Though New Orleans was spared from some of the worst that had been feared for it by Hurricane Katrina, the Big Easy still suffered greatly and other Gulf regions are even worse off.
"The devastation down there is just enormous," Mississippi governor Haley Barbour said this morning on NBC's Today show. He said the death toll in Harrison County alone could reach as high as 80. Harrison County emergency operations center spokesman Jim Pollard said late last night that an estimated 50 people had died in the county, with perhaps 30 dead at an ocean front apartment complex in Biloxi.
Rescuers worked through the night to reach hundreds of people stranded across the Gulf Coast where countless homes were destroyed and more than a million people were left without power in three states.
And New Orleans certainly has problems of its own. Mayor Ray Nagin said there have been reports of bodies floating in the floodwaters. "My heart is heavy tonight," Nagin told CNN. "I don't have any good news to share." Nagin said that about 80 percent of the city was flooded and that some areas were under 20 feet of water. Water poured into the city from Lake Pontchartrain after a two-block-long breach opened in a section of a levee that protects the low-lying city.
Katrina also shut down oil and natural gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico, which represents about 8 percent of U.S. refining capacity or about 1 million barrels. Speaking of the record, administration officials said President Bush was expected to authorize a loan of at least some oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said, "Over the next few days, we will continue to gain more information on the specific needs and then be able to make a better determination on how we can help." The Federal Emergency Management Agency sent medical teams, rescue squads and groups prepared to supply food and water into the disaster areas, and other agencies sent baby formula, communications equipment, generators, and ice.
Article comments
1 - Dawn
Hey Eric, how about we organize a Blogcritics disaster relief drive and we can send one lump sum to an organization of our choice in Blogcritics name? With over 1000 writers, five dollars each could be a nice donation.
I will contribute $20 - anyone willing to match. And maybe Phillip could set up a paypal account just for that, and the other editors could have access (for those concerned about the funds security).
Just a thought. The region is devastated and I would love to help!
2 - Niki Heath
My 17 yr. old daughter lives in Kiln, MS. *17010 ROAD 409*
She did not evacuate. Does anyone have any helpful information that might get search and rescue sent to her. Please help? thank you,
niki
OKC, OK
3 - bouton
We have friends in Kiln that we can not reach. Does anyone have information about a family named Neugent?