireman...BOTH of u post on here ASAP 2 let us know that your OK!!!!!

AC302

08-29-2005, 08:37 AM

Hurricane duty

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greetings from somewhere in South Mississippi!!!!!! Courtesy of the people who brought you..... LEAKY HUMMER HATCHES... yes, be the first on your block to ride in a LEAKY HATCH HUMMER.

We are in Picayune, Ms. currently. We made it to the Hancock Co. EOC, set up our quarters and were instructed to move 30 miles north. For our safety. Right now, it is a 30 minute trip to our response areas. One half of a Golden Hour up in smoke. Since we are not overly familiar with our response areas, a situation mitigated by our proximity(inside the EOC) to EOC personell, it might take another 30 minutes to find where we are going. Yes, I am frustrated. We were sent down here to mitigate some 4,000 casualties(an estimate from earlier today) but we cannot do that from 30 miles away. I just thought that it put the Army in a bad light when we were the first to leave. Our motto is "First In Last Out". All of the other EOC workers were still there. I just hope that we can make it back down tomorrow so that we can do our job. You have been updated. Thank you for reading.

And don't forget kids... ask YOUR parents for a LEAKY HATCH HUMMER.
__________________
"War is an ugly thing. But, not the ugliest of things."
John Stuart Mill
This was posted by Joe Fireman on another thread...I reposted it here so everyone can see it....AC

emtfff129057

08-29-2005, 08:58 AM

Yes, Down graded to a Cat 4. Still on hell of a storm. It's the size of Florida. We were watching it on the news but then our daughter thought that it was going to hit us too. Had to explain to her that all that we are going to get is the rain.

I pray that all are safe. I also pray that crash and Joe fireman are also safe. Keep your heads up boys. We're thinking of you!

Truck123

08-29-2005, 09:28 AM

The entire Northeast better prepare for this as well. They are predicting a minimal of 4" to 8" of rain in Pittsburgh alone along with damaging winds.

Also note that as of 926am, breaking news is reporting that the Superdome is flooded in one area and the roof is starting to let a lot of water in. Lets hope this structure holds up. There are thousands upon thousands of people inside this building.

rescue90

08-29-2005, 09:49 AM

That superdome idea scares me. I find it hard to believe that the gov't didn't have funds to move those people out, when we're dropping millions of dollars in other countires.

New Orleans FD have staged in high level parking garages and won't respond until winds drop below 45 mph, according to firehouse.com. Thoughts and Prayers are with everyone involved.

Truck123

08-29-2005, 10:04 AM

The problem wasnt the funds. The problem was that a warning was issued more than 4 days ago that this was possible, and all of the sudden an extra 100+k people are still in town yesterday. They said the logistics were an issue yesterday which is expected. people couldnt get cabs or limo's because all the companies got out of there early. All commercial airliners were booked.

The local govt there in my opinion did the best they could of from what the news is showing. Maybe they arnt saying certain things, but the citizens had enough warning to get out of there. They also put into effect that police could seize personal property for the use of evacuations. Most of the people that are in the buildings there probably want to be there.

mohican

08-29-2005, 10:17 AM

prayers going out

Emtmom

08-29-2005, 11:45 AM

Hurricane Tears Holes in Superdome Roof By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer
1 minute ago Posted at 11:45 a.m. Eastern

NEW ORLEANS - Hurricane Katrina ripped two holes in the curved roof of the Louisiana Superdome, letting in rain as thousands of storm refugees huddled inside Monday.

Superdome and government emergency officials stressed that they did not expect the huge roof to fail because of the relatively small breaches, each about 15 to 20 feet long and 4 to 5 feet wide.

The holes were in an area of vents some 19 stories above the arena floor.

"We think the wind somehow got into the vents and got between the roof's (waterproof) membrane and the aluminum ceiling tiles," said Doug Thornton, regional manager of the company that manages the huge arena.

The dome was filled with the sound of metal rattling, which Thornton said was produced by the metal ceiling tiles.

"I could have stayed at home and watched my roof blow off," said one of the refugees, Harald Johnson, 43. "Instead, I came down here and watched the Superdome roof blow off. It's no big deal; getting wet is not like dying."

In addition to the two holes, water was leaking in through many other areas, including elevators and stairwells, as the wind forced water in through any small opening.

Refugees sitting below the tears in the roof were moved across the arena. "We wanted to keep them dry and we also wanted to make sure nothing fell on them," Thornton said.

Aside from the tear in the huge roof, the 77,000-seat steel-framework stadium, home of the NFL's New Orleans Saints, provided few comforts but at least had bathrooms and food donated by charities.

The wind that howled around the dome during the night was not heard in the interior of the building where the refugees were kept.

"Everybody slept last night. They didn't seem to have any problems," said Dr. Kevin Stephens Sr., in charge of the medical shelter in the Superdome. "They slept all over the place."

Power failed in the Superdome around 5 a.m. Monday, triggering groans from the crowd. Emergency generators kicked in, but the backup power runs only reduced lighting, not the air conditioning.

The inside of the Superdome quickly became very hot and muggy, and some floors became wet and very slippery.

"It's not very comfortable now and it's going to get more uncomfortable, but it is safe," Thornton said.

The Superdome opened its doors at noon Sunday, and New Orleans' most frail residents got priority. The stadium is by far the most solid of the Big Easy's 10 refuges for the estimated 100,000 city residents who don't have the means, or strength, to join a mandatory evacuation.

"They hadn't opened up and let us in here, there'd have been a lot of people floating down river tomorrow," said Merrill Rice, 64. "If it's as bad as they say, I know my old house won't stand it."

Residents lined up for blocks, clutching meager belongings and crying children as National Guardsman searched them for guns, knives and drugs.

Then Katrina's rain began, drenching hundreds of people still outside, along with their bags of food and clothing. Eventually, the searches were moved inside to the Superdome floor, where some people wrapped themselves in blankets and tried to sleep.

It was almost 10:30 p.m. before the last person was searched and allowed in. Thornton estimated 8,000 to 9,000 were inside when the doors closed for the 11 p.m. curfew.

More than 600 people with medical needs were inside. "And we sent another 400 to hospitals," said Gen. Ralph Lupin, who commands the 550 National Guard troops in the Dome.

"We've got sick babies, sick old people and everything in between," Stephens said. "We're seen strokes, chest pain, diabetes patients passing out, seizures, people without medicine, people with the wrong medicine. It's been busy."

Thornton worried about how everyone would fare over the next few days.

"We're expecting to be here for the long haul," he said. "We can make things very nice for 75,000 people for four hours. But we aren't set up to really accommodate 8,000 for four days."

Morris Bivens, 53, a painter, came to the dome with his wife, daughter and five granddaughters ranging in age from 1 to 9.

"I had to come," he said. "Not for me. I ride these out all the time. But I knew I couldn't save those children in this one if something happened."

hog

08-29-2005, 07:28 PM

EMT/FF99

08-29-2005, 09:15 PM

FEMA Prepares for Katrina's Aftermath (http://adelphia.net/news/read.php?id=12161088&ps=1011&cat=&cps=0)
Monday, August 29, 2005 7:49 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID

WASHINGTON (AP) — Baby formula from the Agriculture Department, communications equipment and medical teams from the Defense Department and generators, water and ice from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are among the assistance ready for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

As the Category 4 the storm surged ashore just east of New Orleans on Monday, FEMA had medical teams, rescue squads and groups prepared to supply food and water poised in a semicircle around the city, said agency Director Michael Brown.

Brown, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, said the evacuation of the city and the general emergency response were working as planned in an exercise a year ago. "I was impressed with the evacuation, once it was ordered it was very smooth," he said. And with the storm moving north, Brown said he expects to see flooding in Tennessee and the Ohio Valley.

While federal, state and local agencies were poised to help, recovery could be a slow process.

The American Red Cross said it had thousands of volunteers mobilized for the hurricane, the "largest single mobilization that we've done for any single natural disaster," said spokesman Bradley Hague. The organization set up operational headquarters in Baton Rouge.

With its partners — local churches and community organizations — the Red Cross said it expected to serve about 500,000 meals a day to those displaced by the hurricane.

Former Army Corps of Engineers commander Robert B. Flowers said a major hurricane striking near New Orleans is a worst case scenario.

"I couldn't even begin to estimate the billions of dollars in damage that are going to result. You could have water several feet deep in the city for days before the pumps can discharge it," said Flowers, now CEO of HNTB Federal Services in Arlington, Va.

Speaking earlier Monday from Baton Rouge, just upriver from New Orleans, Brown said that his agency had "planned for this kind of disaster for many years because we've always known about New Orleans' situation." Much of the city is below sea level, making it extremely vulnerable to storm flooding.

The potential damage of such a storm striking New Orleans has long been a worry of federal agencies including the National Weather Service, FEMA and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others.

In other storm-related moves:

— The EPA dispatched emergency crews to Louisiana and Texas, because of concern about oil and chemical spills. The agency has set up facilities for checking on the damage, but won't be able to quickly assess the region's needs until it can safely send more people into the field.

Sam Coleman, a regional director for EPA's Superfund toxic waste division in Dallas, said an employee standing by in Baton Rouge will oversee the agency's after-storm review of petrochemical, wastewater treatment and drinking water plants.

"Once that rapid assessment is done, then we go into full force," Coleman told AP. "We don't want to put everybody too close to the storm until we figure out exactly what to do."

"We have the equipment standing by, an aspect plane for surveillance that can see petrochemical spills from the air, but it's not cleared to fly in high winds or dangerous weather," he said.

— The Coast Guard closed ports and waterways along the Gulf Coast and evacuated its own personnel and equipment.

More than 40 Coast Guard aircraft from units along the entire Eastern Seaboard, along with more than 30 small boats, patrol boats and cutters, were positioned around the area to be ready to conduct post-hurricane search and rescue operations and to do waterway damage checks and begin any needed repairs.

— The Agriculture Department said it will provide meals and other commodities, such as infant formula, distilled water for babies and emergency food stamps, through its Food and Nutrition Service.

Its Natural Resources Conservation Service has an emergency watershed protection program. Its Rural Development office offers housing assistance to keep people from being delinquent on housing payments. The Farm Service Agency has state emergency boards with members who will help assess damage to agriculture and help decide the type and amount of recovery aid available in areas where disasters have been declared.

Also, the Forest Service, which is part of the department, has an incident command team that will coordinate with FEMA and the Red Cross.

— The Federal Aviation Administration said airports were closed in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La.; Biloxi, Miss.; Mobile, Ala.; Pensacola, Fla. and at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Airlines have moved their equipment away from the stricken areas and canceled all flights, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said. Many air traffic control facilities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are closed.

— The Defense Department dispatched emergency coordinators to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi to provide a wide range of assistance including communications equipment, search and rescue operations, medical teams and other emergency supplies.

Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the states have adequate National Guard units to handle the hurricane needs, with at least 60 percent of the guard available in each state. He said about 6,500 National Guard troops were available in Louisiana, about 7,000 troops in Mississippi, nearly 10,000 in Alabama and about 8,200 in Florida.

The First U.S. Army, based at Fort Gillem near Atlanta, has 1,600 National Guard troops that were there training to go to Iraq, and they will be available to assist the states or evacuate Camp Shelby in Mississippi, if necessary.

EMT/FF99

08-29-2005, 09:20 PM

Katrina Swamps Entire La. Neighborhoods (http://adelphia.net/news/read.php?id=12161202&ps=1011&cat=&cps=0)
Monday, August 29, 2005 8:41 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By ALLEN G. BREED

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Announcing itself with shrieking, 145-mph winds, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast just outside New Orleans on Monday, submerging entire neighborhoods up to their roofs, swamping Mississippi's beachfront casinos and blowing out windows in hospitals, hotels and high-rises.

For New Orleans — a dangerously vulnerable city because it sits mostly below sea level in a bowl-shaped depression — it was not the apocalyptic storm forecasters had feared.

But it was plenty bad, in New Orleans and elsewhere along the coast, where scores people had to be rescued from rooftops and attics as the floodwaters rose around them.

At least five deaths were blamed on Katrina — three people killed by falling trees in Mississippi and two killed in a traffic accident in Alabama. And an untold number of other people were feared dead in flooded neighborhoods, many of which could not be reached by rescuers because of high water.

"Some of them, it was their last night on Earth," Terry Ebbert, chief of homeland security for New Orleans, said of people who ignored orders to evacuate the city of 480,000 over the weekend. "That's a hard way to learn a lesson."

"We pray that the loss of life is very limited, but we fear that is not the case," Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said.

Katrina knocked out power to more than three-quarters of a million people from Louisiana to the Florida's Panhandle, and authorities said it could be two months before electricity is restored to everyone. Ten major hospitals in New Orleans were running on emergency backup power.

The federal government began rushing baby formula, communications equipment, generators, water and ice into hard-hit areas, along with doctors, nurses and first-aid supplies. The Pentagon sent experts to help with search-and-rescue operations.

As of Monday evening, Katrina was passing through southeast Mississippi, moving north at 18 mph. It had weakened into a mere Category 1 hurricane with winds near 75 mph.

But it was far from done: Forecasters said that as the storm moves north through the nation's midsection over the next few days, it may spawn tornadoes over the Southeast and swamp the Gulf Coast and the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys with a potentially ruinous 8 inches or more of rain.

Oil refiners said damage to their equipment in the Gulf region appeared to be minimal, and oil prices dropped back from the day's highs above $70 a barrel. But the refiners were still assessing the damage, and the Bush administration said it would consider releasing oil from the nation's emergency stockpile if necessary.

Katrina had menaced the Gulf Coast over the weekend as a 175-mph, Category 5 monster, the most powerful ranking on the scale. But it weakened to a Category 4 and made a slight right-hand turn just become it came ashore around daybreak near the Louisiana bayou town of Buras, passing just east of New Orleans on a path that spared the Big Easy — and its fabled French Quarter — from its full fury.

In nearby coastal St. Bernard Parish, Katrina's storm surge swamped an estimated 40,000 homes. In a particularly low-lying neighborhood on the south shore of Lake Ponchartain, a levee along a canal gave way and forced dozens of residents to flee or scramble to the roofs when water rose to their gutters.

"I've never encountered anything like it in my life. It just kept rising and rising and rising," said Bryan Vernon, who spent three hours on his roof, screaming over howling winds for someone to save him and his fiancee.

Across a street that had turned into a river bobbing with garbage cans, trash and old tires, a woman leaned from the second-story window of a brick home and pleaded to be rescued.

"There are three kids in here," the woman said. "Can you help us?"

Blanco said 200 people have been rescued in boats from rooftops, attics and other locations around the New Orleans area, a scene playing out in Mississippi as well. In some cases, rescuers are sawing through roofs to get to people in attics, and other stranded residents "are swimming to our boats," the governor said.

Elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, Mississippi was subjected to both Katrina's harshest winds and highest recorded storm surges — 22 feet. The storm pushed water up to the second floor of homes, flooded floating casinos, uprooted hundreds of trees and flung sailboats across a highway.

"Let me tell you something, folks: I've been out there. It's complete devastation," said Gulfport, Miss., Fire Chief Pat Sullivan.

In Gulfport, young children clung to one another in a small blue boat as neighbors shuffled children and elderly residents out of a flooded neighborhood.

"Everything is flooded. Roofs are off and everything," said Shun Howell, 25, who was trying to leave with her 5-year-old son. "Everything is ruined."

In some cases, debris was stacked 4 to 5 feet, covering cars. Houses were washed from their foundations.

In Alabama, Katrina's arrival was marked by the flash and crackle of exploding transformers. The hurricane toppled huge oak branches on Mobile's waterfront and broke apart an oil-drilling platform, sending a piece slamming into a major bridge.

Muddy six-foot waves crashed into the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, flooding stately, antebellum mansions and littering them with oak branches.

"There are lots of homes through here worth a million dollars. At least they were yesterday," said a shirtless Fred Wright. "I've been here 25 years, and this is the worst I've ever seen the water."

It was Katrina's second blow: The hurricane hit the southern tip of Florida as a much weaker storm Thursday and was blamed for 11 deaths. It was the sixth hurricane to hit Florida in just over a year.

Calling it a once-in-a-lifetime storm, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin had issued a mandatory evacuation order as Katrina drew near. But the doomsday vision of hurricane waters spilling over levees and swamping the city in a toxic soup of refinery chemicals, sewage and human bodies never materialized.

Forecasters said New Orleans — which has not been hit directly by a major storm since Category 3 Hurricane Betsy struck in 1965 — got lucky again.

"The real important issue here is that when it got to the metropolitan area, it was weaker," said National Hurricane Center deputy director Ed Rappaport, who estimated the highest winds in New Orleans were 100 mph.

A 50-foot water main broke in New Orleans, making it unsafe to drink the city's water without first boiling it. And police made several arrests for looting.

At New Orleans' Superdome, home to 9,000 storm refugees, the wind ripped pieces of metal from the roof, leaving two holes that let water drip in. A power outage also knocked out the air conditioning, and the storm refugees sweltered in the heat.

Katrina also shattered scores of windows in high-rise office buildings and on five floors of the Charity Hospital, forcing patients to be moved to lower levels. White curtains that had been sucked out of the shattered windows of a hotel became tangled in treetops.

In the French Quarter, made up of Napoleonic-era buildings with wrought-iron balconies, the damage was relatively light.

On Jackson Square, two massive oak trees outside the 278-year-old St. Louis Cathedral came out by the roots, ripping out a 30-foot section of ornamental iron fence and straddling a marble statue of Jesus Christ, snapping off the thumb and forefinger of his outstretched hand.

At the hotel Le Richelieu, the winds blew open sets of balcony French doors shortly after dawn. Seventy-three-year-old Josephine Elow pressed her weight against the broken doors as a hotel employee tried to secure them.

"It's not life-threatening," she said as rainwater dripped from her face. "God's got our back."

———

Associated Press reporters Mary Foster, Holbrook Mohr, Brett Martel and Adam Nossiter and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

FireChic87

08-29-2005, 10:03 PM

Nice Articles EMT/FF99! I enjoyed reading them.

Truck123

08-30-2005, 06:55 AM

hog

08-30-2005, 06:08 PM

When they say 2" to "4 Hog - double it...it's the weather teams were talking about.

:)

I hope it isnt like last year, which it shouldnt be. Last year, both hurricanes struck about 8-10 days apart and we got the rain from both.
i hear ya but the latest from KDKA 1"-2" which is even better....poor folks in Sharpsburg were already sandbagged on monday....i think the weather people shouldn`t scare the he;ll out of people for no reason

Creeping Death

08-30-2005, 08:48 PM

The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists these organizations for those seeking to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina:

Donate cash
American Red Cross (800) HELP NOW (435-7669) English; (800) 257-7575 Spanish

Operation Blessing (800) 436-6348

America's Second Harvest (800) 344-8070

To donate cash or volunteer
Adventist Community Services (800) 381-7171

Catholic Charities, USA (703) 549-1390

Christian Disaster Response (941) 956-5183 or (941) 551-9554

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (800) 848-5818

Church World Service (800) 297-1516

Convoy of Hope (417) 823-8998

Lutheran Disaster Response (800) 638-3522

Mennonite Disaster Service (717) 859-2210

Nazarene Disaster Response (888) 256-5886

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (800) 872-3283

Salvation Army (800) SAL-ARMY (725-2769)

Southern Baptist Convention -- Disaster Relief (800) 462-8657, ext. 6133

United Methodist Committee on Relief (800) 554-8583

EMT/FF99

08-31-2005, 08:15 AM

Woman Gives Birth While Fleeing Katrina (http://adelphia.net/news/read.php?id=12164652&ps=1018&cat=&cps=0)
Wednesday, August 31, 2005 7:11 AM EDT
The Associated Press

CULLMAN, Ala. (AP) — A New Orleans woman has given birth while fleeing Hurricane Katrina. Donyelle Jean Jacques left New Orleans Saturday morning, one of 49 members of her family trying to flee Hurricane Katrina. When the family is finally able to return, there will be 50.

As the family drove north in an eight-car caravan in Alabama on Interstate 65, Jacques, who was pregnant and past her due date, started having labor pains. Her boyfriend, Wilbert Joseph, said he was scared as he drove the car that Jacques was in.

He said he kept turning on the car's caution lights to try to let other family members know what was going on.

"I didn't know what to do," Joseph told The Cullman Times.

Jacques' mother, Michelle Jean Jacques, said by the time the line of cars pulled off at a motel in Cullman in north Alabama, they had called ahead for an ambulance that arrived shortly after they did and took her daughter to the hospital.

At 4:07 p.m. Monday, Jacques gave birth to an 8 pound, 10 ounce girl, Jade Leshelle Joseph, at Cullman Regional Medical Center. While excited about Jade's birth, the family is dealing with the despair of knowing their homes in the eastern section of New Orleans are mostly likely flooded and that all of their belongings possibly destroyed.

Joseph said they left home with only a few changes of clothing, hygiene products and a few pictures.

Watching television coverage of the destruction caused Tuesday when two levees surrounding the city broke flooding an estimated 80 percent of New Orleans, Jacques said she recognized a neighborhood near hers.

"All you could see were street signs and the tops of houses," she said. "My grandpa owns his own house and he's worried."

Belongings likely destroyed by the flood waters include a new set of baby furniture covered with Looney Tunes characters, bought in anticipation of Jade's birth.

Family members don't expect to see their neighborhood any time soon.

For now, the rest of the family and dozens of others are being sheltered at the Cullman Civic Center by the American Red Cross.

Beverly Denson, director Cullman County Chapter of the American Red Cross, said Wal-Mart is donating clothes for the baby. When Jacques and Jade are able to travel, the family plans to head to Orlando, Fla., where they have relatives.

———--------------------------------------------------------------------

Of all the bad that has happened so far with this Hurricaine,, This is a good story & glad to hear the family & their new addition made it ok. :)

Chef 207

08-31-2005, 08:46 AM

I've posted this on the Allegheny County "Food collection..." thread.

8/31 update:

My friend, Judy Ann, and her family have evacuated to a relative's house in Baton Rouge. They got their first showers since the beginning of the hurricane. She not only agrees that non perishable food should be sent that doesn't require water for serving, but she says that medicines such as basic first aid are also a necessity. She said that there are estimates that approximately 100,000 people are coming to Baton Rouge for medical care.

They also have gotten their first look at the damage on TV. Although they have it better off than most, she feels both sorry for those who have lost loved ones and housing and embarrassed because of the people who are looting and stealing non-essential things.

She asks that people here keep them all in our prayers. It'll probably get worse before it gets better.

FireChic87

08-31-2005, 05:43 PM

Nice Articles EMT/FF99 & chef 207!! Its nice to hear about something good like that happening however the circumstances surrounding it aren't as good. Good Luck to both families above!!

Creeping Death

08-31-2005, 08:28 PM

Both the NVFC and the IAFF have established emergency relief funds to aid firefighters and fire departments who have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Online donations via the NVFC are at www.nvfc.org or can be sent to:

NVFC Emergency Relief Fund
P.O. Box 223202
Chantilly, VA 20153

Additionally, IAFF members can send tax-deductible contributions to assist IAFF members impacted by Hurricane Katrina to:

Attn: Eric Lamar
IAFF Disaster Relief Fund
1750 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006

The IAFF Disaster Relief Fund provides assistance to IAFF members who suffer financial hardship as the result of a federally declared disaster area or in cases of natural or man-made disasters, such hurricanes Katrina. Additional info from the IAFF is available at www.IAFF.org.

Equipment Donations:

If you have equipment and supplies that you would like to donate to fire departments in the affected areas, the various associations and FEMA encourage you to work through your State Emergency Management offices and notify them that you have the equipment. To find contact information for your state Emergency Management office, visit: http://www.fema.gov/fema/statedr.shtm

The IAFC is also working with the effected state Fire Chiefs Associations to identify support and assistance needs. More information when it is available.

EMT/FF99

08-31-2005, 08:36 PM

Hurricane Katrina Refugees Head to Houston
http://adelphia.net/news/read.php?id=12166455&ps=1011&cat=&cps=0
Wednesday, August 31, 2005 7:15 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By PAM EASTON

HOUSTON (AP) — The Bayou City, already home to hundreds of Crescent City hurricane refugees, will soon be home to more.

The weary, disheartened residents of the sweltering Superdome will be bused to Houston's Astrodome.

Harris County Judge Robert Eckels said the 40-year-old Astrodome is "not suited well" for such a large crowd long-term, but officials are prepared to house the displaced New Orleanians as long as possible.

"This is a city of 20,000 people that is going to be here for a while," Eckels said. "The Dome will be fine for a few days. It could even go for weeks for some of these folks."

Just 350 miles to the west on Interstate 10, Houston bears distinct similarities to New Orleans: sultry weather and the risk of hurricanes, a thriving oil industry and a love of Cajun food. On Sunday, Houston welcomed those fleeing Hurricane Katrina, with some hotels offering reduced rates and the city allowing free parking to cars with Louisiana plates.

On Wednesday, cots and blankets for up to 25,000 people were being spread across the floor of the 50,000-seat Astrodome.

The enormity of setting up to what's essentially a small, working city is daunting, said Margaret O'Brien-Molina, a Red Cross spokeswoman.

"After Sept. 11, we had a lot of logistical work to do, but we weren't setting up a whole city for people who have no homes to go to anymore. This is different, so we'll adapt to it," she said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided 500 buses to transport refugees, and the first caravan was expected to arrive late Wednesday night. The Astrodome will house only people who were stranded at the dank, sweltering Superdome, where the water was rising, the air conditioning was out and toilets were broken.

The plan to make a shelter of the Astrodome, which hasn't been used for professional football for several years, grew out of a conversation between Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

"We're all in this together. They are our neighbors. By the grace of God — 350 miles west — and this could have hit Houston," Perry said.

The Texas governor also said Louisiana's displaced children would be allowed to attend Texas schools. He said the state would work with school districts to provide additional textbooks and money for transportation and meals as they "take on this additional pressure."

Houston, a sprawling city with a diverse population of more than 2 million, should make it easier to absorb refugees from the hurricane, said Richard Murray, director of the University of Houston's Center for Public Policy. "I think almost all people in this community will see that this is not just someone else's tragedy," he said.

But he said the challenges faced by charities and relief organizations would be enormous.

"Initially there will be this wave of good feeling," Murray said. "If it drags on, there are going to be some crimes and other things that come with new residents."

Shelter organizers have planned activities they hope might help take the evacuees' minds off their troubles — such as free trips to museums and amusement parks.

Stadium managers are also working to get TVs, big and small, and light-hearted programming or news channels for those who want to keep up with the latest on their drowning city.

Organizers plan to use Astrodome kitchens and locker rooms to keep refugees fed and clean, but they noted the realities.

"Obviously, locker rooms were made to handle baseball teams and football teams, not crowds of 20,000 to 25,000 people," said Shea Guinn, president of SMG Reliant Park, which operates the Astrodome and Superdome.

************************************************** ********

Emtmom

09-01-2005, 09:13 AM

NEW ORLEANS - The evacuation of the Superdome was suspended Thursday after shots were reported fired at a military helicopter and arson fires broke out outside the arena. No immediate injuries were reported.

ADVERTISEMENT

The scene at the Superdome became increasingly chaotic, with thousands of people rushing from nearby hotels and other buildings, hoping to climb onto the buses taking evacuees from the arena, officials said. Paramedics became increasingly alarmed by the sight of people with guns.

Richard Zeuschlag, chief of the ambulance service that was handling the evacuation of sick and injured people from the Superdome, said it was suspending operations "until they gain control of the Superdome."

He said shots were fired at a military helicopter over the Superdome before daybreak.

He said the National Guard told him that it was sending 100 military police officers to restore order.

"That's not enough," Zeuschlag said. "We need a thousand."

Lt. Col. Pete Schneider of the Louisiana National Guard said the military — which was handling the evacuation of the able-bodied from the Superdome — had suspended operations, too, because fires set outside the arena were preventing buses from getting close enough to pick up people.

He said tens thousands of people started rushing out of other buildings when they saw buses pulling up and hoped to get on. But the immediate focus was on evacuating people from the Superdome, and the other refugees were left to mill around.

Zeuschlag said paramedics were calling him and crying for help because they were so scared of people with guns at the Superdome. He also said that during the night, when a medical evacuation helicopter tried to land at a hospital in the outlying town of Kenner, the pilot reported 100 people were on the landing pad, some with guns.

"He was frightened and would not land," Zeuschlag.

Troops, Police Deployed to Stop Looting
AP - 24 minutes ago
NEW ORLEANS - National Guard troops in armored vehicles poured into New Orleans Thursday to curb the growing lawlessness as Mississippi's governor vowed to deal with looters in the neighboring state as "ruthlessly as we can get our hands on them."
About 10,000 National Guard troops from around the country were ordered to shore up security, rescue and relief operations along the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast.

crash_&_smash

09-01-2005, 12:54 PM

I just wanted to stop by and drop a quick note. Thank you to all that have expressed concern. Myself and my family are all fine. We have no internet at work and the days I’m at home have been spent helping the guys from work and neighbors remove tree from inside of their homes. FEMA has set-up a distribution center on our base and word is they’ll be there for about 1 month….and maybe more. I wish I could describe what it’s like here, let alone the horrors in the gulf region. Many people here have no water and power, and only about 10 gas stations in the county can pump gas (VERY long lines). It’s with a tear in my eye that I type this…..not with sadness, but with pride. Pride in all of the people in this area that are working on nothing else except for the relief effort…..not even their own home. Truck drivers hauling ice and MRE’s to the gulf…..logging crew hauling telephone instead of trees…..utility works working 18 to 20 hours a day….citizens helping citizens. The can do attitude is hard at work. The AmeriCAN spirit is alive and well. God has blessed the USA. I’ll post again sometime soon. Thank you.

Emtmom

09-01-2005, 01:14 PM

Conn is sending down electric company crews to help resotre elec. in Miss., they leave on Saturday morning.

GLAD to see you are ok Crash!

emtfff129057

09-01-2005, 02:14 PM

hog

09-01-2005, 06:26 PM

Emtmom

09-01-2005, 06:46 PM

FireChic87

09-01-2005, 08:41 PM

EternalSunshine

09-01-2005, 09:25 PM

Crash -

Good to hear from you, considering what we are seeing on the news it sounds like you and your family are very lucky.

Take care!

EternalSunshine

09-01-2005, 09:35 PM

I can't believe that the people down there have turned to violence and crime to seek what they need. Help just doesn't arrive overnight especially with such a large area in devastation. After reading the news about the fires and shots fired outside the superdome, I am in aww at the way they are acting. What are they going to do with all the stuff that they took when they were looting??? Most of them don't have houses or any kind of shelter? I dont know but to me some of those people apparently aren't thinking very smartly and are just doing what they want thinking it will get them back to normal faster. I dunno. Just my rant on this... I do feel for the people affected by this tragedy...Its great to see all the outpouring of support they are receiving.
It is scary to think how close a civilized society is to lawless barbaric anarchy. I know the situation is tough and unimaginable for us not in it but I'd like to believe that as intelligent human beings we can rise above the primitive animalistic selfish desperations. It is appalling to see this behaviour when, more than ever, people need to work together. Fortunately there are some good souls out there and hearing about them is heart-warming :)

FireChic87

09-01-2005, 10:27 PM

I missed crash's post. I'm glad to hear your ok. Good Luck with everything and may you and your family be safe!!

burning85

09-01-2005, 10:33 PM

late like always!!! CRASH!!! so glad to hear from ya!!! been thinking and praying for u and your family and everyone down there affected by this!!! thanks for taking the time to let us all know how u are!!!

AC302

09-01-2005, 10:33 PM

EMT/FF99

09-02-2005, 12:08 AM

Crash!!!! Damn I glad to hear you & your family are ok!!! Everyone there is in our thoughts & prayers each night, stay safe bro. I just wanted to stop by and drop a quick note. Thank you to all that have expressed concern. Myself and my family are all fine. We have no internet at work and the days I’m at home have been spent helping the guys from work and neighbors remove tree from inside of their homes. FEMA has set-up a distribution center on our base and word is they’ll be there for about 1 month….and maybe more. I wish I could describe what it’s like here, let alone the horrors in the gulf region. Many people here have no water and power, and only about 10 gas stations in the county can pump gas (VERY long lines). It’s with a tear in my eye that I type this…..not with sadness, but with pride. Pride in all of the people in this area that are working on nothing else except for the relief effort…..not even their own home. Truck drivers hauling ice and MRE’s to the gulf…..logging crew hauling telephone instead of trees…..utility works working 18 to 20 hours a day….citizens helping citizens. The can do attitude is hard at work. The AmeriCAN spirit is alive and well. God has blessed the USA. I’ll post again sometime soon. Thank you.

EMT/FF99

09-02-2005, 12:37 AM

tradgedy and America rises to it.....it is our way.........thank god for all that are ok.....but one question i know that it is horrable there but i just heard on the news of rapes and thefts occuring....even some fucking assholes shooting at the helocopters trying to preform rescues?............i pray for all but some of these people need to change their ways

New Orleans in Anarchy With Fights, Rapes (http://adelphia.net/news/read.php?ps=1018&id=12169978)
Thursday, September 1, 2005 11:04 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By ALLEN G. BREED

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans descended into anarchy Thursday as corpses lay abandoned in street medians, fights and fires broke out, cops turned in their badges and the governor declared war on looters who have made the city a menacing landscape of disorder and fear.

"They have M-16s and they're locked and loaded," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said of 300 National Guard troops who landed in New Orleans fresh from duty in Iraq. "These troops know how to shoot and kill, and they are more than willing to do so, and I expect they will."

Four days after Hurricane Katrina roared in with a devastating blow that inflicted potentially thousands of deaths, the fear, anger and violence mounted Thursday.

"I'm not sure I'm going to get out of here alive," said Canadian tourist Larry Mitzel, who handed a reporter his business card in case he goes missing. "I'm scared of riots. I'm scared of the locals. We might get caught in the crossfire."

The chaos deepened despite the promise of 1,400 National Guardsmen a day to stop the looting, plans for a $10 billion recovery bill in Congress and a government relief effort President Bush called the biggest in U.S. history.

New Orleans' top emergency management official called that effort a "national disgrace" and questioned when reinforcements would actually reach the increasingly lawless city.

About 15,000 to 20,000 people who had taken shelter at New Orleans convention center grew ever more hostile after waiting for buses for days amid the filth and the dead. Police Chief Eddie Compass said there was such a crush around a squad of 88 officers that they retreated when they went in to check out reports of assaults.

"We have individuals who are getting raped, we have individuals who are getting beaten," Compass said. "Tourists are walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon."

Col. Henry Whitehorn, chief of the Louisiana State Police, said he heard of numerous instances of New Orleans police officers — many of whom from flooded areas — turning in their badges.

"They indicated that they had lost everything and didn't feel that it was worth them going back to take fire from looters and losing their lives," Whitehorn said.

A military helicopter tried to land at the convention center several times to drop off food and water. But the rushing crowd forced the choppers to back off. Troopers then tossed the supplies to the crowd from 10 feet off the ground and flew away.

In hopes of defusing the situation at the convention center, Mayor Ray Nagin gave the refugees permission to march across a bridge to the city's unflooded west bank for whatever relief they could find. But the bedlam made that difficult.

"This is a desperate SOS," Nagin said in a statement. "Right now we are out of resources at the convention center and don't anticipate enough buses."

At least seven bodies were scattered outside the convention center, a makeshift staging area for those rescued from rooftops, attics and highways. The sidewalks were packed with people without food, water or medical care, and with no sign of law enforcement.

An old man in a chaise lounge lay dead in a grassy median as hungry babies wailed around him. Around the corner, an elderly woman lay dead in her wheelchair, covered up by a blanket, and another body lay beside her wrapped in a sheet.

"I don't treat my dog like that," 47-year-old Daniel Edwards said as he pointed at the woman in the wheelchair.

"You can do everything for other countries, but you can't do nothing for your own people," he added. "You can go overseas with the military, but you can't get them down here."

The street outside the center, above the floodwaters, smelled of urine and feces, and was choked with dirty diapers, old bottles and garbage.

"They've been teasing us with buses for four days," Edwards said. "They're telling us they're going to come get us one day, and then they don't show up."

Every so often, an armored state police vehicle cruised in front of the convention center with four or five officers in riot gear with automatic weapons. But there was no sign of help from the National Guard.

At one point the crowd began to chant "We want help! We want help!" Later, a woman, screaming, went on the front steps of the convention center and led the crowd in reciting the 23rd Psalm, "The Lord is my shepherd ..."

"We are out here like pure animals," the Issac Clark said.

"We've got people dying out here — two babies have died, a woman died, a man died," said Helen Cheek. "We haven't had no food, we haven't had no water, we haven't had nothing. They just brought us here and dropped us."

Tourist Debbie Durso of Washington, Mich., said she asked a police officer for assistance and his response was, "'Go to hell — it's every man for himself.'"

"This is just insanity," she said. "We have no food, no water ... all these trucks and buses go by and they do nothing but wave."

FEMA director Michael Brown said the agency just learned about the situation at the convention center Thursday and quickly scrambled to provide food, water and medical care and remove the corpses.

Speaking on CNN's "Larry King Live," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the evacuation of New Orleans should be completed by the end of the weekend.

At the hot and stinking Superdome, where 30,000 were being evacuated by bus to the Houston Astrodome, fistfights and fires erupted amid a seething sea of tense, suffering people who waited in a lines that stretched a half-mile to board yellow school buses.

After a traffic jam kept buses from arriving for nearly four hours, a near-riot broke out in the scramble to get on the buses that finally did show up, with a group of refugees breaking through a line of heavily armed National Guardsmen.

One military policeman was shot in the leg as he and a man scuffled for the MP's rifle, police Capt. Ernie Demmo said. The man was arrested.

Some of those among the mostly poor crowd had been in the dome for four days without air conditioning, working toilets or a place to bathe. An ambulance service airlifting the sick and injured out of the Superdome suspended flights as too dangerous after it was reported that a bullet was fired at a military helicopter.

"If they're just taking us anywhere, just anywhere, I say praise God," said refugee John Phillip. "Nothing could be worse than what we've been through."

By Thursday evening, 11 hours after the military began evacuating the Superdome, the arena held 10,000 more people than it did at dawn. National Guard Capt. John Pollard said evacuees from around the city poured into the Superdome and swelled the crowd to about 30,000 because they believed the arena was the best place to get a ride out of town.

As he watched a line snaking for blocks through ankle-deep waters, New Orleans' emergency operations chief Terry Ebbert blamed the inadequate response on the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"This is not a FEMA operation. I haven't seen a single FEMA guy," he said. He added: "We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami victims, but we can't bail out the city of New Orleans."

FEMA officials said some operations had to be suspended in areas where gunfire has broken out, but are working overtime to feed people and restore order.

A day after Nagin took 1,500 police officers off search-and-rescue duty to try to restore order in the streets, there were continued reports of looting, shootings, gunfire and carjackings — and not all the crimes were driven by greed.

When some hospitals try to airlift patients, Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesan said, "there are people just taking potshots at police and at helicopters, telling them, `You better come get my family.'"

Outside a looted Rite-Aid drugstore, some people were anxious to show they needed what they were taking. A gray-haired man who would not give his name pulled up his T-shirt to show a surgery scar and explained that he needs pads for incontinence.

"I'm a Christian. I feel bad going in there," he said.

Earl Baker carried toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant. "Look, I'm only getting necessities," he said. "All of this is personal hygiene. I ain't getting nothing to get drunk or high with."

Several thousand storm victims had arrived in Houston by Thursday night, and they quickly got hot meals, showers and some much-needed rest.

Audree Lee, 37, was thrilled after getting a shower and hearing her teenage daughter's voice on the telephone for the first time since the storm. Lee had relatives take her daughter to Alabama so she would be safe.

"I just cried. She cried. We cried together," Lee said. "She asked me about her dog. They wouldn't let me take her dog with me. ... I know the dog is gone now."

While floodwaters in the city appeared to stabilize, efforts continued to plug three breaches that had opened up in the levee system that protects this below-sea-level city.

Helicopters dropped sandbags into the breach and pilings were being pounded into the mouth of the canal Thursday to close its connection to Lake Pontchartrain, state Transportation Secretary Johnny Bradberry said. The next step called for using about 250 concrete road barriers to seal the gap.

In Washington, the White House said Bush will tour the devastated Gulf Coast region on Friday and has asked his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Clinton to lead a private fund-raising campaign for victims.

The president urged a crackdown on the lawlessness.

"I think there ought to be zero tolerance of people breaking the law during an emergency such as this — whether it be looting, or price gouging at the gasoline pump, or taking advantage of charitable giving or insurance fraud," Bush said. "And I've made that clear to our attorney general. The citizens ought to be working together."

Donald Dudley, a 55-year-old New Orleans seafood merchant, complained that when he and other hungry refugees broke into the kitchen of the convention center and tried to prepare food, the National Guard chased them away.

"They pulled guns and told us we had to leave that kitchen or they would blow our damn brains out," he said. "We don't want their help. Give us some vehicles and we'll get ourselves out of here!"

————

Emtmom

09-02-2005, 04:26 PM

This is the message joefireman sent to Dave's ff group, it was sent this afternoon:

Anxiously await shower... hot, cold..... Hell, will settle for washtub full of water for a bath. Decon team UP!!!!!

emtfff129057

09-02-2005, 05:39 PM

NBC to air hurricane relief benefit
Tim McGraw, Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr. scheduled to perform
PRESS RELEASE
Updated: 7:00 p.m. ET Aug. 31, 2005

In response to the hurricane tragedy, NBC Universal Television Group announced today it will air a live benefit special. Viewers can watch "A Concert For Hurricane Relief" on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC on Friday, September 2, 2005 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

NBC’s Matt Lauer will host the hour-long, music and celebrity-driven telethon. It will be broadcast entirely from the New York studios of NBC located in 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The special will feature performances by artists with ties to the affected areas, including Tim McGraw, Harry Connick, Jr. and Wynton Marsalis as well as an appearance by Leonardo DiCaprio, among others.

All viewers will be encouraged to donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund in support of hurricane relief through its website and donation hotline (www.redcross.org or 1-800-HELP NOW).

The humanitarian needs from this catastrophic hurricane are immense and will continue to emerge over the next weeks, months and even years. The American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling, and other assistance to those in need for this disaster and other disasters across the country each year.

As the full extent of Hurricane Katrina's devastation is revealed, the task ahead challenges the capacity of any one organization to respond. To meet the needs of the thousands of Americans facing loss, the American Red Cross will work shoulder-to-shoulder with its partners in the federal government and the non-profit community to provide essential support.

Further details will be announced shortly.

MDflightmedic

09-02-2005, 05:53 PM

emtfff129057

09-02-2005, 06:51 PM

Crash, Glad to hear you and your family are safe and well. I have to ask though...... did the weinermobile survive?

I was curious as to which one of you guys (you and AC) would ask about the bolognamobile!

Emtmom

09-02-2005, 07:14 PM

Crash, Glad to hear you and your family are safe and well. I have to ask though...... did the weinermobile survive?They had to cut it up and use it to feed the neighborhood! ROFL

MDflightmedic

09-02-2005, 08:17 PM

They had to cut it up and use it to feed the neighborhood! ROFL

I hope they removed the wrapper we put on it. ;)

Emtmom

09-02-2005, 08:36 PM

I hope they removed the wrapper we put on it. ;)
OH MY, I forgot about that....eeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Hopewell

09-02-2005, 10:20 PM

Do I want to know what you all are talking about? Maybe not... :eek:

EternalSunshine

09-03-2005, 04:32 AM

Do I want to know what you all are talking about? Maybe not... :eek:
Another thread... ;)

EMT/FF99

09-03-2005, 11:40 AM

I just found this AM, that there is a good possibilty that Val's youngest brother maybe in Gulfport Mississippi. He was down there working & staying in a Trailer Park that did not survive Hurricane Katrina. My MIL heard last from him approx 2 weeks ago while he was in Gulfport, stating that he was working & living there.
As soon as We hear something I will let you all know. Hopefully he is ok.

EternalSunshine

09-03-2005, 12:18 PM

EMT/FF99

09-05-2005, 01:41 PM

Just found out, my BIL is ok! He called & spoke with my MIL earlier this AM, sought shelter near where he WAS living when the Hurricane hit. He is ok, & going to stay down there in order to help people out. But he is ok & safe!Let's hope all is well.

Hurrican Katrina: Safe List from CNN (http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/hurricanes/list/index.html)

FireChic87

09-06-2005, 01:16 AM

Glad to hear!!

EMT/FF99

09-06-2005, 09:10 AM

List of feeding stations for St. Tammany Parish (http://www.wwltv.com/local/northshore/stories/WWL090105feed.14f11c45.html)

A list of feeding places and times for St. Tammany Parish.

Meals will be served at the following locations from 11:30 A.M. until 1 P.M. and from 5 P.M. until 6:30 P.M. ***Limit One meal per person.

Boston Street in Covington across from the old courthouse.

Pineview Middle School

William Pitcher Jr. High School

Abita Springs Middle School

Fifth Ward Jr. High

Sixth Ward Elementary

Pearl River High School

Riverside Elementary near Pearl River

John Slidell Park in Slidell

Bayou Lacombe in Mississippi
************************************************** ********

Emtmom

12-26-2005, 02:28 PM

Some thoughts and prayers would be in order here!

Emergency Vehicle Plunges Into N.J. River Mon Dec 26, 6:35 AM ET

U.S. Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies were searching the Hackensack River Sunday night for two emergency workers whose vehicle plunged off the Hackensack River Bridge.

Tom Sperduto, of the U.S. Coast Guard in New York, said a Coast Guard crew responded to a call at around 8:15 p.m. about a Jersey City EMS vehicle that had plunged into the river off the span, which is also known as the Lincoln Highway River Bridge and the Route 1 and 9 Bridge.

Sperduto said the drawbridge was up and the driver of the vehicle, traveling east from Kearney, would have contended with heavy fog at the time of the accident.

Rescue crews, including divers, from numerous agencies were searching the 40-degree water Sunday night.

Further details were not immediately available.

Oldcaptain

12-26-2005, 02:34 PM

We can only hope for some good news..... God Bless..

FireChic87

12-26-2005, 07:22 PM

EMTMOM, Please keep us updated. I hope its good news but things dont sound good at this point. Those involved as well as their family and friends are in my thoughts and prayers.

hog

12-26-2005, 07:49 PM

don`t sound good....but we still have to keep faith

Emtmom

12-27-2005, 01:32 PM

This is the only update I've found so far:

AP New Jersey

Two officers believed dead after plunge off drawbridge

Dec 26, 2005

By MATTHEW VERRINDER
Associated Press Writer

December 26, 2005, 10:09 AM EST

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Authorities searched a frigid river Monday for the body of a police officer believed killed the night before when an emergency squad truck plunged more than 40 feet off an open drawbridge whose safety warning system was not operating. The body of a second officer was recovered.

The officers on Sunday night had crossed over the Lincoln Highway Bridge, which links Jersey City and Newark, and had placed flares nearby to caution motorists that its warning system was not working, said police Chief Robert Troy.

Before the officers' return trip, the bridge's operator raised a middle span to allow a tug boat on the Hackensack River to go under. But the drawbridge's safety bar and a bell used to warn motorists it was open had not been working for two days prior to the accident at about 8:20 p.m., Troy said.

"As dark as it was, as foggy as it was, as rainy as it was, they had no idea," Troy said.

The body of one officer _ Shawn Carson, 40, _ was found at about 10 p.m. Sunday. He was pronounced dead at University Hospital in Newark.

Troy said he believed the impact of the truck hitting the water killed Carson, a 16-year veteran of the force.

Divers and other rescue and recovery teams continued to search the 40-degree river Monday for the body of the other officer, Robert Nguygen, 30, who had been with the police department for six years.

"We won't stop until we do," said Troy. He said officials believed Nguygen was dead.

City officials said they were mourning the loss of the two officers.

"The horrible irony is that they were responding to the very situation that caused their demise," said Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

The bridge goes by several names, including the Hackensack River Bridge.

Emtmom

12-29-2005, 05:41 PM

N.J. cops die in river plunge

JERSEY CITY — Authorities searched a frigid river Monday for the body of a police officer believed killed the night before when an emergency squad truck plunged more than 40 feet off an open drawbridge whose safety warning system was not operating.

The body of a second officer was recovered.

The officers on Sunday night had crossed over the Lincoln Highway Bridge, which links Jersey City and Newark, and had placed flares nearby to caution motorists that its warning system was not working, said police Chief Robert Troy.

Before the officers’ return trip, the bridge’s operator raised a middle span to allow a tug boat on the Hackensack River to go under. But the drawbridge’s safety bar and a bell used to warn motorists it was open had not been working for two days prior to the accident at about 8:20 p.m., Troy said.

“As dark as it was, as foggy as it was, as rainy as it was, they had no idea,” Troy said.

The body of one officer — Shawn Carson, 40, — was found at about 10 p.m. Sunday. He was pronounced dead at University Hospital in Newark. Troy said he believed the impact of the truck hitting the water killed Carson, a 16-year veteran of the force.

Divers and other rescue and recovery teams continued to search the 40-degree river Monday for the body of the other officer, Robert Nguygen, 30, who had been with the police department for six years.

“We won’t stop until we do,” said Troy. He said officials believed Nguygen was dead. City officials said they were mourning the loss of the two officers.

“The horrible irony is that they were responding to the very situation that caused their demise,” said Mayor Jerramiah Healy. The bridge goes by several names, including the Hackensack River Bridge.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and brother officers!

Emtmom

01-02-2006, 09:23 PM

The miners, thier families and the rescue crews could all use some thoughts and prayers right now!

Crew Rushes to Get to Trapped W.Va. Miners By VICKI SMITH, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 30 minutes ago

After waiting almost 12 agonizing hours for dangerous gases to clear, rescuers Monday entered a coal mine where 13 miners were trapped underground after an explosion that may have been sparked by lightning.

The condition of the miners was not immediately known. Four co-workers tried to reach them but were stopped by a wall of debris, and the blast knocked out the mine's communication equipment, preventing authorities from contacting the miners.

It was not known how much air they had or how big a space they were in. The miners had air-purifying equipment but no oxygen tanks, a co-worker said.

The first of eight search-and-rescue teams entered the Sago Mine, more than 11 hours after the blast trapped the miners. Rescue crews were kept out of the mine for most of the day while dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide — a byproduct of combustion — were vented through holes drilled into the ground, authorities said.

Company officials believe the trapped miners were about two miles inside the mine, about 260 feet under the ground. The crew entered the mine on foot for fear of sparking another explosion.

"You just have to hope that the explosions weren't of the magnitude that was horrific from the beginning," Gov. Joe Manchin said on CNN. He added: "There are places they can retreat in all these mines, they have catacombs."

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration sent a rescue robot to the mine, situated about 100 miles northeast of Charleston.

Some 200 co-workers and relatives of those trapped gathered at the Sago Baptist Church, across the road from the mine.

Anna McCoy said her husband, Randall, 27, was among those missing. She said he had worked at the mine for three years "but was looking to get out. It was too dangerous."

Coal mine explosions are typically caused by buildups of naturally occurring methane gas, and the danger increases in the winter months, when the barometric pressure can release the odorless, colorless and highly flammable gas.

Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg said the blast may have been sparked by lightning from severe thunderstorms.

But Roger Nicholson, general counsel for the mine's owner, International Coal Group, said that it was not clear what caused the blast and that there was no indication it was methane-related.

The mine has a single entrance, and the shaft winds its way for miles underground. The miners were supposed to be working about 160 feet below the surface, said the wife of one of the trapped men. But it was unclear how far into the shaft they had gone when the blast struck.

Gene Kitts, a senior vice president at ICG, said the company was preparing to drill into the mine to reach the miners.

"If the miners are barricaded, as we hope they are, they would prepare themselves for rescue by rationing," Kitts said. The miners would probably have only their lunches and water on hand.

"These miners are experienced, they are well-trained," Kitts said. "We are just praying they had an opportunity to put their training to use."

The miners had three to 30 years of experience working in the mining industry, Kitts said. The company declined to release their names.

The blast happened between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. as the first shift of miners entered to resume production following the holiday, Ramsburg said.

"As they were heading in, the car in the back either heard or felt some type of explosion. They headed back out. The first car never made it back out," she said.

Thirteen miners were trapped, the coal company said. Four co-workers tried to reach the missing miners but "came to a wall" of debris, said Steve Milligan, deputy director of Upshur County's Office of Emergency Management.

Samantha Lewis, whose 28-year-old husband, David, was among those trapped, said he worked the mines so that he could be home every night to take care of their three daughters while she worked on a master's degree in health care administration.

"This was a good way to make a living until we could find something else," said Lewis, whose father, grandfather and stepfather also worked in the mines. "It's just a way of life. Unless you're a coal miner or you have a college degree, you don't make any money."

Anna McCoy said her husband, Randall, 27, was also among those missing. She said he had worked at the mine for three years "but was looking to get out. It was too dangerous."

Miners who work in the mine carry individual air purifying systems that would give them up to seven hours of clean air, said Tim McGee, who works at the mine and was among those at the church. They do not carry oxygen tanks, he said.

McGee said the miners would have been heading to a production area that is about three miles from the mine's opening.

"There's always that hope and chance that they were able to go to part of the mine that still had safe air, and they have all the equipment in order to test that," the governor of the nation's No. 2 coal-producing state told CNN.

ICG acquired the Sago Mine (pronounced SAY-goh) last March when it bought Anker West Virginia Mining Co., which had been in bankruptcy. In 2004, the latest year for which figures are available, the Sago Mine produced about 397,000 tons of coal.

Federal inspectors cited the mine for 46 alleged violations of federal mine health and safety rules during an 11-week review that ended Dec. 22, according to records.

The more serious alleged violations, resulting in proposed penalties of at least $250 each, involved steps for safeguarding against roof falls, and the mine's plan to control methane and breathable dust. The mine received 185 citations from MSHA during 2005, up from 68 citations in 2004.

West Virginia ended 2005 with three mining deaths, the lowest since 2000.

911Widow

01-02-2006, 10:29 PM

My thoughts and prayers go out to the miners and their families. Some of them are from the area my Grandmother lives in. :-(

FireChic87

01-02-2006, 11:59 PM

My thoughts and prayers are with the miners, their families, friends,and anyone immediately involved in this terrible accident. A very similar accident of this nature occurred in Somerset, PA a few years ago. I hope the news is good once they reach the miners. Please, keep us posted. I also noticed a similar article on www.yahoo.com in regards to this accident.

Emtmom

01-03-2006, 09:04 AM

We watched the one in Pa, on TV everytime it came on. This is so heart wrenching for the families, I can't even imagine how they must feel. This is the update I just found.

Mining Exec 'Very Discouraged' by Air Tests By JENNIFER C. YATES, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago

Rescuers trying to reach 13 trapped miners punched a hole into the mine early Tuesday, but a company executive said he was "very discouraged" by air quality tests.

Carbon monoxide levels measured 1,300 parts per million, exceeding the 400 parts per million maximum safe level, said Ben Hatfield, chief executive officer of mine owner International Coal Group Inc.

"We are very discouraged by the results of this test," Hatfield said.

Still, Hatfield said the trapped miners could still be alive.

"They could be in another location or they could be barricaded somewhere," Hatfield told reporters.

The test results were announced after crews drilled the hole. They also sent a camera down the 6 1/4 inch hole to look for signs of life, and planned to move in a camera-equipped robot, Gov. Joe Manchin said.

"We're still hoping for that miracle as you know," Manchin told ABC's "Good Morning America."

After the test, family members, who had been optimistic and talkative earlier, retreated into a nearby church without making any comments.

The blast occurred at about 6:40 a.m. Monday, trapping the miners 260 feet below the surface of the mine, located about 100 miles northeast of Charleston.

Earlier Tuesday, rescuers had penetrated more than 9,000 feet into the Sago coal mine but were ordered to return to the surface Tuesday before the drilling crew punched into the mine.

Officials thought the workers should be removed in case the drilling caused a buildup of carbon monoxide that could endanger the rescuers, Hatfield said.

Four co-workers tried to reach the trapped miners immediately after the explosion but stopped because of contaminated air. The blast knocked out the mine's communication equipment, preventing authorities from contacting the miners.

Several hundred family members and friends waited for word on the miners, including Daniel Merideth, the son-in-law of trapped miner Alby Martin Bennett, who had planned to retire this year.

"Every day he would come home and pray for who was going in," said Merideth. "Right now he is probably in there witnessing to people. He would be organizing and praying."

Teams had initially planned to begin drilling Monday night, but couldn't start until early Tuesday because they had to do some grading work in the spot determined to be the best location.

The rescue teams entered the mine more than 11 hours after the blast. They were kept out of the mine for most of the day because of dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide.

The miners carry individual air purifying systems that would give them up to seven hours of clean air, said Tim McGee, who works at the mine and was among those at the Sago Baptist Church. They do not carry oxygen tanks, he said.

Gene Kitts, a senior vice president for mine owner International Coal Group, said the miners each had between 3 and 30 years experience and are trained to try to tap on roots, waterlines, anything possible, to alert rescuers of their location.

"This is not a rookie crew underground," Kitts said. "So we're just trusting that their training and their mining instincts have kicked in immediately ...

"We will expect to be there quick enough so that food, water, those sorts of issues probably will not come into play," Kitts said.

Coal mine explosions are typically caused by buildups of naturally occurring methane gas, and the danger increases in the winter months, when the barometric pressure can release the odorless, colorless and highly flammable gas.

The mine had been idle on Saturday and Sunday, and two groups of miners were to resume production on Monday. A fire boss went into the mine before the first group entered the mine at 5:51 a.m. and declared it was safe.

The second group of miners entered at 6:30 a.m., just before power went out in the mine. The second group withdrew.

ICG acquired the Sago Mine (pronounced SAY-goh) last March when it bought Anker West Virginia Mining Co., which had been in bankruptcy. The Sago Mine had annual production of about 800,000 tons of coal, the company said.

Federal inspectors cited the mine for 46 alleged violations of federal mine health and safety rules during an 11-week review that ended Dec. 22, according to records.

The more serious alleged violations, resulting in proposed penalties of at least $250 each, involved steps for safeguarding against roof falls, and the mine's plan to control methane and breathable dust. The mine received 208 citations from MSHA during 2005, up from 68 citations in 2004.

The state Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training issued 144 notices of violation against the mine in 2005, up from 74 the year before.

Kitts said safety at the mine has improved dramatically since ICG took over and the company is working closely with regulatory agencies to make further improvements.

"We think that we are operating a safe mine," he said. "We have no real clue about what triggered this explosion or what happened today."

___

AP writer Vicki Smith in Tallmansville and Lawrence Messina in Charleston contributed to this story.

Emtmom

01-03-2006, 04:56 PM

This is the latest:

Efforts to Find Miners Become Desperate By VICKI SMITH, Associated Press Writer
21 minutes ago

TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. - Rescuers pushed deeper into a mineshaft in a desperate search for 13 trapped coal miners Tuesday, but the prospects of finding anyone alive appeared bleak after holes drilled into the ground yielded deadly levels of carbon monoxide and no signs of life.

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Gov. Joe Manchin urged West Virginians to "believe in miracles," and added: "It's going to take a miracle, I think."

The men, trapped 260 feet down by an explosion Monday morning in the Sago Mine, were believed to be about 12,000 feet past the opening of the shaft. By midday Tuesday, more than 30 hours after the blast, rescue teams had penetrated 10,200 feet, working their way on foot for fear machinery might cause volatile gases to explode.

"We will push forward as quickly as we can as long as there is a shred of hope that we can get our people out safely," said Ben Hatfield, chief executive of mine owner International Coal Group Inc.

President Bush said the nation was praying for the men, and he offered federal help to bring them out alive. "May God bless those who are trapped below the earth," Bush said from the White House.

EMT/FF99

01-04-2006, 12:23 AM

Families Are Told Body Found in W.Va. Mine (http://adelphia.net/news/read.php?ps=1018&id=12468947)

Tuesday, January 3, 2006 9:21 PM EST
The Associated Press
By VICKI SMITH

TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. (AP) — Rescue crews found one body late Tuesday in a West Virginia mine were 13 miners were trapped after an explosion, according to the miners' family members.

John Groves, whose brother Jerry Groves is among the trapped miners, said Gov. Joe Manchin had announced that rescuers found one body in a mine car.

Red Cross volunteer Tamila Swiger, who was inside the Sago Baptist Church, said family members were "passing out and crying and just really in bad shape" after hearing about the body.

The body was not identified.

There was no immediate word about the fate of the other 12 miners, who had been trapped 260 feet below the surface of the Sago Mine, about 100 miles northeast of Charleston, after an explosion early Monday.

Company officials have refused to speculate on the cause of the blast, but the governor's office said it might have been caused by lightning.

Sandy Barron, whose nephew Randal McCloy is one of the trapped miners, said families were told there was no trace of the other men. And families were still hopeful that they made it to safety.

The body was found in a mine car that was undamaged. It was unclear where the car was located. Families hoped the undamaged car meant the other miners may have been able to escape unharmed.

************************************************** ********
As time progresses, it is not looking any better for the remaining 12. Hopefully though, they will be found unharmed & ok. Thoughts & prayers for the Families, Miners & Rescue Personnel involved.

FireChic87

01-04-2006, 12:40 AM

TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. - In an extraordinary twist of fate, 12 miners caught in an explosion in a coal mine were found alive late Tuesday, more than 41 hours after the blast.
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Bells at a church where relatives had been gathering rang out as family members ran out screaming in jubilation.

Relatives yelled "They're alive!"

"They told us they have 12 alive," Gov. Joe Manchin said. "We have some people that are going to need some medical attention."

A few minutes after word came, the throng, several hundred strong, broke into a chorus of the hymn "How Great Thou Art," in a chilly, night air.

"Miracles happen in West Virginia and today we got one," said Charlotte Weaver, wife of Jack Weaver, one of the men who had been trapped in the mine.

"I got scared a lot of times, but I couldn't give up," she said. "We have an 11-year-old son, and I couldn't go home and tell him, 'Daddy wasn't coming home.'"

One miner was found dead earlier Tuesday, said the mine's owner, International Coal Group Inc. He was not immediately identified.

Neither the company nor the governor's office immediately confirmed that the men were alive.

There were hugs and tears among the crowd outside the Sago Baptist Church near the mine, about 100 miles northeast of Charleston.

A relative at the church said a mine foreman called relatives there, saying the miners had been found.

The miners had been trapped 260 feet below the surface of the mine after an explosion early Monday.

Rescue crews found one body Tuesday evening and said they were holding out hope that the others were still alive, even as precious time continued to slip away.

The unidentified body was found about 700 feet from a mine car, and it appeared the employee was working on a beltline, which brings coal out of the mine, said Ben Hatfield, chief executive officer for ICG of Ashland, Ky.

EMT/FF99

01-04-2006, 12:46 AM

That is good news. :)

FireChic87

01-04-2006, 01:21 AM

Such a tragedy....I'm praying for the sole survivor as well as the family and friends of the other miners who lost their lives....

suspended

01-04-2006, 05:49 AM

Sorry 1 out of 13 and he is not in good shape

God be with the familys of all the miners

Emtmom

01-04-2006, 07:53 AM

12 of 13 W. Va. Miners Confirmed Dead By JENNIFER C. YATES, Associated Press Writer
10 minutes ago

In a stunning and heartbreaking reversal, family members were told early Wednesday that 12 of 13 trapped coal miners found were dead — three hours after they began celebrating news that they were alive.

The devastating new information shocked and angered family members, who had rejoiced with Gov. Joe Manchin hours earlier when a rumor began to spread that 12 miners were alive. Rescue crews found the first victim earlier Tuesday evening.

"They knew the odds that were against us, and with that, to have the ending as it did with this high euphoria, I can only say there was no one who did anything intentionally other than risk their lives to save their loved ones," Manchin told ABC's "Good Morning America."

The sole survivor of the disaster, identified by mining officials as 27-year-old Randal McCloy, was hospitalized in critical condition early Wednesday, a doctor said. When he arrived, he was unconscious but moaning, the hospital said.

Charles Green, McCloy's father-in-law, told ABC that McCloy was suffering from hypothermia and was on a ventilator, but didn't suffer any broken bones. There was no carbon monoxide in his body, he said, despite concerns about high levels of carbon monoxide inside the mine.

When he found out his son-in law was the only survivor, "I was still devastated," he said. "My whole family's heart goes out to them other families."

Thirteen miners had been trapped 260 feet below the surface of the Sago Mine since an explosion early Monday. The mine is located about 100 miles northeast of Charleston. As rescue workers tried to get to the men, families waited at the Sago Baptist Church during an emotional two-day vigil.

But late Tuesday night, families began streaming out of the church, yelling "They're alive!" The church's bells began ringing and families embraced, as politicians proclaimed word of the apparent rescue a miracle.

As an ambulance drove away from the mine carrying what families believed was the first survivor, they applauded, not yet knowing there were no others.

Though the governor announced that there were 12 survivors, he later indicated he was uncertain about the news. As word buzzed through the church of survivors, he tried to find out what was going on, he said.

"All of a sudden we heard the families in a euphoric state, and all the shouting and screaming and joyfulness, and I asked my detachments, I said, 'Do you know what's happening?' Because we were wired in and we didn't know," Manchin said.

International Coal Group Chief Executive Officer Ben Hatfield blamed the wrong information on a "miscommunication." The news spread after people overheard cell phone calls, he said. In reality, rescuers had only confirmed finding 12 miners and were checking their vital signs. At least two family members in the church said they received cell phone calls from a mine foreman.

"That information spread like wildfire, because it had come from the command center," he said.

Three hours later, Hatfield told the families that "there had been a lack of communication, that what we were told was wrong and that only one survived," said John Groves, whose brother Jerry Groves was one of the trapped miners.

"There was no apology. There was no nothing. It was immediately out the door," said Nick Helms, son of miner Terry Helms.

Chaos broke out in the church and a fight started. About a dozen state troopers and a SWAT team were positioned along the road near the church because police were concerned about violence. Witnesses said one man had to be wrestled to the ground when he lunged for mining officials.

Company officials waited to correct the information until they knew more about the rescue, Hatfield said.

"Let's put this in perspective. Who do I tell not to celebrate? I didn't know if there were 12 or one (who were alive)," Hatfield said.

The explosion was the state's deadliest mining accident since November 1968, when 78 men — including the uncle of Manchin — died in an explosion at Consol's Farmington No. 9 mine in Marion County, an hour's drive north of here. Nineteen bodies remain entombed in the mountain. It was that disaster that prompted Congress to pass the Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969.

It was also the worst nationwide since a pair of explosions tore through the Jim Walter Resources No. 5 mine in Brookwood, Ala. on Sept. 23, 2001, killing 13.

Federal Department of Labor officials promised an investigation. Acting Assistant Secretary David Dye, who heads the Mine Safety and Health Administration, said it will include "how emergency information was relayed about the trapped miners' conditions."

The 12 miners were found together behind a barrier they had constructed to block carbon monoxide gas. They were found near where the company had drilled an air hole early Tuesday in an attempt to contact the men.

The miners had stretched a piece of fabric across an area about 20 feet wide to block out the gas, Hatfield said. The fabric is designed for miners to use as a barrier. Each miner had carried a breathing apparatus and had been able to use it, according to mining officials.

The hole also was used to check air quality in the mine, which revealed high concentrations of carbon monoxide. The odorless, colorless gas can be lethal at high doses. At lower levels, it can cause headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea, fatigue and brain damage.

Manchin, who had earlier said that the state believed in miracles, tried to focus on the news that one had survived.

"We're clinging to one miracle when we were hoping for 13," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Vicki Smith, Allen G. Breed and Mark Williams in Tallmansville contributed to this report.

EMT/FF99

01-04-2006, 08:55 AM

Families Want Answers
WTAP News (http://www.wtap.com/home/headlines/2149797.html)

The head of the International Coal Group confirms that all but one of the trapped miners in Upshur County are dead.

The community had erupted in jubilation late Tuesday night when the false word about a rescue was put out.

Randall Mccloy Junior is the single survivor, and he is in critical condition.

I-C-G Chief Executive Officer Ben Hatfield says there was a "miscommunication" from rescuers in the mine that had indicated all 12 miners were alive.

Hatfield says the unconfirmed report spread like wildfire.

John Groves, whose brother Jerry Groves was one of the trapped miners, says after word spread that the 12 miners were in fact dead, chaos broke out in the church and a fight started.

Hatfield says it appeared that a cell phone conversation between the rescue teams and the company's office may have been overheard and misunderstood.

Hatfield says the company waited to correct the information until it knew more about the rescue
************************************************** ********

Emtmom

01-04-2006, 09:01 AM

On the CBS news this morning, one of the men who was with the families said that the CEO was the one who told them all the miners were found alive. He then came to the church the families were at and said that he was sorry, there had been a mistake and that only one had survived and was being taken to the hospital.
I think he should have waited until he saw them to tell the families, BUT, you have to give the guy credit, at least HE went to the families and admitted his mistake. He could have sent someone else to do his dirty work.
It's such a sad situation, and we will be praying for the soul survivor and all the families!

911Widow

01-04-2006, 11:10 AM

My cousin and her husband lost at least two good friends in this explosion. :(

FireChic87

01-04-2006, 01:49 PM

I'm sorry to hear 911Widow. Such a terribled tragedy! I had been up watching the Orange Bowl when it was coming across the bottom of the screen that 12 were alive. I was very sad to see this morning that the news was false and in fact only one survived. The miner who survived is so very lucky and I am sure he needs all the prayers he can get from hearing his condition. My thoughts are also with the friends, family, and loved ones of the other miners who were dealt a very harsh blow in the early hours of this morning.

Emtmom

01-04-2006, 04:14 PM

This is only part of the story, but the rest was comments his relatives made. You can find it on yahoo news if you want to read the rest!

Hospitalized Miner Responding to His Wife By DANIEL LOVERING, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 26 minutes ago

Randal McCloy Jr., the sole survivor of a coal mine explosion that killed 12 of 13 miners, remained in critical condition but was able to squeeze his wife's hand from his hospital bed, his doctor said Wednesday.

McCloy, 27, of Simpson was undergoing dialysis treatment at West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Hospital and doctors were trying to inflate a collapsed lung, Dr. Lawrence Roberts said at a briefing.

"Having been laying still for so many hours and being poorly hydrated for that period of time has resulted in some kidney dysfunction," Roberts said. "We assume that will be a temporary phenomenon while the kidneys recover."

"In every other way, his blood pressure, his heart rate other laboratory test seem relatively normal."

McCoy was rescued from a mine early Wednesday where he had been trapped with a dozen other miners for more than 42 hours.

McCloy was the youngest of the 10 miners whose ages were known; most of the others were in their 50s. Roberts said his youth and good health were a factor in his survival but stressed he did not know the health status of the other miners.

McCloy remained sedated to keep him from removing a tube inserted to ease his breathing, Roberts said. Because of the tube, McCloy cannot talk but he but is responding appropriately to his wife, Anna, with facial expressions and by squeezing her hand, Roberts said.

A CT scan did not show any brain injuries, but doctors do not know yet what effect a lack of oxygen may have had on McCloy's brain function, Roberts said.

"Was he deprived of oxygen for a sufficiently long period of time, we don't know that. That is something that time will tell."

The miners had been trapped in the Sago Mine since an explosion early Monday. Authorities had told families late Tuesday that 12 of the 13 had survived, but later reversed themselves, prompting shock and outrage among the assembled relatives.

The McCloys have a 4-year-old son, Randal III, and 1-year-old, Isabel. He and his wife met in grade school and have been together for 12 years.

McCloy has worked in the mines for three years, "but he was looking to get out," his wife had said earlier as she awaited word on the miners. "It was too dangerous."

McCloy was a licensed electrician, but the money in the mines was too good to pass up, relatives said.

XMad Co Citizen

01-04-2006, 04:22 PM

If any of the violations contributed to the explosion, everyone who had a chance to prohibit operations at the mine (in including the state mining officials) should be fired and charged criminally.

Emtmom

01-16-2006, 07:29 PM

It's about freakin time that someone showed Mississippi was affected by Katrina!

Many on Miss. Coast Feel Overshadowed By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 18 minutes ago

Nicki Henderson has had plenty of reasons to be angry since Hurricane Katrina destroyed her Biloxi home, but it was a simple news item about dislocated dolphins that really made her blood boil.

Henderson lost her temper when she logged on to her computer and spotted this headline: "New Orleans Dolphins Find New Home." She knew the dolphins actually came from a hurricane-ravaged marine park in Gulfport, not New Orleans.

The headline writer's error reinforced her belief — shared by many on Mississippi's Gulf Coast — that New Orleans has gotten a disproportionate share of the news coverage and the nation's attention in the aftermath of the storm, now more than four months gone.

There is a growing sense the catastrophic damage along Mississippi's 70-mile stretch of coastline is being treated as a mere footnote to the story in New Orleans, which was ravaged by flooding.

Worse, some say the lack attention could hamper the recovery of an area that had experienced an economic renaissance in the past decade thanks to billions of dollars of investment by major casino and hotel companies.

"I am terrified the American people are going to forget about us," Henderson said.

On Dec. 14, The Sun Herald in Gulfport devoted its entire front page to an editorial, headlined "Mississippi's Invisible Coast," that argued the region is fading into a "black hole of media obscurity." Next to the editorial was a graphic tallying Katrina's toll on the region: $125 billion in estimated damage, 236 dead, 65,380 houses destroyed.

Louisiana's death toll stands at 1,078. More than 6,000 homes in New Orleans and neighboring St. Bernard Parish may have to be demolished.

The piece ended with a plea to the national media to "tell our story."

"The depth of the suffering and the height of the courage of south Mississippians is an incredible story that the American people must know. But, in the shadows of the New Orleans story, the Mississippi Coast has become invisible and forgotten to most Americans," the editorial read.

Sun Herald publisher Ricky Mathews said more balanced coverage would give Mississippi's residents a sorely needed morale boost. "They need to know they haven't been forgotten," Mathews said.

Mississippi residents are not the only ones feeling overshadowed by New Orleans. Larry Hooper, 63, has been living on a campground since Katrina destroyed his home in Empire, La., about 60 miles from New Orleans.

"Our town was wiped off the map," he said. "We feel as left out as the people in Mississippi and Alabama because of all the New Orleans reporting."

Rem Rieder, editor and senior vice president of the American Journalism Review, said it is obvious New Orleans has gotten the overwhelming share of headlines.

"Part of it has to do with the mythical status that New Orleans has in this country," he said. "It did become the focal point of national attention. The unfortunate byproduct is that the story on the Mississippi Gulf Coast can be backburnered."

Mathews said he worries that a "national obsession" with New Orleans will cost Mississippi its fair share of federal aid, private investment and help from volunteers.

"The government can help us get our important infrastructure rebuilt, but it's the private investment that's going to tell the story long term," he added.

Congress has approved tens of billions of dollars for recovery and rebuilding on the Gulf Coast. Only time will tell how the money is divided, but news coverage "does have an impact on what Congress does," said Biloxi native Jack Nelson, former Washington bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times.

"When it's off the screen of the media, it's off the screen of the federal government," said Nelson, who landed his first newspaper job at The Sun Herald.

Not everybody is clamoring for a brighter media spotlight, because bad news can be bad for business.

"I really think there's a downside to overexposure, if it's exposure that says things aren't working well," said Stephen Richer, executive director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Yes, there has been less coverage here, but I think in the long term we may come out ahead, because there's been more focus on the constructive things we're doing."

Three casinos already have reopened in Biloxi and others have vowed to be back before Katrina's anniversary on Aug. 29. In 2004, the dozen casinos on the Mississippi coast generated $1.2 billion in gross revenue.

Emtmom

08-26-2006, 08:47 AM

I'm asking everyhone for prayers for the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Weather pernmitting they go ujp tomorrow. Please pray for a safe flight, mission and landing.
I've got a friend from High school going up this time, It's Dan's second time up and I am hoping it is as safe and successful as his first flight.

Emtmom

09-19-2006, 06:45 PM

Please say prayers for a safe return for the crew. My friend Dan Burbank is on this mission, and I'd like to see him come home safely.

The Mission Control Center in Houston informed the STS-115 crew about 11:45 a.m. EDT that Wednesday’s landing attempts have been waved off due to an unfavorable weather forecast, coupled with the possibility of additional inspections of Space Shuttle Atlantis.

An object was observed by flight controllers using a TV camera on the shuttle in close proximity to the spacecraft. It was observed following standard tests of Atlantis’ reaction control system about 2:45 a.m. today. Flight controllers continue to analyze the situation and are concerned the item may be something that came off of Atlantis.

09/19/2006 Post-MMT Briefing Video of Object
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Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale said engineers and flight controllers are developing a plan for inspections that may be performed on Wednesday to ensure that Atlantis is safe for re-entry. Atlantis has equipment aboard that can be used to thoroughly inspect the heat shield and other areas.

During the post-Mission Management Team briefing at 12 p.m., the STS-115 crew informed Mission Control that one of the crew members spotted a small object near the shuttle. The crew captured imagery of it and will downlink it to MCC for analysis.

At about 12:46 p.m., MCC instructed the crew to power up the Atlantis’ robot arm so that its elbow camera can be used to survey the orbiter.

Landing opportunities for Atlantis on Thursday begin with a potential 6:22 a.m. touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Atlantis’ mission has resumed the construction of the International Space Station. Atlantis delivered the P3/P4 integrated truss to the station on Sept. 11. The STS-115 and Expedition 13 crews used the shuttle and station robotic arms to attach the truss to the orbital outpost. Then STS-115 astronauts conducted three spacewalks in four days to prepare the truss and its solar arrays for operation.

The weather forecast at Kennedy Space Center calls for better weather at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Thursday. Forecasters will continue to monitor the situation. The weather forecast for Wednesday had called for unacceptable thunderstorms and strong winds at the potential landing time.

For the latest information on space station activities, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html