As busses head to New Orleans to bring stranded refugees from the Superdome to Houston’s Astrodome, Mayor Ray Nagin has conceded that certainly hundreds if not thousands of city residents have died as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
“We're not even dealing with dead bodies,' he said on Wednesday. 'They're just pushing them on the side.' Nagin had been trying to be optimistic in the face of this disaster, but as each day goes by, the reality of the situation becomes more dire.
Meanwhile, FEMA has sent 475 busses to New Orleans to use to transfer 25,000 refugees to Houston where they will be sheltered in the Astrodome 350 miles away. The Astrodome's schedule has been cleared through December. Access to the Superdome may prove to be tricky, however, since the streets that surround it are flooded. Boats and rafts may have to be brought in to use for the transfer, and some people have already been taken out by helicopter.
President George Bush flew over the affected areas on his way back to Washington from his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush, who cut short his vacation, will address the public from the Rose Garden of the White House tonight at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Bush spent approximately 30 minutes viewing the devastation from the air, starting in New Orleans and moving up the Gulf Coast.
Earlier in the day, the Pentagon announced plans to send four Navy ships along with the hospital ship USNS Comfort, search helicopters, and eight swift-water rescue teams. The Army Corps of Engineers is also stepping up efforts to stop the leak in the levee, and plan to use helicopters to drop 3,000-pound sandbags into the gap. Another potential solution would be to use a barge to plug the hole.
The Red Cross is currently providing shelter for at least 46,000 people and has raised $21 million so far, $15 million of which has come from corporate contributions.
News channels have been focused on this story since Sunday, and have been providing compelling footage of rescues in progress, as well as of people still in their homes, signaling for help. Cameras have also captured the looting that has been increasing since the storm hit on Monday. People who are desperate for food, water, dry clothing and footwear have been helping themselves, while others are grabbing TVs and other items. Ironically, there is no electricity and these people have no place to take the pilfered items. Martial law is expected to be declared as over 8000 Louisiana reservists have been activated to be sent to the devastated area.
