Hurricane Katrina Weekend Update

Did New Orleans officials ignore their emergency plans? It certainly appears to be the case.

FEMA's head, Michael Brown, was reassigned back to Washington D.C. and a Coast Guard Rear Admiral has taken over the Katrina oversight.

I don't care what Kanye West or any other entertainers have to say about Katrina, their views on politics, or anything else for that matter. Many of them think that their fame (or infamy) is sufficient to use their position as a bully pulpit for whatever nonsense they've picked up at cocktail parties or read on conspiracy websites. If they're helping with the Katrina cleanup, great. If not, so what. They don't represent Americans, or me. Consider that many of these so called experts have not graduated college, have never learned critical analysis, or have read anything more challenging than a script. Yet, the way the media fawns over them and raises their statements above reproach is awful.

The death toll apears that it will be signficantly lower than earlier feared. No kidding. No one had any idea how many people were killed in this disaster and putting any kind of number on it was premature. During 9/11, Mayor Giuliani was asked about the death toll and came back with the best response in these situations - it will be more than we can bear.

No need for a number - whatever it is, it is more than we can bear.

Of course, that number, whatever it is, will be politicized for whatever ends you can possibly imagine. A very low number will be used to vindicate those local politicians like Nagin and Blanco who managed this disaster despite themselves. A high number will be blamed on the federal response.

The National Guard is patrolling Biloxi to prevent looting. Indiana residents are helping in Biloxi as well.

A convoy of 18 trucks from NYC bearing supplies has reached Gulfport, MS, which was one of the hardest hit areas by Katrina.

People in Slidell are torn between leaving and staying and rebuilding. That's a challenge that will face many Gulf Coast communities. Some people will never return to their homes and some will stay. These communities will never be the same.

Storm survivors pitch in locally. A church group from Sulphur Springs has headed to Slidell to help.

A “Band of Brothers,” the men’s ministry at Shannon Oaks Church, is responding to the devastation in Louisiana by taking bottled water and medical supplies as well as manpower and chain saws to help in the recovery.

The first team of men left Sulphur Springs for Slidell on Sunday, and on Tuesday described the scene as being beyond imagination, according to Isreal Lewis at the church.

Also, high school teams from North Carolina are pitching in to help. In fact, all kinds of businesses and organizations in Winston-Salem are pitching in with various charitable events to raise money for charities assisting hurricane victims.

A woman living in Novato, CA whose family was had lived in Slidell has arranged a massive aid effort that has gotten notice of the US Coast Guard and other local businesses.

Lisa Campbell, whose family lived in Slidell, La., for two years, has organized a massive relief effort this week and hopes to be behind the wheel of the truck next week when it makes its way to the devastated Gulf states.

Abe Hamami, who owns the Star Restaurant in Novato with his brother, Firas, has been collecting money at the restaurant for hurricane relief and will match the final total to help Campbell rent the truck. Anything left over will be donated to the American Red Cross.

A large Chinese vase and sign sit near the cash register as patrons enter the restaurant.

"As an American citizen, I feel it is my duty to do something," Abe Hamami said. "No matter where, we need to take care of those people when they need help. They need us."

Campbell, a regular at Star, has received more than 100 messages on her phone the past two days from people wanting to help. The U.S. Coast Guard provided an empty garage in which to store the goods.

"I think it is going to fill up quickly," Campbell said.

She has also solicited the help of other businesses in Marin County, such as Extreme Pizza in the Vintage Oaks shopping center in Novato and in San Rafael for collection sites. Cans have also been placed at Novato High School, which her two teenage children attend and at Hamilton Elementary School.

Mill Valley Police Department Community Services Officer Sheryl Patton organized a similar drive out of the department's offices at 1 Hamilton Drive. One truckload was taken Wednesday to Marksville, La., and Patton said another trucking company was scheduled to take another truckload yesterday.

Meanwhile, a Katrina humanitarian who helped 48 survivors relocate after the hurricane is facing money laundering and other assorted charges that put his humanitarian efforts in jeopardy. Nice.

Edwin Blinn Jr., 39, who brought refugees to Marion with promises of rent-free apartments for six months, faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted on charges of money laundering and conspiracy. The government alleges he took kickbacks to help two brothers launder marijuana proceeds through the purchase of vehicles at one of his two used-car dealerships.

Blinn's legal troubles were news to some of the Slidell, La., residents who took refuge in this economically struggling city after Katrina battered their hometown. But several said they were grateful for his help.

Allen Rageur, 48, invoked God in explaining that he has endured so much already that he could not begrudge a benefactor.

Perhaps the humanitarian efforts will be used as character evidence and reduce his sentence, but this is bad news for those he was trying to help.

Scenes of the devastation in Gulfport. Direct link to the image gallery. There are also signs of normalcy returning to Gulfport amid the devastation:

A few familiar routines of normal life slowly returned to the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Friday, with many Hurricane Katrina victims going to work, eating hot meals and beginning to rebuild.

Lumber and home stores were open, and customers were buying supplies to repair their broken houses. A number of fast food restaurants were open for breakfast. Some people didn't even have to wait in line for gas.

"When the lights came on, that was a blessing from God," said Eddie Bigelow. "Every day is a little better. It's like giant steps, if you saw this place last Tuesday."

Bigelow, wearing a T-shirt that said "Don't let reality ruin your day," was starting to assess what repairs needed to be made to her father's house and was eager to get to work.

"It's like therapy, you feel like you have to do something," said Bigelow, 55.

Some people were back at their jobs. Five hundred employees at an Oreck vacuum factory reported to work Friday.

A sign scrawled on a piece of plywood along a major thoroughfare pointed to a side street and promised: "Laundry open," a welcome sight to people who can't yet clean their clothes at home.

But for many along this ravaged coastline, life is far from normal and won't be for months. Thousands are homeless, many in shelters, and some people are still unable to contact family members affected by the hurricane.

Officials in Hancock County, just west of here, said Friday that 52 people were unaccounted for, and authorities in other counties refused to guess how many others were missing. State officials say 211 people are known to have died so far.

At the airport in Gulfport, a temporary morgue tried to match bodies with reports of missing persons. "We're trying to do what it takes to help the families reach closure," said Dr. Richard Weems, an expect in forensic dentistry.

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