Katrina Death Toll Climbs, New Orleans Swamped as Levees Break

MIAMI, Florida, August 31, 2005 (ENS) - The death toll from Hurricane Katrina is now estimated at more than 100, and search and rescue officials fear it could rise higher as more people are found in flooded areas and collapsed buildings across Lousiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour placed the death toll at 80 in hard-hit Harrison County alone.

Katrina is now a tropical depression pushing through the Ohio Valley on its northeastward track to New England, but when it hit the Gulf Coast at dawn Monday it was a Category 4 plus hurricane screaming across Louisiana and Mississippi at 145 miles per hour. Hundreds of thousands evacuated inland before the storm, and thousands more took refuge in shelters.

New Orleans officials were just breathing a sigh of relief late Monday, thinking they had escaped the worst of Katrina, which shifted eastwards into Mississippi, when two levees that were built to protect the city broke under the weight of accumulated storm water.

About 80 percent of the city is flooded after the levees failed to hold back the massive storm surge Katrina generated.

Flooded roadways in New Orleans Monday night. (Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyle Niemi courtesy U.S. Coast Guard)

Mayor Ray Nagin ordered the city evacuated on Sunday, but thousands had no way to leave. Now government officials have ordered everyone still in the city to get out. Officials will evacuate the Superdome, where about 10,000 displaced people are stuck with dwindling supplies of water and food.

At least 1,200 people in New Orleans Memorial Hospital are anxiously await evacuation. The hospital is surrounded by rising water, they expect to lose electricity soon, and they have little food and water.

Law professor Bill Quigley of Loyola University is at the hospital, and sends this plea by email. "We have nearly 200 very sick people, hundreds of staff and hundreds more families. The hospital has some basic electricity but many rooms have no electricity and many stairwells have no electricity. There is no a/c and no external windows. We cannot phone out and can receive few incoming calls. The water is rising and the hospital is already surrounded by water. Once the water hits the first floor, the computers, the email, all intercoms, and all internal communication inside the hospital will cease."

"The City of New Orleans is completely overwhelmed," Quigley wrote. "No electricity, incredible wind damage and now a broken levee that is flooding the city."

Coast Guard crews assisted in the rescue of about 1,200 people stranded by the high water conditons in the New Orleans area Monday and thousands more were rescued Tuesday. More than 40 Coast Guard aircraft from as far away as California and Massachusetts, along with aircraft from the Army and Air National Guard, have saved hundreds of people since the hurricane made landfall Monday.

The Coast Guard received more than 350 requests for help Tuesday, many from urban areas in New Orleans, but also from along the Mississippi coast, where people were stranded on rooftops due to severe flooding.

President George W. Bush is cutting short his vacation and fundraising activities and returning to Washington today from his ranch in Crawford, Texas to address the impact of the hurricane. White House spokesman Scott McClelland said Tuesday that the President will chair a White House interagency task force meeting on the response efforts this afternoon.

The interagency task force includes the Department of Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy.

"This is one of the most devastating storms in our nation's history," McClelland said. "I think that's becoming clear to everyone. The devastation is enormous. The destruction and loss of life is very sobering."

President George W. Bush is handed a map by Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin, center, during a video teleconference with federal and state emergency management organizations on Hurricane Katrina from his Crawford, Texas ranch on Sunday. (Photo by Paul Morse courtesy The White House)

The President plans to tour the areas affected by the hurricane, McClelland said.

President Bush has authorized federal disaster assistance for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, which releases federal funds. In addition, Bush signed legislation this week authorizing $6.5 billion for hurricane relief assistance.

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco has declared today an official Day of Prayer. "As we face the devastation wrought by Katrina, as we search for those in need, as we comfort those in pain and as we begin the long task of rebuilding, we turn to God for strength, hope and comfort," she said.

On the ground in New Orleans, engineers with the U.S. Army Corps are currently assessing the situation north of downtown where two breaches in the hurricane levees allowed the muddy waters of Lake Pontchartain to flow into the city.

At the 17th Street Canal floodwall that was breached overnight Monday, Corps engineers believe that water over-topped the floodwall, scoured behind the wall and caused it to collapse. A second breach occurred on the Industrial Canal during the storm.

These breaches must be closed, the engineers say, so that water can be removed from the city. One of the largest drainage pumping stations in the world, Pumping Station 6, will be used to remove water from the city into Lake Ponchartrain via the canals. To remove the water, the floodwall gap must be closed without impeding the water flow in the canal out into the lake.

"We're attempting to contract for materials, such as rock, super sand bags, cranes, etc., and also for modes of transportation, like barges and helicopters, to close the gap and stop the flow of water from Lake Pontchartrain into the city," said Walter Baumy, Engineering Division chief and project manager for closing the breach.

The Corps is strategizing with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the East Jefferson Levee District and Orleans Levee District, to locate materials and access to the breach area. The District Engineer, Colonel Richard Wagenaar, and a team are working out of an emergency operations shelter in New Orleans.

The New Orleans District's 350 miles of hurricane levee were built to withstand a fast moving Category 3 storm, the engineers said. The fact that Katrina, a Category 4 plus hurricane, did not cause more damage is a testament to the structural integrity of the hurricane levee protection system, they said.

Emergency management officials are appealing to residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama who evacuated in advance of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall not to come home. Returning residents could face blocked and washed out roads, downed power lines across highways, and unsafe road crossings due to flooding.

New Orleans residents who could not obey the evacuation order lined up Sunday to get into the Superdome for shelter. Now they too must be evacuated. (Photo by Marty Bahamonde courtesy FEMA)

"We need everyone’s cooperation to keep passable roads clear and to prevent those returning from placing additional burdens on the limited shelter, food and water in the heavily impacted areas," Brown said.

All bridges, floodgates and locks are closed in the vicinity of the Port of New Orleans. The ports of Mobile, Gulfport, Pascagoula, Pensacola and Destin/Panama City also remain closed.

The Coast Guard and representatives of the petroleum industry are surveying damage to offshore oil platforms. Five drilling rigs are reported missing, seven are reported to be adrift and two are listing.

The various branches of the armed forces are working closely together, with coordination among Navy, Army, National Guard and Marine Corps assets in the relief and recovery operations.

About 7,500 National Guard troops from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi were on duty Tuesday, supporting civil authorities, distributing generators, providing medical care, and setting up shelters for displaced residents.

Officials at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in storm-struck Gulfport said they are evacuating 416 veterans from the devastated facility. The veterans will get a charter bus ride to the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, which is preparing to house them indefinitely in dormitory areas, according Sheila Abarr, director of public affairs and marketing for both homes.

The American Red Cross is launching the largest mobilization of resources for a single natural domestic disaster in its history, because the damage is so widespread. The aid group plans to send close to 2,000 volunteers into the area to begin the initial response in the next few days.

“Volunteers are truly the lifeblood of the American Red Cross, and we are calling on them now by the thousands to help support relief efforts in Louisiana and other states after Katrina,” said Pat McCrummen, American Red Cross disaster spokesperson. “We are looking at a long term, very significant response to this storm.”

Volunteers are already on the ground staffing shelters for tens of thousands of people in five states - Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas.

In Anniston, Alabama, members of the Massachusetts 2 Disaster Medical Team check in at the staging area located at the FEMA Training Center before they move into areas affected by Hurricane Katrina to assist in caring for the injured. (Photo by Mark Wolfe courtesy FEMA)

About 1.4 million people were without power late Tuesday from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, down from more than 2.1 million earlier in the day, as power company personnel struggled to restore electricity to customers.

Just under one million Entergy customers remain without power in Louisiana and Mississippi as very limited restoration has begun. Due to the scope and amount of damage to its electrical system, Entergy expects a long and difficult restoration after "the worst storm in Entergy’s history," the company said, and service may take weeks to restore.

"Customers who smell natural gas must leave the area immediately," Entergy officials warned. "Gas lines in the New Orleans area have been severely damaged by Katrina’s extraordinary destruction. It may be several days before crews can gain access to these areas due to flooding and other obstacles," the company said.

Windows smashed by the hurricane, apartments in the downtown New Orleans building are open to the weather. Their occupants have fled. (Photo courtesy Office of the Mayor of New Orleans)

Entergy reminds customers to stay away from downed power lines and flooded areas. Do not walk in standing water and do not venture into areas of debris, since energized and dangerous power lines may not be visible, the company warns.

Customers choosing to use portable electric generators should do so in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Never connect a generator directly to a building’s wiring without a licensed electrician disconnecting the house wiring from the grid. Otherwise, it can create a safety hazard for the user or linemen working to restore power, and it may damage the generator or the house wiring. Connect only essential appliances – such as freezers and refrigerators – directly to the generator.

After a full day of restoration work on Tuesday, Gulf Power has restored power for almost 90,000 customers left in the dark after Hurricane Katrina moved through the area.

“After just more than 24 hours of work, we’ve restored almost 70 percent of those who lost power,” said John Hutchinson, company spokesman. “We’re asking those who are still without power to be patient as our crews complete their work tonight and tomorrow.” Most of those still without power are in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

Mississippi Power will begin the rebuilding process today to restore service to its customers. All of the company’s 195,000 customers are without power in the aftermath of the hurricane.

“Along with Southern Mississippi and surrounding areas, Mississippi Power has suffered the worst catastrophe in our company’s history,” said Anthony Topazi, president and CEO of Mississippi Power. “We mourn the loss of life and pray for the families who have suffered from this tragedy."

“To support our employees in the restoration effort, more than 2,000 additional workers from outside the company will begin arriving today,” said Kurt Brautigam, Mississippi Power spokesman. “They will be able to help us begin restoring service to essential customers such as hospitals and public safety agencies. We’ll also have tree-trimming crews arriving to begin making way for the main rebuilding process."

“We urge the public to be cautious and safe around all power lines,” Brautigam said. “Please be patient, knowing that this will be an extended process. In the meantime, we ask customers to call and let us know about any serious conditions or dangers.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is working with operators at three nuclear power plants to ensure safe and secure operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The Entergy operated Waterford 3 nuclear generating plant is closed as a precaution. (Photo courtesy NRC)

NRC staff have independently verified that key plant systems and structures, are undamaged and able to support current plant operations.

A member of the NRC staff plans to accompany officials from FEMA and the state of Louisiana during a survey of the site within the next 48 hours. NRC approval is needed before the plant can be restarted. This survey will include off-site evacuation routes and emergency sirens.

The Grand Gulf nuclear plant near Port Gibson, Mississippi, and River Bend Nuclear Station near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were both operating at reduced power Tuesday morning. The plants operated through the storm, but voluntarily reduced power generation to assist in restoring stability to the electrical grid when a drop in energy consumption caused grid voltage to fluctuate.