wearehereforyou.htm

Louisiana Katrina Relief Hotline: (866) 334-8305

Mississippi Katrina Relief Hotline: (866) 230-8903

Alabama Katrina Relief Hotline: (877) 273-5018

Need To Talk? Call: 1-800-273-TALK (1 - 800 - 273 - 8255 )

Locate A Shelter: 1-800-409-4828

Louisiana State Department of Social Services: 1-888-LA-HELPU
1 - 888 - 524 - 3578

Disaster Relief: GovBenefits.gov

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: MissingChildren.org

Missing Pets: PetFinder.org

Pet Rescue: 1-800-HUMANE-1    ( 1 - 800 - 486 - 2631 )

Report Price Gouging: 1-800-488-2770

Displaced Loyola Students Stabbed

             In Boston, Police Say

POSTED: 12:43 pm CDT September 14, 2005

BOSTON -- Two college students displaced by Hurricane Katrina are recovering

after being stabbed in Boston.

The students from Loyola University in New Orleans are attending classes at Boston

College. Police and BC officials say they were attacked after an argument with five men

at about 1:30 a.m. outside a convenience store in the Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Nineteen-year-old Joseph Vairo was taken to Beth Israel Hospital, where he is listed in

serious condition. A 20-year-old student who was not identified was

treated at the hospital and released.

Police say there have been no arrests in the case.

Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn said Vairo is originally from Holden;

the other student is from Oakland, Calif.

They are among 150 students from Loyola and Tulane University who are

temporarily attending the school.

Blanco Delays Elections In Orleans

        And Jefferson Parishes

POSTED: 3:14 pm CDT September 14, 2005

BATON ROUGE, La. -- In an executive order issued Wednesday, Gov. Kathleen Blanco

delayed upcoming elections in Jefferson and Orleans parishes that were

scheduled for October and November.

The governor did not give an immediate rescheduling date.

A day earlier, Secretary of State Al Ater formally recommended that Blanco delay

voting in local races for the school board, Kenner city council and a judgeship in

Jefferson Parish and special proposition elections in Orleans Parish. The elections

were scheduled for Oct. 15 and Nov. 12.

State law requires the secretary of state to certify to the governor when a state of

emergency exists that would affect elections. The governor must issue an executive

order formally delaying the elections.

Evacuees In Dallas Being Moved

POSTED: 3:48 pm CDT September 14, 2005

DALLAS -- Evacuees at the Dallas Convention Center are being moved

into Reunion Arena to consolidate operations.

Red Cross spokeswoman Anita Foster said the evacuees will be moved over

the next couple of days, and they plan to have all evacuees out of the Convention

Center shelter and into Reunion by the weekend.

Wednesday, about 683 people were still at the Convention Center, and 170 at Reunion.

Meanwhile, many of those remaining in the shelters are working on plans to get into housing.

Call Center To Assist With

Children's Records

POSTED: 7:40 am CDT September 15, 2005

AUSTIN, Tx. -- Thousands of hurricane-displaced students have enrolled in Texas

schools and officials want to make sure their immunization records are available.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has opened a temporary call center.

The goal is to assist school and medical personnel, plus parents, in getting copies of

immunization records for the displaced children.

DSHS has obtained direct access to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals

statewide immunization registry.

Similar efforts will be made to secure registries in Alabama and Mississippi, which

also had evacuations.

There's no charge for the service.

For information, call: (800) 252-9152.

Phone Service Improving Across Region

POSTED: 7:28 am CDT September 15, 2005

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Those irritating busy signals and congested network messages

on your telephone soon may be a thing of the past. After more than two weeks of sporadic

service because of Hurricane Katrina, telephone lines in southeastern Louisiana are

slowly returning to normal.

Phone companies are repairing storm-damaged networks. They also are adjusting their

systems to contend with population shifts.

Meanwhile, the Louisiana Public Service Commission has asked wireless phone companies

in the state to give customers free service for September and October because wireless

phones have become the only means of communication for many evacuees.

Whether they will remains a question.

Despite the overall improvement in phone service, officials said about 150,000 BellSouth

phone lines remain dead, mostly in the parishes of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and Saint Bernard.

Only Operating Mall On Mississippi Coast

Sees Occupancy Rate Increase

POSTED: 8:21 am CDT September 15, 2005

GAUTIER, Miss. -- Singing River Mall in Gautier, Miss., has nearly double its occupancy

rate after Hurricane Katrina left other shopping areas and businesses in ruins.

Singing River is now the only operating mall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Mall operators

have signed new leases with Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, ALION Science and Technology

Corporation and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Mall manager Tina Dubose said five to 10 more businesses are currently going through the

leasing process. She confirmed that several of these undisclosed stores were previously

located in Biloxi's Edgewater Mall, which was severely damaged Aug. 29 by Katrina's massive storm surge.

Dubose says other businesses are waiting on liability insurance before signing contracts.

Singing River Mall received minimal damage.

Storm Evacuees Seek Help In Orlando

POSTED: 8:57 am CDT September 15, 2005

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Many of the evacuees who came to Orlando following Hurricane Katrina took

advantage of a deal worked out with the Red Cross that allowed them to stay in Central Florida for

two weeks at no charge, but time is running out.

That's where the faith community and churches like New Covenant Baptist of Orlando are

stepping up to the plate and offering some help.

The Williams family is one of the thousands who fled New Orleans for Florida. They've

been grateful to stay for free at an Orlando-area hotel, but soon they'll have to start paying,

and like so many evacuees, they need to find some affordable, transitional housing, but it's not easy.

"I've seen so many people before the storm living on the street in New Orleans, and I

wondered how they made it. Now, I know," evacuee Jessie Lumar said.

The Orlando Housing and Authority and the Urban League are working hard to help

evacuees find a place to live. They're even reaching out to Realtors to identify vacant

homes. According to the Urban League, one of the big challenges is that there is very

little affordable housing in the Orlando area and no vacancies in public housing.

Tax Assessors Try To Assess

Damage To Tax Rolls

POSTED: 9:53 am CDT September 15, 2005

COVINGTON, La. -- Tax assessors in hurricane-ravaged areas of the state will ask

the Legislature for changes in tax laws to give owners of ruined homes and businesses

adjustments on this year's property tax bills.

In Saint Tammany Parish, an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 homes were heavily damaged

or destroyed. Tens of thousands more were destroyed or damaged across south Louisiana.

Saint Tammany Parish Assessor Patricia Schwarz Core said state tax laws do not allow

assessors to re-value properties damaged or destroyed by natural disasters after January

1 of the current calendar or property tax year. Those changes have to be made in the following year.

But Core and other area assessors want the Legislature to call a special session and

change the laws so home and business owners can be given relief in their 2005 property

tax bills scheduled to be mailed in December.

Core, like many residents, returned from Florida this week to find her home in Port Louis

west of Madisonville destroyed by Katrina.

Airport and waterfront to reopen

10:43 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 13, 2005

New Orleans awaited the reopening of the airport and the waterfront Tuesday for

the first time since Hurricane Katrina hit, and the coroner planned autopies on at least

44 patients found dead at a flooded-out hospital.

The new acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency pledged

to intensify efforts to find more permanent housing for the tens of thousands

of Katrina survivors now in shelters.

"We're going to get people out of the shelters. We're going to move on and get

them the help they need," R. David Paulison said in his first public comments

since he was named to replace Michael Brown. Brown resigned under fire over

the government's sluggish response to the disaster.

The exact number of bodies recovered Sunday from the 317-bed Memorial

Medical Center was unclear. A state official said the corpses of 45 patients

were found; a hospital administrator said there were 44, plus three on the grounds.

The discovery raised Louisiana's official death toll to nearly 280.

It was not immediately clear how the patients died.

Dave Goodson, an assistant administrator at Memorial Medical, said patients

died while waiting to be evacuated after Katrina struck, as temperatures inside

the hospital reached 106 degrees. He said the heat

probably contributed to some of the deaths.

Family members and nurses were "literally standing

over the patients, fanning them," he said.

Minyard says even though only about 300 bodies have been found in New Orleans

so far, Mayor Ray Nagin wasn't the only one who thought there

could be up to ten-thousand deaths in the city.

However, Steven Campanini, a spokesman for hospital owner Tenet

Healthcare Corp., said some of the patients had died and were in the morgue

before Katrina arrived, and none of the deaths resulted from lack of food, water

or electricity to power medical equipment.

Dr. Frank Minyard, the Orleans Parish coroner, said

autopsies will be performed on the bodies.

During an appearance Tuesday on NBC's "Today," he said he thought

the evacuation of the city was successful, considering how the death toll

so far was much lower than expected. However, he noted that searches continued.

"There just may be a lot of people who are still down in those deep waters,

and some of waters were 10, 12, 15 feet deep," Minyard said. "My biggest

fear is that we will find something down there that is

way out of proportion. Hopefully, it doesn't happen, but we worry."

Also Tuesday, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport was

scheduled to receive its first commercial flight since Katrina struck on Aug. 29.

The port of New Orleans expected its first cargo ship since the hurricane

late Tuesday and expected at least three more ships by the week's end,

said Gary LaGrange, port president and chief executive. The arriving

ship was carrying up to 500 containers of coffee and wood products

from Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, LaGrange said.

A shipment of steel coils was leaving the port Tuesday bound for a Hyundai

auto plant in Greenville, Ala., he said.

"It's a historical moment. Two weeks ago the prognosis was six months,

so to pull it off so our customers have enough faith and confidence

in us is very heartwarming," LaGrange said.

Officials announced the discovery of the bodies at the hospital on Monday

as President Bush got his first up-close look at the destruction in New Orleans.

"My impression of New Orleans is this: that there is a recovery on the way,"

Bush said after riding through New Orleans in a truck with the governor and mayor.

The recovery was visible in spots Monday. Nearly two-thirds of southeastern

Louisiana's water treatment plants were up and running, and 41 of

New Orleans' 174 permanent pumps were operational. Officials expect

the still half-flooded city to be completely drained by Oct. 8.

Business owners were let back into New Orleans on Monday to assess

the damage and retrieve vital records and equipment.

John Baus, a lawyer and construction manager, filled his SUV with computer

servers, monitors, fax machines and crates of files. He said he planned to

make the best of the disaster, starting a new company to help residents

handle disaster claims and rebuilding projects.

"Everybody's been scattered to the four winds," said Baus, who

evacuated to Baton Rouge. "How are they going to take care of insurance

claims? Meet contractors? Get their houses restored the way they were?"

Some homes will require rebuilding. St. Bernard Parish President Henry

Rodriguez told displaced residents there is not a structure left standing in

Hopedale, southeast of New Orleans. Parish Councilman Craig Taffaro

said no one should expect to live in the parish again before next summer;

before Katrina, its population was 66,000.

Sgt. John Zeller, a California National Guard engineer, said it will be at

least three months before the New Orleans' public water system is fully

operational. Some homes have running water now, but it is mostly

untreated Mississippi River water - for anyone wanting a bath,

"It's like jumping in the river right now," he said.

Some of those displaced may end up in temporary housing provided

by FEMA, which expects to use trailer homes to create "temporary

cities," where some 200,000 hurricane victims - most of them in

Louisiana - could live for up to five years.

"This may not be quite on the scale of building the pyramids, but it's close,"

said Brad Fair, head of the FEMA's housing effort.

In other developments:

- Lawmakers in Washington proposed some tax changes Monday to help

storm victims, such as letting them tap retirement accounts without penalty

and encouraging donations of cash, food and school books.

- Former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial called for a compensation

fund for the hurricane victims similar to the fund created for victims of

the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Red Cross: 75,000 Katrina Survivors

Sheltered Sunday, 207,000 Overall

POSTED: 10:53 am CDT September 13, 2005

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Red Cross said it has housed more than 207,000 survivors

of Hurricane Katrina in 709 shelters across 24 states and the District of Columbia.

It said it has served more than 5.9 million meals to the hurricane's victims -- about

500,000 meals a day. As of Sunday, the Red Cross said it was housing nearly

75,000 in 445 shelters across 19 states and Washington, DC.

In all, the Red Cross has provided more than 1.9 million overnight stays. It

said nearly 74,000 Red Cross workers from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and

the Virgin Islands have responded to Katrina.

During this effort, the Red Cross has trained an additional 63,000 people in

specialized disaster relief skills, and has raised more than $578

million for the hurricane's victims.

Survivors can register for emergency financial assistance, 24 hours a day, by

calling toll-free (800) 975-7585 -- though the Red Cross notes that phone

lines may be overwhelmed.

Bush Takes Responsibility For Any

Failings In Hurricane Response

POSTED: 11:34 am CDT September 13, 2005

WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush said Hurricane Katrina exposed "serious

problems in the response capability at all levels of government." He told reporters

that to the extent the federal government didn't "do its job right," he takes responsibility.

Bush, at a news conference with the visiting Iraqi president, said he wants to find

out if the nation is capable of dealing with another storm or a severe attack.

He said, "I want to know what went right and what went wrong."

Gov. Blanco Lashes Out At FEMA

POSTED: 1:13 pm CDT September 13, 2005

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco lashed out at FEMA Tuesday for

moving too slowly in the recovery of bodies.

She said that the federal agency still has not signed a contract with a company

that specializes in body removal, Houston-based Kenyon International Emergency Services.

Speaking of deceased victims of Hurricane Katrina, Blanco said they

deserved more respect than they have received.

The governor said Kenyon has been working without a contract and has

threatened to stop working if it does not get a contract.

Blanco said the company does not have enough people without a contract.

Blanco said she was "angry and outraged" and that she had received promises

from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who oversees FEMA,

and from FEMA officials but they had not followed through and signed the contract.

Senate Leaders Will Visit Gulf Coast Friday

POSTED: 11:27 am CDT September 13, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Several Senate leaders will head to the Gulf

Coast on Friday to tour damage done by Hurricane Katrina.

A spokeswoman for Majority Leader Bill Frist, said he will join seven

Democrats and six other Republicans on the trip. Senate Minority

Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and members from the affected

areas are also expected to attend.

The group is scheduled to travel to New Orleans, Mobile, Ala. and Biloxi, Miss.

Montana Sen. Max Baucus, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance

Committee, is one of the members scheduled to take the trip.

Baucus and Iowa Republican Charles Grassley, chairman of the Finance

Committee, proposed a tax aid package for hurricane victims Monday. Among

other assistance, the legislation would allow those affected by the hurricane to

tap their retirement accounts without penalty and give families

who house evacuees a personal tax exemption.

The bill is expected to be part of a larger relief package that Congress will consider.

New Orleans Port Expects Visitors

POSTED: 11:52 am CDT September 13, 2005

NEW ORLEANS -- The head of the Port of New Orleans said Tuesday

offers "a historical moment."

He said a freighter loaded with coffee and wood products from South

and Central America, arrives Tuesday.

Port President Gary LaGrange said two weeks ago, officials thought hurricane

damage would keep the port down for a-half year. He said the quick turnaround

shows the city "is back in business." He adds, "From a commercial and

psychological standpoint, this is five stars."

He said another three ships are expected in this week.

The port is a gateway to a river system serving 33 states on the Mississippi or

its tributaries. About 100 dock workers have camped out on ships docked in the

port since the weekend, with up to 400 expected by the end of the week.

The port has no power for the incoming ship, so it will have to get an extension

cord from a maritime administration vessel.

Katrina Victims Finding

Relief in Fresno

Monday, September 12, 2005 TIME IS 11:45PM NOTE VIDEO TO THIS STORY ON KMPH DOWN HERE IN RED

LINKS TO FRESNO CA WEB SITE'S ON BIG 8 AT IT'S BEST NEWS WELCOME TO FRESNO CA IN RED TOO

WEB SITE TO THIS STORY KMPH FOX .26. OF FRESNO.CA. http://www.kmph.com/home/1843457.html

FOR WEB SITE LINK'S IN FRESNO .CA. LINK RIGHT HERE http://www.big8atitsbestnews.com/welcometofresnoca.htm

In the valley Katrina evacuees continue to trickle in and now local apartment complexes

are helping evacuee' get back on their feet.
Some evacuees may be moving into their own place at the Windscape Apartments in

Northwest Fresno. It's one of five complexes in the city, so far, that are offering free

rent to Katrina evacuees who plan on starting their lives over in the valley.
Vera slater, her husband, and their two kids left New Orleans with just their car and

each other. They ended up here in Fresno after some good friends

offered their home to them.
One of the first things she'll decide is what apartment complex to move into. She has a

choice of at least five complexes that are offering free rent for up to three months.
The idea is that in the next 45 to 60 days, they'll be getting aid. We just wanted to

help be there for them.
Hale says she has 15 units ready for move in the next day, and no security deposit is required.
It's the kind of help that'll give this family a boost in starting over, again.

This is the second time the Slaters have had to pick up the pieces from scratch...

The first time was after the Northridge earthquake.
Despite their loss, and through the tears, she says, it's your attitude that turns

you from an evacuee into a survivor.
Just persevere through it, you can do it, it may take time, it's not always

comfortable, but you could do it.
If you, or someone you know, would like to take advantage of the free housing

being offered to hurricane evacuees, here's the information you need.

Contact Sandy Hale, she's with Manco Abbott which

owns several apartment complexes in Fresno.
Her number is 559-256-4033.
And she can help you find a place and give you more information on what's available.

She says the only thing you'll need is either a Red Cross voucher or FEMA

as number proof that you've registered for emergency aid.

45 Bodies Found at New Orleans Hospital

September 12, 2005

The bodies of 45 patients have been found at a

flooded-out hospital, a state health official said Monday amid otherwise

encouraging signs large and small that New Orleans is climbing back

two weeks after it was slammed by Hurricane Katrina.

The bodies were found Sunday at 317-bed Memorial Medical Center,

which was abandoned more than a week ago after it was surrounded by

floodwaters, said Bob Johannesen, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Hospitals.

The Louisiana death toll rose to 279, up from 197 on Sunday, Johannesen said.

Meanwhile, more than half of southeastern Louisiana's water treatment

plants were up and running again Monday, and business owners were issued

passes into the city to retrieve vital records or equipment as New Orleans

continued to stir back to life.

Also, President Bush got his first up-close look at the destruction in

New Orleans on Monday, taking a tour that took him through several flooded

neighborhoods. Occasionally, he had to duck to avoid low-hanging electrical wires and branches.

In Washington, Federal Emergency Management Agency director Mike Brown

announced he is resigning "in the best interest of the agency and best interest

of the president." Brown has been vilified for the government's sluggish response

to the tragedy. Last week, he was stripped of responsibility for overseeing the

cleanup and was abruptly recalled to Washington.

As for the discovery of the bodies at the hospital, Johannesen said he had no

further information, and Police Chief Eddie Compass declined to answer any

questions, including whether police received any calls for assistance from those

inside Memorial Medical Center after the hospital was evacuated.

"I can't say nothing," Compass said, referring questions to a spokeswoman

for Mayor C. Ray Nagin who did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Dr. Jeffrey Kochan, a Philadelphia radiologist volunteering in New Orleans, said

he spoke Sunday night with members of the team that recovered the bodies. He said

they told him they found 36 corpses floating on the first floor.

"That's what they were talking about last night," Kochan said. "These guys were

just venting. They need to talk. They're seeing things no human being should have to see."

To prevent looting, business owners wanting to enter the city's central business

district and take what they needed to run their companies were required by

police to obtain passes.

Traffic was heavy on the only major highway into the city that was still open, and

ve