Hope Re-Enters New Orleans With Returning Residents

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, September 19, 2005 (ENS) - Three weeks after Hurricane Katrina breached the levees around New Orleans and the waters of Lake Pontchartrain flooded the city, forcing the evacuation of all but 10,000 residents, people are being allowed to return. Mayor Ray Nagin has imposed a dusk to dawn curfew and is warning people not to touch the contaminated floodwaters that remain in many areas.

Mayor Nagin said that Sunday's re-entry into New Orleans was "smooth and successful," and he said that New Orleans' re-entry plan "properly balances safety concerns and the needs of citizens to begin rebuilding their lives."

"We must offer the people of New Orleans every chance for a sense of closure and the opportunity for a new beginning," said the mayor. "We also understand the plan will require continual reassessment and will adjust as necessary."

At least one million people were displaced by Katrina, which smashed Louisiana and Mississippi on August 29. Across the state of Louisiana, 646 people died as a result of the hurricane, the Department of Health and Hospitals said Sunday.

Geoff Dinger of California Task Force 3 Urban Search and Rescue surveys water depth before a rescue mission. September 17, 2005 (Photo by Bob McMillan courtesy FEMA)

No temporary housing is available in the city for returning evacuees and it may not be available for six months, the mayor says. Returning residents whose homes are not habitable must leave the city by 6 pm each day to conform to the curfew.

Dr. Fred Cerise, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH), is asking people who are immuno-compromised, or have underlying respiratory problems such as asthma or allergies, to consider not returning until further environmental and health assessments are complete.

Access to medical services is "extremely limited" and no critical care patients can be treated. People are advised to have tetanus vaccination before entering the city.

An information flyer loaded with environmental health and safety warnings is being distributed to all returning citizens at two primary entry points: 1-10 East at the Pontchartrain Expressway and the West Bank Expressway into Algiers.

"You are entering at your own risk," the flyer states. "The City of New Orleans remains a hazardous site, and ongoing health and safety issues are being assessed."

Police and fire service are limited, the 911 emergency dispatch system is not working, and the traffic lights are out throughout the city. Officials are in the process of establishing and carrying out a plan for a unified 911 Communications Center.

The sewage system has been compromised in most areas, the mayor warns. "With the exception of Algiers, you are advised not to drink, bathe or wash hands in water from your tap and we recommend the use of bottled water for all personal use until further notice. You may flush toilets."

"Standing water and soil may be seriously contaminated. If you come in contact with standing water and material or supplies compromised by the flood water, you should wash with soap and clean water as soon as possible. We suggest you limit your exposure to airborne mold and use gloves, masks and other protective materials to protect yourself. You must supply your own protective equipment."

People must bring in their own food and water, fuel and medical supplies as all these commodities are either limited or non-existent in the city.

People are not allowed to hook up electric generators to homes or businesses and are advised that generators emit deadly carbon monoxide.

Open all windows when entering a building, the mayor advises. "If you smell gas or hear the sound of escaping gas, leave the premises and contact Entergy immediately at the number below. Avoid creating any source of ignition. If you start to feel sick, dizzy or weak, get to fresh air right away."

Mayor Nagin's strongest warnings are devoted to cautioning people to avoid standing water, mold and bacteria. "Remove standing water as quickly as possible while minimizing direct contact," he advises.

People are advised that illness can result from contacting standing water with an open cut or wound and warned to clean cuts and abrasions with soap and drinkable water and apply antibiotic ointment. "Pay special attention to not putting your hands in your mouth or on objects that could go in your mouth such as cigarettes or water bottles," the flyer advises.

Downed wires are still a problem in many areas of New Orleans. (Photo courtesy FEMA)

Water supplies are still a problem. Officials are concentrating on trying to maintain water for firefighting. Some water mains are breaking as pressure is increased, creating delays in restoration of services.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the water purification plant is operating and chlorinating the water, but the water is not considered potable yet. A major problem preventing normal water pressure is the numerous leaks in the distribution lines supplying the lower 9th Ward. The shut off valves on these lines are not accessible until the water is drained from the area.

The city is beginning to collect trash and debris and asks residents to separate debris into piles at the curbside - household garbage; tree debris and clean wood; carpet, sheet rock, insulation, flooring and furniture; roofing materials; and appliances.

Contractors will collect waste and bring it to staging areas for sorting and disposal at landfill. Debris management is being handled by the Army Corps of Engineers and the New Orleans Department of Sanitation as removal continues.

The city is working on a program to handle household hazardous waste - pesticides, paint, solvents, automotive fluids, cleaning products - which will be available later, and residents must store these chemicals for now.

Canal Street, the French Quarter and the Convention Center have been cleaned. The Convention Center continues to house a triage center for remaining victims and evacuees. Now crews are working to clean the second floor of the Superdome.

Business owners in Algiers, the French Quarter, the Central Business District and Uptown were allowed to re-enter New Orleans as of Saturday. Entergy predicts that the French Quarter will have power restored by September 23.

Working with federal agencies, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) has developed a management plan in anticipation of the hatching of mosquitoes and flies due to the massive flooding in the area. Mosquito control is needed to protect public health from nuisances and diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, as well as flies.

Aerial application of routinely used pesticides, primarily Naled, began Tuesday in the Greater New Orleans area. Spraying in Plaquemines, Tangipahoa, and Ascension parishes and also in Grand Isle is scheduled to occur within the next week, during the last three hours of daylight.

Dr. Cerise said, “The timely initiation of preventive measures to control mosquitoes and flies is necessary to reduce the risk of vector-borne diseases."

Trees are down across the city of New Orleans. (Photo courtesy Office of the Mayor)

Some areas of the city were never flooded, including the historic French Quarter, while other areas were inundated to the rooftops.

The removal of floodwater is going better than expected, says Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Briefing reporters on Thursday, General Strock said that the Chalmette area of Saint Bernard's Parish should be dry enough by September 20 that Corps personnel can begin and go start recovering in earnest.

New Orleans East is expected to be dry by September 30, rather than the October 8 date earlier projected.

General Strock said, "These are all accelerated over previous estimates, so we're very encouraged by that," he said. "We've been blessed with no rainfall, which would have had a factor here."

The general said officials are keeping a close eye on the storms coming out of the Atlantic, such as Tropical Storm Rita that is forecast to hit Florida on Tuesday and move into the Gulf of Mexico later in the week.

Environmental officials have found 300 spills of hazardous materials in New Orleans, and six are still considered significant.

The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport has reopened and airlines are flying limited schedules. The Port of New Orleans re-opened to cargo traffic on September 14.

Large parts of New Orleans remain flooded three weeks after several levees failed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. (Photo by Bob McMillan courtesy FEMA)

The biggest problem was in restoring passage in the inner harbor in downtown New Orleans, said the general. "We have to go around a lock that's located there," he said. "The lock's operational, but the bridges that have to be lifted to move traffic through that inner harbor are not operational. And we also have some obstructions inside the harbor that need to be moved."

"So we've actually created a bypass that goes down the Mississippi River to a place called Baptiste Collette, out Baptiste Collette and back up through the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, and then back into the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway," said the general, who said the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway is now open to full depth for traffic moving east and west.

The Mississippi River was closed to vessel traffic, but General Strock says it is now open for full service to 45 foot draft day and night, except for one point at the southwest pass as vessels enter or depart. "They can only do that in daylight right now because the Coast Guard is still in the process of placing aids to navigation down there. But for all practical purposes, the Mississippi River is now open for both deep-draft and shallow-draft traffic."

"Keep in mind, New Orleans sits at mile marker 116, so it's over 100 miles from the Gulf and open water up through the Mississippi River to New Orleans, and that's all open down to full depth," the general said.

Port Fourchon, which supports the offshore oil industry, is now operational with some restrictions, said General Strock, "but that has been a critical effort to make sure that port was up and operating."

Offshore oil facilities took a beating during the storm - 52 platforms were lost, 58 damaged, three mobile offshore drilling rigs sank, and 16 were damaged.

Officials say 39 of 179 bulk liquid facilities in the area are functional, nine are not functional, and the rest are undetermined as of now.

New Orleans emergency numbers are:

• Police, Fire and Emergency 1-504-552-4830
• Red Cross 1-800-435-7669
• Remains Management 1-225-763-5480, 1-225-763-5760
• Entergy (Gas and Electric) 1-800-368-3749, 1-800-968-8243
• FEMA Assistance Register 1-800-631-FEMA (3362), TTY: 1-800-462-7585