Post your Hurricane story on the Bumpshack Message Board.
Hurricane Katrina Relief and Donation Blog

June 21, 2005     DAY 297

The National Guard is back in New Orleans to back a slumping police force and new wave of violence in the Crescent City.  More Katrina News.   posted 1:25am by jholmes

May 6, 2005     DAY 251

New book calls New Orleans' mayor Ray Nagin a 'coward'.  posted 1:18am by jholmes

April 24, 2005     DAY 239

The mayor race for New Orleans will be a run-off between controversial current mayor Ray Nagin and challenger Mitch Landrieu.  posted 1:05am by jholmes

March 3, 2005     DAY 187

A newly revealed video shows Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco saying the New Orleans levees were intact.

"We keep getting reports in some places that maybe water is coming over the levees," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said shortly after noon on Aug. 29 — the day the storm hit the Gulf coast.

"We heard a report unconfirmed, I think, we have not breached the levee," she said on a video of the day's disaster briefing that was obtained Thursday night by The Associated Press. "I think we have not breached the levee at this time."   posted 1:00am by jholmes

February 3, 2005     DAY 159

The New Orleans mayoral election race is starting to heat up as several citizens throw their hat in the ring.  posted 1:01am by jholmes

January 2, 2005     DAY 127

December 31, 2005     DAY 125

Three Katrina evacuees found dead in apparent murder-suicide in Texas apartment.  posted 8:51am by jholmes

December 30, 2005     DAY 124

The New Orleans Saints have a deal in place to return to Louisiana next year and play in the Superdome and Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.  posted 9:08am by jholmes

November 26, 2005     DAY 90

A hero from Hurricane Katrina has been arrested on drug charges.  posted 12:27am by jholmes

November 26, 2005     DAY 90

Jay Leno is donating cars and telling jokes to help raise money for those in New Orleans that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina.  posted 12:49am by jholmes

November 14, 2005     DAY 78

Mold:  It is the biggest battle facing the decimated city of New Orleans now.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

November 12, 2005     DAY 76

Kevin Garnett of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves is donating $1.2 million dollars to help build houses in the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina.  posted 1:18am by jholmes

November 3, 2005     DAY 67

Businesses in New Orleans are desperate for employees.  Openings for jobs have more than tripled since Katrina hit.  posted 12:09am by jholmes

October 29, 2005     DAY 62

The city of New Orleans has fired 51 police officers for deserting the force during Hurricane Katrina.  posted 1:47am by jholmes

October 15, 2005     DAY 48

October 14, 2005     DAY 47

October 9, 2005     DAY 42

Amtrack has resumed train services to New Orleans.  posted 2:42am by jholmes

October 5, 2005     DAY 38

October 4, 2005     DAY 37

Experts are saying it safe to once again eat New Orleans seafood from Lake Pontchartrain where most of it comes from.  posted 12:15am by jholmes

October 3, 2005     DAY 36

St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter held mass today.  Today's mass is the first since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans over a month ago.  posted 12:31am by jholmes

October 2, 2005     DAY 35

The pumping of the water out of New Orleans is almost done and could be completed this week.

In another sign that life was returning to the city, the historic St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter planned to celebrate Sunday Mass -- its first since Hurricane Katrina pounded New Orleans more than a month ago. Louisiana Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes planned to preside.   posted 12:11am by jholmes

October 1, 2005     DAY 34

Millions and millions of mole spores are being found in almost all of the buildings in New Orleans.  posted 10:21pm by jholmes

September 30, 2005     DAY 33

New Orleans cops are facing more suspensions regarding looting they did of jewelry stores and car lots in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  posted 11:24am by jholmes

New Orleans has reopened to 170,000 residents.  posted 11:14am by jholmes

September 29, 2005     DAY 32

Residents and merchants are moving back into New Orleans once again.  posted 9:31am by jholmes

September 28, 2005     DAY 31

Killer mold is creating killer problems in the deep South due to the Hurricane damage. 

Mold now forms an interior version of kudzu in the soggy South, posing health dangers that will make many homes tear-downs and will force schools and hospitals to do expensive repairs.   posted 1:04am by jholmes

The New Orleans police superintendent has resigned.  Some would have thought New Orleans was without a police chief during the whole Katrina affair. 

Police Superintendent Eddie Compass resigned Tuesday after four turbulent weeks in which the police force was wracked by desertions and disorganization in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.

As the city slipped into anarchy during the first few days after Katrina, the 1,700-member police department itself suffered a crisis. Many officers deserted their posts, and some were accused of joining in the looting that broke out. Two officers Compass described as friends committed suicide.  posted 12:03am by jholmes

September 27, 2005     DAY 30

Former FEMA chief Ron Brown is blaming dysfunctional Louisiana leadership for the response to Hurricane Katrina.

"My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional," Brown told a special congressional panel set up by House Republican leaders to investigate the catastrophe.

As to the other, he said: "I very strongly personally regret that I was unable to persuade Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin to sit down, get over their differences, and work together. I just couldn't pull that off."

Brown said: "Those are not FEMA roles. FEMA doesn't evacuate communities. FEMA does not do law enforcement. FEMA does not do communications."   posted 8:38am by jholmes

New Bankruptcy laws could send a blow to Hurricane victims trying to get started again.  posted 12:31am by jholmes

Nearly 6,000 doctors have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.  posted 12:07am by jholmes

September 26, 2005     DAY 29

It is being found out that the rumors of death in New Orleans were highly exaggerated.  posted 8:55am by jholmes

The mayor of New Orleans is attempting to re-open parts of the city once again.  posted 12:52am by jholmes

Hurricane Rita exposed some more evacuation problems. 

The 14-hour lines of traffic fleeing Houston - complete with cars that ran out of gas - show that four years after the Sept. 11 attacks, it is difficult to evacuate a major metropolitan area.    posted 12:49am by jholmes

September 25, 2005     DAY 28

Authorities are urging evacuees to stay put for the time being.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

Hurricane Rita has put a major hamper on New Orleans' drying out. 

Hurricane Rita left floodwaters lapping at the high-water marks set by Katrina just three weeks ago, raising questions about how swiftly New Orleans can recover from its epic flooding and providing a grim reminder that the city remains in peril even as it seeks to rebuild.  posted 12:09am by jholmes

September 24, 2005     DAY 27

A look at Hurricane Rita's damage and impact city-by-city.  posted 12:42pm by jholmes

The oil refineries have seemed to escape Rita with little to no damage.  posted 12:38pm by jholmes

Hurricane Rita is pounding the Gulf Coast hard.  Texas and Louisiana again are getting the dangerous winds, rains and destruction from the massive storm.  posted 12:31pm by jholmes

Hundreds of people have been miraculously saved from fresh flooding in New Orleans.  posted 12:29pm by jholmes

Fresh flooding has hit New Orleans due to Hurricane Rita. 

An initial surge of water Friday spilled over a patched levee protecting the impoverished Ninth Ward, flooding the neighborhood with at least 6 feet of water. Leaks beneath another levee flooded homes with at least a half-foot of water. Meanwhile, wind-whipped waves pushed water from Lake Pontchartrain over a seawall.    posted 1:28am by jholmes

Three buildings in Galveston, Texas have caught fire and burned due to Hurricane Katrina.  posted 1:14am by jholmes

September 23, 2005     DAY 26

President Bush is flying to Texas today ahead of Hurricane Rita.  Love him or hate him, the guy sure is trying to make up for mistakes on every level from the mayors office, to governor, on up to the federal branch.  posted 11:03am by jholmes

Constantly Updating Satellite of Hurricane Rita.  posted 10:47am by jholmes

A bus carrying nursing home patients that were evacuating from Hurricane Rita caught fire yesterday and killed 24 onboard.

Early indications were that the bus caught fire because of mechanical problems, then passengers' oxygen tanks started exploding, Peritz said. He said the brakes may have been on fire. The bus was engulfed with flames, causing a lengthy backup on Interstate 45 already congested with evacuees from the Gulf Coast.    posted 10:41am by jholmes

Hurricane Rita is causing more flooding in New Orleans. 

Hurricane Rita's steady rains sent water pouring through breaches in a patched levee Friday, cascading into one of the city's lowest-lying neighborhoods in a devastating repeat of New Orleans' flooding nightmare.

"We have three significant breaches in the levee and the water is rising rapidly," he said. "At daybreak I found substantial breaks and they've grown larger."

A spokeswoman for Mayor Ray Nagin said officials believed the neighborhood had been cleared of residents. But throughout Friday, water began rising again onto what remained — buckled homes, piles of rubble and mud-caked cars that Katrina had covered with up to 20 feet of water.    posted 10:33am by jholmes

The LSU-Tennessee football game that was scheduled for Saturday night in Baton Rouge has been moved to Monday night and will be aired on ESPN2.  posted 2:21am by jholmes

Hurricane Rita is set to test Galveston's seawall.  posted 2:11am by jholmes

Rita's long term impact on oil prices won't be known for some time.  posted 2:05am by jholmes

Hurricane Rita's rains have started to fall on New Orleans.  posted 1:57am by jholmes

September 22, 2005     DAY 25

Satellite photo of Hurricane Rita.  posted 9:10am by jholmes

Interstates in Houston are at a standstill for over  100 miles as residents try to flee the city before Hurricane Rita hits.  posted 8:58am by jholmes

1.3 million people have been ordered to evacuate Texas and parts of Louisiana as Hurricane Rita takes aim at the Texas coast.  The Hurricane has been upgraded to a category 5.  posted 1:02am by jholmes

Hurricane Katrina's death toll climbed over 1,000 yesterday.  799 of those are from Louisiana.  posted 12:45am by jholmes

September 21, 2005     DAY 24

The New Orleans Hornets will play their home games in Oklahoma City and Baton Rouge this year.  Although just six games will be played in Baton Rouge.  I would be surprised if NBA basketball ever returns to New Orleans.  posted 11:10am by jholmes

New Orleans is preparing for more flooding due to Hurricane Rita which is making aim to bear down on the Texas coast.  posted 10:14am by jholmes

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is garnering criticism from across the world for his shoot-from-the-hip approach to the disaster relief. 

"He hasn't demonstrated a clear vision for what should be happening next in New Orleans," said Melissa Harris Lacewell, a political science professor with the University of Chicago's Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture. She described him as a "kind of a passionate character in this whole story," but added, "He appears to have been pretty unprepared."

He was accused of inadequately protecting his city's poor and making sure they got out safely. Evacuees at the Superdome and the convention center furiously denounced Nagin, holding him responsible for the miserable conditions there.

Nagin, who is up for re-election early next year, has periodically been absent from the city over the past few weeks, flying back and forth to Dallas, where he has rented a house for his family and enrolled his daughter in school.    posted 12:49am by jholmes

A strip club on Bourbon Street in New Orleans has re-opened offering stress relief to workers that are in the city to clean up and repair.  posted 12:33am by jholmes

The Sugar Bowl, which usually takes place in New Orleans at the Superdome, will take place either in Baton Rouge or Atlanta this year.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

September 20, 2005     DAY 23

The New Orleans Saints are upset with the NFL for the fake home game they played their last night against the Giants.

"They could have done that anywhere," Haslett said. "They could have played that game in Baton Rouge. They could have played it in San Antonio and could have done the same thing.

"To play it in Giants Stadium, to give them another home game and to put us in a situation where we couldn't hear ... It wasn't why we lost that game, but ..."

"It wasn't a home game," he said. "I look up at the scoreboard and there are signs, 'Let's Go Giants'. The referees, when they flipped the coin, they asked us if we wanted heads or tails. They had no idea who the home team was and who was away. The crowd noise we had to deal with, we never had to do a silent count at home."

"They made this seem like the Super Bowl," Brooks said after the loss. "We played a team that outplayed us today, but it was way overdone. Setting up a stage, traveling out here, was uncalled for.

"Try not to patronize us next time, traveling us to New York, saying we're playing a home game."    posted 6:50pm by jholmes

Displaced by the hurricane?  I just got this in my email for business owners who are wanting to relocate:

I am looking for three successful small business people who would like a new start in Louisburg NC.  A restaurant, gift shop and hair salon.  I have three commercial buildings.  I can offer free rent and housing.  The community will help with food clothing...we all want these people to succeed.   Louisburg is a small college town just outside of Wake forest.  Transportation can also be arranged. Call Susan Lewis at 772-713-5922 or email sjhurst51@yahoo.com.   posted 11:28am by jholmes

The NFL commissioner is deciding on the possibility of the New Orleans Saints playing all of their games next year in Baton Rouge at LSU's Tiger Stadium.  posted 10:20am by jholmes

Hurricane Rita is causing oil prices to spike again.  posted 1:03am by jholmes

Federal charges have been made concerning several Katrina related scams.  posted 12:59am by jholmes

Beware Gulf Coast:  Hurricane Rita's predicted path.  posted 12:58am by jholmes

The New Orleans Saints were beat by the New York Giants last night in New Jersey by a score of 27-10.  The game was originally to be played in the Superdome in New Orleans but was moved to the Giants home field after the damage done to the dome by Katrina.  posted 12:51am by jholmes

September 19, 2005     DAY 22

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin has changed his mind and has now urged an immediate evacuation of New Orleans.  Hurricane Rita is now headed for the Gulf Coast.  President Bush disagreed with Nagin opening  the city to citizens so soon and Bush urged him to evacuate the city again.  posted 5:27pm by jholmes

New Hurricane warnings have been issued for the Florida keys.  posted 9:15am by jholmes

President Bush questions the immediate reopening of New Orleans.  posted 8:54am by jholmes

Katrina death toll much lower than expected.  579 so far which is much less than the thousands that mayor Ray Nagin was predicting.  posted 8:53am by jholmes

Hurricane Katrina and its damage is starting to be compared to the earthquake that hit Mexico City in 1985. 

The skyline is soaring as the capital marks the 20th anniversary Monday of the earthquake that killed at least 9,500 people and leveled whole sections of the city. But some scars are still visible and scientists say the city may be unprepared for the next quake.

"That the poor were the ones that couldn't evacuate (from New Orleans) is something that caught our attention," said Luis Wintergerst, the city's director of civil protection. The 1985 quake also hit the poor hardest, he said.

Lying in a flood- and earthquake-prone valley, Mexico City has rebuilt itself more than once since the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. Flooded in 1629, it remained under water for nearly three years. While the Spanish fled their homes, more than 30,000 Indians died.    posted 12:16am by jholmes

Rebuilding post-Katrina could put the U.S. Treasury in a tight-rope limbo.  posted 12:08am by jholmes

September 18, 2005     DAY 21

New Orleans health system is facing a crisis as citizens start to move back.  posted 2:35pm by jholmes

Doctor chasing down myths concerning Katrina trying to get to what did or didn't happen.  posted 1:15am by jholmes

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is defending his plan to bring close to 200,000 citizens back to the city so soon.  posted 12:46am by jholmes

September 17, 2005     DAY 20

New Orleans businesses begin the clean up process hoping to re-open soon.  posted 10:17am by jholmes

Thousands of residents could return to New Orleans next week, but they should expect to be in their houses by the dusk-dawn curfew.  posted 12:07am by jholmes

September 16, 2005     DAY 19

Fewer than half of the Katrina evacuees staying in Houston want to return home to New Orleans.  posted 6:31pm by jholmes

President Bush has ruled out a tax hike to fund the Katrina recovery.  posted 12:47pm by jholmes

Text of President Bush's speech from Jackson Square in New Orleans.

Many evacuee's found comfort in President Bush's speech last night.  posted 1:15am by jholmes

Democrats are proposing a 'Marshall Plan' approach for the damaged Gulf Coast region.  posted 1:04am by jholmes

Timeline of President Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina.  posted 1:02am by jholmes

September 15, 2005     DAY 18

President Bush gave a very uplifting and inspiring speech tonight in New Orleans.  Full Text of the Speech

Some Highlights:  Across the Gulf Coast, among people who have lost much … and suffered much … and given to the limit of their power, we are seeing that same spirit: a core of strength that survives all hurt … a faith in God no storm can take away … and a powerful American determination to clear the ruins and build better than before.

And tonight I also offer this pledge of the American people: Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we will do what it takes … we will stay as long as it takes … to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives. And all who question the future of the Crescent City need to know: There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again.

Tonight I propose the creation of a Gulf Opportunity Zone, encompassing the region of the disaster in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Within this zone, we should provide immediate incentives for job-creating investment … tax relief for small businesses … incentives to companies that create jobs ... and loans and loan guarantees for small businesses, including minority-owned enterprises, to get them up and running again. It is entrepreneurship that creates jobs and opportunity … it is entrepreneurship that helps break the cycle of poverty … and we will take the side of entrepreneurs as they lead the economic revival of the Gulf region.

I propose the creation of Worker Recovery Accounts to help those evacuees who need extra help finding work. Under this plan, the federal government would provide accounts of up to five thousand dollars, which these evacuees could draw upon for job training and education to help them get a good job … and for child care expenses during their job search.

To help lower-income citizens in the hurricane region build new and better lives, I also propose that Congress pass an Urban Homesteading Act. Under this approach, we will identify property in the region owned by the federal government, and provide building sites to low-income citizens free of charge, through a lottery. In return, they would pledge to build on the lot, with either a mortgage or help from a charitable organization like Habitat for Humanity. Home ownership is one of the great strengths of any community, and it must be a central part of our vision for the revival of this region.

These trials have also reminded us that we are often stronger than we know – with the help of grace and one another. They remind us of a hope beyond all pain and death – a God who welcomes the lost to a house not made with hands. And they remind us that we are tied together in this life, in this nation – and that the despair of any touches us all.

In this place, there is a custom for the funerals of jazz musicians. The funeral procession parades slowly through the streets, followed by a band playing a mournful dirge as it moves to the cemetery. Once the casket has been laid in place, the band breaks into a joyful “second line” – symbolizing the triumph of the spirit over death. Tonight the Gulf Coast is still coming through the dirge – yet we will live to see the second line.     posted 7:10pm by jholmes

Mayor Nagin says 180,000 could move back to New Orleans within weeks.  posted 1:49pm by jholmes

The Dish Network has added the Hurricane channel.  posted 1:45pm by jholmes

Speculators are rushing into New Orleans to scoop up all the houses they can buy.  posted 1:36pm by jholmes

President Bush is set to outline a new Hurricane aid package.  posted 9:23am by jholmes

Parts of New Orleans should re-open next week.  posted 9:21am by jholmes

Hurricane Ophelia continues to dump rain and wind on North Carolina.  posted 1:23am by jholmes

September 14, 2005     DAY 17

Why is the chief of Louisiana's Homeland Security and Emergency in New York giving a speech instead of in Louisiana doing his job?  posted 5:10pm by jholmes

A very in detail look at the true story behind the hundreds of buses that were not used in New Orleans to evacuate the poor.  posted 2:25am by jholmes

Visionaries are battling on designs for a new New Orleans.  posted 1:28am by jholmes

New movie Venom might come too close to reminding many of the Hurricane Katrina madness.

"Venom," about a voodoo-crazed serial killer, depicts murder and mayhem in the Louisiana swamps a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina brought real death and destruction to the region.

While no hurricane or flood is depicted, the young people who populate the movie are dragged across overgrown brush and chased through knee-deep bayou water. One character is trapped inside a car that plummets from a rickety bridge and becomes submerged. The killer (Rick Cramer) piles his corpses in a cemetery crypt alongside a river, while the few survivors hide in a house that's been blessed by a protective spell.    posted 1:14am by jholmes

President Bush took responsibility yesterday for the slow response to Hurricane Katrina. 

"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," Bush said at a joint White House news conference with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

"And to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility. I want to know what went right and what went wrong," said Bush.    posted 1:00am by jholmes

September 13, 2005     DAY 16

The Louisiana Superdome will be cleaned and decontaminated before state officials decide the future of the sports Mecca.  posted 6:19pm by jholmes

Owners of a New Orleans nursing home have been charged with 34 counts of homicide for not evacuating patients who eventually died due to the Hurricane.  posted 5:30pm by jholmes

Louisiana Health Department ups death toll to 423.  posted 1:35pm by jholmes

The New Orleans airport and waterfront is reopening today.  posted 9:47am by jholmes

Greyhound Bus Company is complaining about the name of a New Orleans jail bearing the name Camp Greyhound.  The prison building use to be an old Greyhound bus station.  posted 12:18am by jholmes

New Orleans exiles unsure if they will return to the flood ravaged city once it is finally drained and habitable.  posted 12:02am by jholmes

Pump workers are tired and drained (no pun) as they continue to slowly drain New Orleans.  posted 12:00am by jholmes

September 12, 2005     DAY 15

Saints will play 4 home games in Baton Rouge and 3 in San Antonio.  Their first home game will be played in New York.  posted 3:31pm by jholmes

David Paulison has been named to replace former FEMA chief Mike Brown.  posted 2:26pm by jholmes

45 bodies of patients were found in a hospital in New Orleans today.  The death total rose to 297.  posted 2:24pm by jholmes

10,000?  Louisiana's official body count from Katrina is just at 197.  Far fewer than expected to date.  The count will obviously climb a bit more as the searches are completed, but it looks as if the total will fall far short of the estimated 10,000 deaths.  posted 8:36am by jholmes

Private donations for Katrina relief are at $700 million, a pace that is far ahead of the outpour of donations after 9/11.  posted 12:15am by jholmes

The New Orleans Saints won a heart-stopping last second victory over the Carolina Panthers 23-20 as the clock ran out, giving a lift to all in the Bayou state.  posted 12:12am by jholmes

NBA all-stars put on an exhibition game to raise money for Katrina victims on Saturday night.  posted 12:07am by jholmes

President Bush was back in New Orleans today.

Bush was greeted at the airport by Mayor Ray Nagin as he began his third visit to the disaster region. They took a helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima, a U.S. Marine helicopter ship docked near downtown New Orleans on the Mississippi River, where Bush planned to spend the night.    posted 12:04am by jholmes

September 11, 2005     DAY 14

The New Orleans Hornets are unsure as to where they will play this year once the NBA season starts in late October.  posted 1:54am by jholmes

The LSU Tigers football team gave Louisiana a boost with an impressive 4th quarter come-from-behind victory.  The Tigers beat Arizona State 35-31 in Tempe, Arizona.  The game was originally scheduled to be played in Baton Rouge but was moved due to the relief efforts in the area and on the LSU campus.  posted 1:47am by jholmes

Wall Street Journal article on how Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco failed their constituents. 

The primary responsibility for dealing with emergencies does not belong to the federal government. It belongs to local and state officials who are charged by law with the management of the crucial first response to disasters. First response should be carried out by local and state emergency personnel under the supervision of the state governor and his emergency operations center.

The actions and inactions of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a national disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously established evacuation plans of the state and city. Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin cannot claim that they were surprised by the extent of the damage and the need to evacuate so many people. Detailed written plans were already in place to evacuate more than a million people. The plans projected that 300,000 people would need transportation in the event of a hurricane like Katrina. If the plans had been implemented, thousands of lives would likely have been saved.

A year ago, as Hurricane Ivan approached, New Orleans ordered an evacuation but did not use city or school buses to help people evacuate. As a result many of the poorest citizens were unable to evacuate. Fortunately, the hurricane changed course and did not hit New Orleans, but both Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin acknowledged the need for a better evacuation plan. Again, they did not take corrective actions. In 1998, during a threat by Hurricane George, 14,000 people were sent to the Superdome and theft and vandalism were rampant due to inadequate security. Again, these problems were not corrected.

The federal government does not have the authority to intervene in a state emergency without the request of a governor. President Bush declared an emergency prior to Katrina hitting New Orleans, so the only action needed for federal assistance was for Gov. Blanco to request the specific type of assistance she needed. She failed to send a timely request for specific aid.    posted 1:35am by jholmes

Why were the states of Mississippi and especially Louisiana not as prepared for such a disaster or have a plan as the state of Florida has for years?  posted 1:24am by jholmes

A timeline of the response to Hurricane Katrina.  posted 12:56am by jholmes

Katrina could end up costing more than the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. 

The government never has dealt with a disaster of this scale: 90,000 square miles of the Gulf Coast affected, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced and an entire metropolitan area under water.

In 1992, the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in Florida and Louisiana cost $35 billion. The price for the 6.7-magnitude temblor in the Northridge area of Los Angeles in 1994 was $15 billion to $20 billion.

Members of the Louisiana congressional delegation say it could cost $100 billion just in New Orleans.     posted 12:53am by jholmes

September 10, 2005     DAY 13

New York Times columnist Bruce Babbitt suggests making New Orleans an island.  posted 7:29pm by jholmes

Shaquille O'Neal is working overtime and donating his time and money to charter and send 18-wheelers to Baton Rouge.  Shaquille lived in Baton Rouge while in college and LSU.  posted 3:36pm by jholmes

New Orleans executives are planning to open the French Quarter within 90 days and have a scaled down Mardi Gras celebration.  posted 3:31pm by jholmes

It appears Louisiana might keep its booming movie business, but it looks like Hollywood is going to be moving to Shreveport in northern Louisiana where there is available real estate still left.  This is typical Hollywood forgetting the needs of those who need the income the most from the industry and moving away, but not too far away, so they can still get the huge tax breaks from the state of Louisiana.  I personally believe they should have found a way to make it happen in or around Baton Rouge and then back in New Orleans in a few months when NOLA is cleaned up and needing a boost.

Since Louisiana's tax credit program began in 2002, movie companies have spent $900 million, producing at least 31 major movie and television projects in the state.

Movies that were in production and kept in the state include: "Roadhouse 2," "Scarlet," "The Last Time," "Vampire Bats," "White Lies," "Premonition Factory Girl," "Shame on You," and "The Hill."

They also considered Baton Rouge. "But it's so crowded now there's nowhere to stay," he said. "You can't house an additional 50 to 75 people."   posted 12:16am by jholmes

Excerpts from New York Times columnist John Tierney's op-ed piece, 'The Case for a Cover-Up', from this morning's paper:

Suppose, for instance, investigators try to find out who had the brilliant idea of putting the Federal Emergency Management Agency inside a new department with an organizational chart modeled on the Soviet Ministry of Agriculture and Food Economy. One Democrat, Hillary Clinton, did question whether FEMA would suffer, but the idea was originally championed by her colleagues, particularly Joe Lieberman.

Mr. Lieberman joined Mrs. Clinton this week in calling for a "re-examination" of FEMA's status, but he was against independence before he was for it. After the Sept. 11 attacks, he helped lead the charge to create the Department of Homeland Security.

Republicans first resisted, as the Democratic National Committee pointed out during the presidential campaign last year. Its radio advertisement declared: "John Kerry fought to establish the Department of Homeland Security. George Bush opposed it for almost a year after 9/11."

Or suppose the investigators try to find out why the Army Corps of Engineers didn't protect New Orleans from the flood. Democrats have blamed the Iraq war for diverting money and attention from domestic needs. But that hasn't meant less money for the Corps during the past five years. Overall spending hasn't declined since the Clinton years, and there has been a fairly sharp increase in money for flood-control construction projects in New Orleans.   

This week Mary Landrieu, the Louisiana Democrat, lambasted Mr. Bush on the Senate floor. "Everybody anticipated the breach of the levees, Mr. President," she said. But she and others from the Louisiana delegation have been shortchanging the levees themselves. As Michael Grunwald reported in The Washington Post, they've diverted large sums to dubious Corps projects aimed at increasing barge traffic, not preventing floods. Ms. Landrieu forced the Corps to redo its calculations when a project to deepen a port flunked its cost-benefit analysis.     posted 11:58am by jholmes

R&B star Usher has urged America's youth to come together and ignore racist comments by rapper Kanye West, who fired off again last night during a telethon at President Bush and 'white leaders.'  posted 10:43am by jholmes

U.S. authorities turned back a German plane carrying aid over a mad cow scare.  posted 10:36am by jholmes

New Orleans police continue to regain control of the city from looters and thugs.  posted 10:34am by jholmes

Michael Jackson is courting R&B star Usher to sing along with him on his Katrina disaster relief song he wrote.  posted 2:20am by jholmes

Joe Paterno's letter to New Orleans.  More letters to the 'Big Easy' from sports celebrities.  posted 2:16am by jholmes

Hurricane Katrina has turned Baton Rouge into a boomtown as the population there has grown more than 50%.  posted 2:07am by jholmes

FEMA is to halt the debit card idea and instead issue direct deposits to banking accounts.  I hope everyone has a bank account.  posted 2:02am by jholmes

Fewer than 10,000:  Estimates are being rethought since police are finding far fewer corpses in their sweeps of the city than projected.  posted 1:56am by jholmes

September 9, 2005     DAY 12

Lebron James spent $120,000 dollars and helped load four trucks today that are headed to Mississippi and Louisiana full of supplies for victims of Katrina.   posted 2:50pm by jholmes

Coast Guard chief takes over the Katrina relief effort.  posted 2:44pm by jholmes

I found this interesting on the chain of responsibility for the citizens of New Orleans, and I thought I would share it.

In case you aren't familiar with how our government is SUPPOSED to work.  The chain of responsibility for the protection of the citizens in New Orleans is:

1. The Mayor

2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security (a political appointee of  the Governor who reports to the Governor)      

3. The Governor

4. The Head of Homeland Security

5. The President

What did each do?
       
1. The mayor, with 5 days advance, waited until 2 days before he announced a mandatory evacuation (at the behest of the President). The he failed to provide transportation for those without transport even though he had hundreds of buses at his disposal.

       
2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security failed to have any plan for a contingency that has been talked about for 50 years. Then he blames the Feds for not doing what he should have done. (So much for political appointees)

       
3. The Governor, despite a declaration of disaster by the President 2 DAYS BEFORE the storm hit, failed to take advantage of the offer of Federal troops and aid. Until 2 DAYS AFTER the storm hit.

       
4. The Director of Homeland Security positioned assets in the area to be ready when the Governor called for them

       
5. The President urged a mandatory evacuation, and even declared a disaster State of Emergency, freeing up millions of dollars of federal assistance, should the Governor decide to use it.

       
Oh and by the way, the levees that broke were the responsibility of the local landowners and the local levee board to maintain, NOT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.  The disaster in New Orleans is what you get after decades of corrupt (democrat) government going all the way back to Huey Long. Funds for disaster protection and relief have been flowing into this city for decades, and where has it gone, but into the pockets of the politicos and their friends. Decades of socialist government in New Orleans has sapped all self reliance from the community, and made them dependent upon government for every little thing. Political correctness and a lack of will to fight crime have created the single most corrupt police force in the country, and has permitted gang violence to flourish. The sad thing is that there are many poor folks who have suffered and died needlessly because those that they voted into office failed them. For those who missed item 5 (where the President's level of accountability is discussed), it is made more clear in a New Orleans Times-Picayune article dated August 28:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday for New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin.

       
Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded tourists, would be unable to leave, the city set up 10 places of last resort for people to go, including the Superdome.

       
The mayor called the order unprecedented and said anyone who could leave the city should. He exempted hotels from the evacuation order because airlines had already cancelled all flights.

       
Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding. (emphasis mine).  posted 2:25pm by jholmes

689,000 continue to be without power in Mississippi and Louisiana.  posted 12:14pm by jholmes

FEMA chief Michael Brown has been relieved of his duties.  The Department of Homeland Security will name his replacement.  posted 10:55am by jholmes

A computer simulation of a Hurricane on the level of Katrina shows over 63,000 dead and 384,000 sick or injured.  So the rescue and relief was better than some are giving credit for.  posted 10:12am by jholmes

Fewer bodies than expected are being found in the sweeps of Louisiana homes.  posted 10:10am by jholmes

New Orleans cops are set to start forcibly removing citizens from their homes.  posted 1:18am by jholmes

Beware of Hurricane Katrina scams on the web.  posted 12:56am by jholmes

There is a lot of talk about the Saints leaving, but are the New Orleans Hornets gone for sure?  posted 12:14am by jholmes

A German politician is being quoted as saying that President Bush should be shot down for his handling of the Katrina disaster relief.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

Louisiana National Guardsmen have left Iraq to assist their families and communities back home in the Bayou State.  posted 12:01am by jholmes

September 8, 2005  

Hurricane Katrina has made not just many people useful, but some buildings as well, like the Astrodome in Houston, which many people thought had outlived its usefulness.  posted 6:13pm by jholmes

President Bush has designated Friday September 16th as a national day of prayer and remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  posted 3:34pm by jholmes

The United States House has approved $51.8 billion dollars in relief money.  posted 3:31pm by jholmes

Almost all of the New Orleans aquarium's fish were lost and killed off after Hurricane Katrina knocked out the facilities power.  posted 2:25pm by jholmes

Dick Chaney is touring devastated Mississippi and Louisiana today.  posted 1:41pm by jholmes

Middle-class exiles are struggling to find a foothold since Katrina.  posted 12:23pm by jholmes

Donte' Stallworth of the New Orleans Saints is making a big difference with Katrina victims.  posted 9:51am by jholmes

NASA is accessing Katrina damage at two of its stations.  posted 9:36am by jholmes

U.S. anger over Katrina is being stirred up by Hollywood stars.  You know those people with doctorates, masters, and degrees in political science and worldly events.  posted 9:33am by jholmes

Concerns are continuing to grow over the highly toxic waters in New Orleans.  posted 9:28am by jholmes

Mexico is happily lending a hand with Hurricane Katrina relief.

A Mexican army convoy is heading for Houston, Texas, carrying water treatment plants, mobile kitchens and supplies to feed victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The trucks, carrying 195 unarmed soldiers and specialists, will apparently be used to provide water and hot meals for people evacuated from the New Orleans area.    posted 12:58am by jholmes

Thirty people have been found dead in a nursing home in New Orleans that flooded.

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stevens said said "30-plus" bodies were found in St. Rita's Nursing Home in lower St. Bernard Parish -- one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

Between 40 and 50 other people were rescued from the facility, Stevens said.     posted 12:55am by jholmes

New Orleans police chief Eddie Compass says he is not sure what has happened to the 500 police officers that are missing. He says that a number can not be put on the officers that have walked off the job. Compass said that some could still be trapped in their homes.  posted 12:52am by jholmes

A Katrina evacuee tried to commit suicide aboard a plane on its way to Washington D.C.  The plan had to make an unexpected landing in Nashville, Tennessee where the passenger was removed and taken to a local hospital.  posted 12:50am by jholmes

A reporter for a Florida newspaper covering the Hurricane relief in Baton Rouge was shot in his car while waiting at a stop sign.  The reporters survived and has since flown back to St. Petersburg, Florida.  posted 12:46am by jholmes

Tropical storm Ophelia is nearing Florida.

The tropical depression off the coast strengthened into a tropical storm early Wednesday and could bring high winds and heavy rain to central and northern Florida over the next few days.     posted 12:41am by jholmes

No Surprise:  Howard Dean is saying that race played a role in the Katrina deaths.  posted 12:34am by jholmes

September 7, 2005   Silent Buses

Oil prices fell today and so is the price of gasoline.  posted 4:41pm by jholmes

Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans has ordered mandatory evacuations of his city, but governor Kathleen Blanco says she will not sign off on the order yet.  These people have to get on the same page.  Does Blanco not see where E. Coli has been found in the water and how NOLA is turning into a toxic city?  At least 5 people have died so far due to infections from the water.  posted 1:04pm by jholmes

The Congressional Budget Office is saying that Katrina could cost as many 400,000 jobs.  posted 12:14pm by jholmes

Film director Tony Kaye is moving filming of his new movie from Brazil to New Orleans to help boost the devastated region. Filming is set to begin in early 2006.  posted 12:08pm by jholmes

The federal government plans to start handing out $2,000 debit cards to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  posted 11:43am by jholmes

Shady Iran:  Another reason to be aware of Iran.  Iran offered to donate 20 million barrels of oil, but only if the U.S. waives trade sanctions against Iran.  The sanctions are in place over Iran's hijacking, terrorism and building of a nuclear bomb.  posted 8:58am by jholmes

A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll show that only 13% blame President Bush for the slow Hurricane Katrina aid.  posted 8:56am by jholmes

U.S. Navy's Katrina Rescue Photo Album.  posted 1:46am by jholmes

CNN is reporting that state officials are saying that the Superdome will be torn down.  The manager of the Superdome denies the report which came from Governor Blanco's office.  posted 1:14am by jholmes

Liberal radio host Randi Rhodes has repeatedly urged poor listeners in the devastated Gulf Coast to go out and loot.  posted 12:45am by jholmes

The Washington Times says New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is no Rudy Giuliani.

Today, he is trying to shepherd the only large city in America that has experienced such shocking destruction and death -- save New York City on September 11. Some commentators are panning Mr. Nagin's performance compared with that of Rudolph W. Giuliani, who was universally praised for his disaster response in New York.

"On television this week, the mayor has shown no clear inclination to take charge and direct post-Katrina rescue and recovery efforts for his population, as Mayor Giuliani did in New York after 9/11," wrote Nicole Gelina, a columnist for New York's City Journal.     posted 12:41am by jholmes

World Series hero Curt Schilling, who plays for the Boston Red Sox has taken nine people dislocated by Hurricane Katrina into his home in Boston.  posted 12:35am by jholmes

Mississippi could get the first part of the federal aid money over Louisiana.  posted 12:23am by jholmes

A warehouse has been set up in New Orleans to process bodies.  posted 12:10am by jholmes

A New Orleans bus station has become a temporary jail.  posted 12:06am by jholmes

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin has ordered the force evacuation of his city.

Nagin's emergency declaration released late Tuesday targets those still in the city unless they have been designated by government officials as helping with the relief effort.

The m