Katrina Evening Roundup

Angry in the Great White North is reporting that CNN is running a story that the Superdome may need to be demolished because of damage sustained during and after the hurricane.

The Louisiana Superdome was so heavily damaged during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath that it likely will have to be torn down, according to a spokesperson for Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.

I'd be curious to see if there is an engineering report that actually indicated the structure was beyond repair, if one was even done. It is possible that the structure needs significant repairs and they figure that demolition is easier or cheaper than rebuilding.

Breitbart is reporting the following:

Highlights as of 1 p.m., Sept. 6, 2005, of the federal rescue effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, according to information released by the Department of Homeland Security.

Rescues performed 32,000
Shelters 559
People housed in shelters 182,000
FEMA responders 7,000
U.S. Coast Guard personnel 4,000
National Guard personnel 43,000
Active Duty Military 15,000
MREs provided (meals) 11.3 million
Water provided (liters) 18 million

However, more than 1 million remain without power.

Meanwhile, Michelle Malkin (et al), delivers another Paul Krugman spankfest. Yes, it's that time honored tradition - a fisking of Krugman blather and blovation. This time it was on the massive response by the US military. If only Krugman had actually Googled up the pertinent information, he would avoid this treatment. Methinks that it's his only way to stay relevant - he enjoys being fisked and the notoriety of being wrong all the time.

Back to facts. The Louisiana causeway has been repaired, but will not be opened to passenger traffic just yet.

Repairs to Hurricane Katrina's damage on the "World's Longest Bridge" were completed Tuesday, but the 24-mile bridge won't be open to the public anytime soon, Causeway officials said Monday.

Labor Day was no holiday for the dozens of construction workers and engineers who spent the day rebuilding parts of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, two spans that connect St. Tammany and Jefferson parishes.

Katrina's deadly waves eroded the sections of the 49-year-old southbound bridge between the toll plaza in Mandeville and where motorists start driving over water.

The Causeway, one of the main means of transportation between the Northshore and Southshore, is used by about 33,000 vehicles a day during normal times.

More motorists will have to rely on the bridge because huge sections of the 8-mile Twin Span bridge -- about 40 percent of the structure that connects New Orleans with Slidell -- collapsed into Lake Pontchartrain.

Engineers also discovered damage to the section on the Causeway where motorists exit the bridge in Metairie. Robert Lambert, general manager of the Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission, said the damage on the Mandeville side was about three times as bad as it was on the Metairie side.

There's a lot of work still to be done, but getting the causeway restored will help speed the reconstruction.

Within several hours after the storm passed, we were moving emergency traffic south on the northbound bridge," Lambert said.

The northbound span, which is almost identical to the southbound bridge, was built in 1969.

Lambert is working closely with public officials who will determine when the Causeway will be open to normal traffic.

Bidding is being solicited to rebuild the New Orleans I-10 twin bridges. The first phase could be completed within 30-45 days. The second phase would be completed by year's end.

The plan to use cruise ships to house hurricane victims is on hold after many of the victims complained about living on the water.

A plan to move thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees from the Astrodome to cruise ships was put on hold Tuesday after many of them objected, some because they were terrified by the thought of living on the water.

"I can't live over water. I can't swim," said Donna Smith, 24. "I wouldn't want to see no more water. I saw enough already."

Others said they wanted to stay at the Astrodome so that they could concentrate on finding lost loved ones, according to the Coast Guard. And some simply wanted a little stability after so much turmoil.

Carnival Cruise Lines had provided three ships to the federal government - the Ecstasy, Sensation and Holiday - for six months to be used as shelters for up to 7,000 hurricane refugees.

Coast Guard Lt. Joseph Leonard, directing the emergency response in Houston, said workers would try to persuade some of the evacuees to try out the ship.

"The bed on a cruise ship is a little bit better than a cot out here," he said. "It is not a perfect solution. It is a better solution than we have right now."

Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Ed Conley said the evacuees need time to think through their options.

It's understandable that many of the victims would not want to live on the water after living through this entire disaster.

Meanwhile, families are heading to all corners of the country to stay with relatives and friends. Buses carrying hurricane survivors are arriving in New York City after stops in other cities.

And many of the victims are complaining that they were left to fend for themselves for a few days. I guess they never got the memo or DVD from the OEM in New Orleans that the New Orleans government wouldn't be able to do anything for up to 72 hours after the storm ended.

Elsewhere, Charlston, SC is lending a helping hand to Gulfport. 55 police officers from Charlston have been in Gulfport providing assistance to the local authorities.

Power utilities are continuing to struggle to restore power throughout the region.

The priority is to restore service to areas of public safety such as hospitals, police stations and fire and rescue buildings. But power is also needed to run the pumps that will drain New Orleans, get the crippled oil refining business back on its feet and enable telephone equipment to function.

It could take Entergy and other utilities months to restore service to some areas, especially those still underwater. Howell's centre handles the tactical side of the restoration effort, guiding crews to the next job throughout Mississippi and Louisiana. They use technology, but still reach for the traditional medium: a road atlas.

The command centre regularly touches base with the 10,000 workers in the field, including thousands of workers from 20 states and several Canadian provinces.

"This is a real nervy deal here," said Howell, who has worked 32 years for Entergy.

"Things change instantly. Imagine trying to find clean drinking water for these people in some places or finding a place to sleep for these people."