Katrina Updates Thread

yes, thanks, I saw it live when it happened. LOL.

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Press Releases

Date: 9/17/2005

Contact: Denise Bottcher or Roderick Hawkins at 225-342-9037

Governor Blanco Delivers Democratic Radio Address; Thanks Americans and Applauds the Work of First Responders

Additional Contact: Josh Earnest - 202-863-8148

Governor Blanco Thanks Americans and Applauds the Work of First Responders

Washington, DC - Below is the text of the Democratic Radio Address, as delivered by Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Louisiana.

To listen to the audio, click here http://a9.g.akamai.net/7/9/8082/v001/democratic1.download.akamai.com/8082/audio/addresses/20050916_blanco.mp3

Transcript of Radio Address:

"Good morning. This is Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.

"I speak for a grateful state to thank people across our nation who have lifted Louisiana in our time of need. Your generosity and support renews our faith in God and in the human spirit.

"Nearly three weeks ago, the unforgiving winds and wrath of Katrina bore down on Louisiana and Mississippi, leaving a path of devastation and human tragedy unprecedented in our history. The destruction is almost beyond comprehension.

"We have lost hundreds of our loved ones. Entire communities have been destroyed, others crippled, and countless businesses destroyed-and with them the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people. And more than a million people have been displaced from their homes.

"Even as the storm winds and surging waters passed, the people of Louisiana began responding, with breathtaking courage and in overwhelming numbers.

"Their story needs to be told.

"While the storm winds were still whirling in fury, National Guard soldiers and airmen, wildlife agents, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, emergency medical personnel and the Coast Guard selflessly went into action, pulling survivors out of the water and from roof tops.

"They were followed by hundreds of ordinary citizens who answered the call for help from all over our state, bringing their own boats to save their fellow Louisianans.

"They gave no thought to their own safety-only to help and to serve.

"They were not alone.

"They were joined by thousands of their fellow Americans, who came from all across the nation: military personnel, rescue workers and police officers, fire fighters, doctors and nurses, Red Cross volunteers, EMS personnel and just plain folks driving to Louisiana in trucks laden with food and water and love.

"I offer our profound thanks, to all of you who opened your homes, your hospitals, your classrooms, your churches, your wallets and your hearts to our people.

"As long as the Mississippi River flows into the gulf, we will never forget your generosity.

"Accept our thanks and hear our resolve: We will bring our people home as soon as we can. We need and we want our people back.

"We will rebuild New Orleans and the surrounding communities of Southeast Louisiana. We look forward to returning your hospitality in a safer and more secure Louisiana, vibrant, just, and diverse, her cultural wealth restored to the world.

"We need the help of Congress and the Federal Government in this epic task of reconstruction, because only the resources of the federal government are adequate to the challenge ahead.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank President George W. Bush. He has recognized that Katrina was no ordinary hurricane and that our federal government will have to help us in extraordinary ways. We are prepared to work as partners.

"Some issues reach beyond party. In the face of the human tragedy, which lies behind us, and the task that lies ahead of us, there is no room for partisan politics.

"Let the people of America know: We must all work together. We will all work together.

"Once again, I thank you for your help and I ask for God's blessings on the people of Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

"Thank you, and may God bless the United States of America."

###

Reaction from the man on the street in SE Asia here ~~

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

LOL- good point- I hadn't thought of that!

check out these comments about the superdome/looting/evacuation from 1998.

TALK BACK
Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)
October 4, 1998

http://www.nola.com

After our brush with Hurricane Georges, readers reflected on personal and public preparations for the storm. While many praised official efforts to evacuate the area, they offered a lot of constructive criticism, too. They suggested ways to ease evacuation gridlock and improve communications. Despite long drives in bumper-to-bumper traffic, however, most of those who evacuated said that they wouldn't hesitate to leave again under a similar threat.

I'd like to request that the news broadcasters inform us of the wind speeds, the gusts that are actually occurring so that we could relate these to direct experience. If you say, 'Well we had a 40-mph wind,' we know what a 40-mph wind feels like and whether we want to mess with one.

Carole Lachney

New Orleans

Just in my neighborhood alone there were six people who have been burglarized completely. I've lost over $10,000 worth of merchandise out of my home...looting and house robberies really were prevalent...I don't think our law enforcement officers were really on top of it. If they want to have a curfew and ask people to leave their homes, they just should do something to protect their homes...It's really depressing to come back home and find that the hurricane didn't wipe you out but robbers did wipe you out.

Burt St. Pelcovich

Terrytown

We opted to not evacuate, even though St. Charles Parish was the first parish to order mandatory evacuation. Our reasoning behind it, primarily, was financial. We had no place to go and could not afford to put the family up at a motel for two or three days or however long it was going to be... We live in a two-story, steel-frame house and felt pretty safe here... There are a lot of people who are not in the financial position - elderly and unemployed - that cannot just pack up and leave town. You know, people who have large families, they just can't afford to go stay in a hotel. So the parish needs to make some type of provisions for people like that. Perhaps vouchers for hotels, you know, FEMA vouchers or something like that, because we just had no place to go.

Terri Tartaglia

Luling

I think the main lesson learned was that the State Police have to be more heads up in road construction. They should have opened both lanes of Interstate 10 eastbound and reversed it to westbound traffic early Saturday morning. We've had many emergency management meetings, nobody caught this. They also screwed it up on the way back of all things, after they learned their mistake. Also when you take tolls off the Causeway, you have to at least reset the first light in Mandeville or the traffic backs up onto the bridge.

Debbie Settoon

Kenner

I was an absolute fool by not evacuating. After I watched what happened and what could have happened out in the lake, I should have taken more precautions and evacuated.

Pamela Nevie

Chalmette

In the future during an alert, it would be beneficial to the public to have a designated public service TV channel which would provide current information on all evacuation routes. The State Police should have the responsibility to provide ongoing status and information of all evacuation routes. This would eliminate calls to the State Police and provide reliable information to the public.

William L. Decell

Algiers

I would ask that someone come up with a comprehensive plan to restore electrical service as soon as possible. The Superdome and Convention Center could have been used as a safe storage facility for several thousand electrical boom trucks. Instead, they were out of town and weren't here and ready to go. Six thousand workers were brought in for this dress rehearsal. If it were a direct hit, I would estimate, we would have needed at least three times this amount. Only divine intervention stopped the entire metro area from being powerless for up to a month. Entergy wasn't prepared and dropped the ball in a big way.

Alex Fisher

Terrytown

I have two handicapped parents and I didn't know where to bring them to a shelter. I had no idea what shelter handled handicapped. When finally I found out where to go, it was too late to move them out, the winds were too strong.

Sandy Gremillion

Harvey

There is no doubt in my mind that I would leave the New Orleans area again. My family that consisted of a four-car caravan would definitely leave again but would heed the warning and prepare a definite route... There are no regrets, no doubts that we would leave again. Just second thoughts on better preparedness, leaving sooner and less panic. To emergency management, bravo, we got the message.

L. Gaspard

Gentilly

One lesson our politicians have never learned is that something must be done about the fact that the Highway Department is always conducting major construction that constricts Interstate 10 between New Orleans and Baton Rouge during hurricane season. This evacuation route absolutely has to be completely open several days before voluntary and mandatory evacuations are ordered from Jeff Parish and New Orleans.

Robert Jacobsen

Metairie

I would suggest that the road work or highway work that's planned for construction purposes be scheduled so as not to interfere with evacuation routes. Certainly no two highways which could both be used should be messed up at the same time.

Lynne Schackai

New Orleans

I learned three important factors. No. 1, cordless phones do not work during a hurricane when you lose your power. No. 2, five bags of ice is not enough for four days without electric. And No. 3, have some wooden matches. Trying to light your candles and Kerosene lamps with these little paper match folders is really tough.

Laura Murphy

New Orleans

When the lights went out, why didn't we have National Guards to patrol the streets? Many families left in our area, and four of our neighbors were robbed in that darkness Sunday night. I'd just like to know, why don't they have some sort of backup to patrol the neighborhood when the lights and the alarms are off?

Edwina Rillieux

New Orleans

I'd like to know what it takes to cancel college football games in Louisiana. On Saturday we had to fight traffic plus 60,000 plus fans going to the LSU game and people going in the opposite direction were going to the Tulane game. That was ridiculous, that should have been canceled. Five minutes after the game started, they closed the interstate... Where were the Baton Rouge and the State Police to guide the people through Highway 61 going through Baton Rouge with all the red lights? In LaPlace, there were police coming back that were manning the lights; we didn't have to stop at any lights. Coming through Opelousas, there were people there manning the lights - we went to Natchitoches - when we got to Baton Rouge, there was no one there. We had to stop at every light on Airline Highway.

Fay Rice

Kenner

I believe that most of us will agree that underground or buried facilities are inherently more effective in providing continuity of service than aerial facilities when natural disasters strike. The latest storms and hurricanes prove this... The city and Entergy should initiate and implement plans without delay to place current and future power facilities in such a protected environment.

J.R. Matherne

New Orleans

One of the things that I think would be very helpful for everyone who evacuated would be to run the New Orleans news stations and news broadcast on a public television station. Because once you get out of town, you can't follow up with what's happening in town other than with the Weather Channel, which is pretty useless. It seems to me like we could take advantage of our public television network.

Jennifer Heath

Metairie

Construction on Interstate 10 and Interstate 12 along the Gulf Coast should never force traffic to narrow to one lane. These are primary evacuation routes and temporary detours during construction should always be required to have two lanes. Also any north-south interstates such as I-55 and I-59 should hever be narrowed to one lane south of I-12 since these are primary hurricane evacuation routes.

Gerald Freyder

Kenner

We opted to stay Uptown in our house, and we thought we prepared very well: plenty of ice, plenty of batteries. What we didn't prepare for was having the electricity go out hours before a storm even came. So, I think everyone should need to know they need to double their ice, double everything because of power shortages before a storm or else buy a generator.

Kitty Odwyer

New Orleans

I was a little bit disappointed because having such a large community of Spanish-speaking and Vietnamese people here, none of the major TV stations or radio stations had anybody just as a public service giving the announcements in either of these languages, Spanish or Vietnamese... A lot of these people are elderly and bedridden and they don't understand English. So, just as a public service, it would have been very nice to listen to something in Spanish or in Vietnamese.

Maria Guitart

Metairie

Some things we learned from the experience are, first of all, to buy plywood ahead of time, when there is less than a two-hour wait and it's cheaper than $11 a piece. To definitely avoid I-10: We took Airline-Highway to Baton Rouge and it only took an hour and 15 minutes to get there... Make sure that you have rabbit ears for your TV when you return, because even if your electricity is on, Cox Cable might not work for a couple of days either. And, last of all, make sure someone from your family stays at home and braves the storm because that's the only way you'll get valid weather reports, is if you can call home and get the reports from the local weathermen.

A. Rini

New Orleans

I think there ought to be official evacuation shelters where people are allowed to bring their pets with them. If you realize that 50 percent of all households have at least one pet, I really think there needs to be a designated shelter where the evacuees can bring their pets with them... It would be one less worry for the people who are fleeing the city or their homes because of the storm threat.

Barbara Benedette

Metairie

The State Police phone number does not have appropriate signage. I believe I only saw one sign traveling from Kenner to Texas, and I think we need to see more of these signs because if there were breakdowns or emergencies, I certainly couldn't dial them up on my cell phone.

Lyn Burger

Kenner

I'd like to commend Entergy. Although I did not have power outage, I think it's sick the way that people are complaining about how long they were without lights. If it had hit like it was supposed to, they'd probably be dead right now. And I would tell Mayor Morial not to open the Superdome again if it ever needed to be for those people in New Orleans. All they did was complain about their cornflakes and hot dogs and...steal stuff out the Superdome, so Mayor Morial, do not do them the favor next time.

Marlene Vicknair

LaPlace

I think it would be useful to have people evacuate by ZIP code and times. For example, before the hurricane hit to explain that everyone should wait for their cue to evacuate and then a route be given in advance for each ZIP code and then before the hurricane, a time should be announced for each ZIP code to leave and a particular route, and therefore they could manage the traffic out of the city. The same for a return.

Julia Sathler

New Orleans

I feel that the emergency management people need to keep their heads about them. I felt that they sounded like Chicken Little telling us the sky was going to fall when I could see on the television from noon Sunday that the storm was not going to come here and we would be on the west side, and they refused to accept reality.

Cheryl Renner

Mandeville

As a resident of Destrehan's Red Church subdivision and a victim of the rash of burglaries committed in my neighborhood, my first inclination would be to stay at home, to not leave my house. As my husband so accurately described the feeling of walking into our burglarized home - our safe haven, a place where your entire family comes together - he said, "I feel like I've been raped." Yes, we were violated.

Angela Johnson

Destrehan

There's a prophetic statement in the Bible that states "be ready in season and out of season." But people will just brush this experience to another memory bank until the threat reappears next season. Then we'll rehash the same complaints and fears and of course blame it on someone else.

Anne D. Martorana

Slidell

It took my family five hours to get to the airport and eight hours to get to Baton Rouge. If the city is going to have an emergency evacuation, use all the lanes out of the city to evacuate. Only allow emergency vehicles to come in, and let them come in to the city on two lanes designated for emergency vehicles on Airline Highway.

Al Casseri

Gretna

The news media and Emergency Management did a very poor job of informing the public about alternate evacuation routes and their traffic conditions. The only traffic records I saw or heard was about the local I-10 and one report I heard about taking the I-59 east to Hattiesburg and then taking I-49 NW. What about evacuation routes on the west side of the river, such as Highway 90, 20, 1 and 3127? These are possible routes to Donaldsonville and Lafayette... What about the Causeway, La. 61 and highways 18, 48 and 190?

Robert Bagnetto

Metairie

While I understand the reasoning for serious consideration to evacuate the city in the event of a hurricane, one must remember that this was a Category 2 storm and nowhere near a Betsy or Camille. The cost of those evacuating and the cost of down time to business will be in the millions. The media was out of control and for this one reason, the citizens of New Orleans felt the urge to leave. What frightens me most is that after this experience when the big one does come, no one will listen. I've heard many people say, "Next time, I'm not leaving."

Maggie Wittke

Kenner

Once again Entergy has upheld its reputation in New Orleans. After spending two days without power, I was thankful to finally have my power restored on Tuesday evening and was willing to give Entergy a break considering the circumstances. That was until Wednesday morning, while driving on Almonaster near France Road. I noticed, tucked out of public view, a fleet of trucks and workers sitting idle... I have learned one lesson from Entergy: Invest in a generator; at least you can depend on it.

Ryan Percle

New Orleans

Better assistance is needed from police and sheriff departments in Ascension and East Baton Rouge parishes to open Airline Highway to larger volumns of traffic - particularly with the construction on I-10. New Orleans needs fewer large evacuation shelters and more small evacuation shelters. This would allow residents to stay in their own neighborhoods... TV and radio coverage of the approaching storm on Saturday was insufficient. I know it was hard to stations to lose big money associated with Saturday sports advertising, but hourly updates were not enough for residents trying to determine when and if they should leave their homes.

Gary and Kelly Gauthier

Kenner

Entergy needs to practice preventive maintenance. Two to three hundred thousand people should not lose power during a minimal hurricane. In my neighborhood, a dead tree that was near power lines and brought to Entergy's attention weeks ago was ignored. "We'll deal with it when it causes a problem," was Entergy's response. Unfortunately, the whole neighborhood has to "deal" with it.

Jeff Mattson

New Orleans

We planned ahead. When we saw the path from Florida, we were on the road to relatives in Tennessee. We left Wednesday night. And we will continue to plan ahead. We have learned from the past that it is never too early to leave for a hurricane... Oh God, we just kept on praying and praying. The key is to plan ahead. Don't take a lot if you don't have to... You can replace material things. You can't replace lives.

E.A. Bolton

Boothville

One of the positive parts of the hurricane was not hearing, thinking or being aware of what was going on with President Clinton and Monica Lewisnsky.

Mary Haar

Metairie

Wow. Sure hope these people were able to/chose to evacuate for Katrina. Hindsight is amazing, eh?

Just listening now to the news...sounds like a conflict growing between Nagin and the FEMA man on the ground (Thad Allen). Nagin wants the city open NOW...Allen says it's problematic and unrealistic. Conflicting interests...

And there you have the reasons why many didn't leave for Katrina. Looting and traffic....

looting and traffic. yep, and they knew about the looting and did not have enough sense to prepare before the storm for it.

FEMA CHIEF PRAISES LA. RESPONSE
Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)
October 1, 1998
Author: Ed Anderson Capital bureau
Estimated printed pages: 3

BATON ROUGE Louisiana handled the approach of Hurricane Georges and the evacuation of more than 1 million residents in a near-flawless manner, President Clinton's top disaster relief adviser said Wednesday.

"You could write a textbook on operations here in response to this hurricane," said James Lee Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "It was an exceptional job ... very impressive."

State Adjutant Gen. Bennett Landreneau said it will be a few days until officials have an estimate of damage to the south Louisiana parishes that have been declared federal disaster areas.

Gov. Foster said that based on reports he has received, "I think there was a whole lot more discomfort and unpleasantness than major damage."

Foster, who rode out the hurricane at his home in Franklin, said until a few years ago the state had "one of the most disjointed (disaster) response teams in the whole country. Now, we have one of the best."

He defended the forced evacuation of some areas around New Orleans as a good call based on solid information presented to state and local officials at the time.

"We came this close," Foster said, holding his thumb and index finger less than a quarter-inch apart. "This was an oddball storm. At the last minute it changed its course" away from the New Orleans area.

Foster said residents who have groused about being uprooted from their homes simply have to watch media reports of flooding in Mobile, Ala., and parts of the Mississippi Gulf Coast to see what could have happened in the New Orleans area but worse.

Witt said Louisiana and other hurricane-prone states have spent millions of dollars and a lot of planning since 1993 on evacuation procedures and it paid off during Georges. "The reason we did not have the loss of lives and injuries was because all of the jobs the states have done (with evacuation routes). This was a dangerous storm; we could have seen a different story."

Landreneau said more parishes have been made eligible for individual disaster assistance, such as Small Business Administration loans and individual assistance. They are: Orleans, St. Tammany, Livingston, Washington, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes.

Witt said hurricane victims can apply for a range of assistance by calling 1 (800) 462-9029 to get information and file claims. He said an adjuster or inspector will visit, inspect damages and check qualifications. A check can be received within a week to 10 days, Witt said.

http://www.nola.com

Press Releases

Date: 9/18/2005

Contact: Denise Bottcher or Roderick Hawkins at 225-342-9037

Governor Blanco visits Folgers coffee in New Orleans, tours temporary housing for employees

Governor Blanco will join employees, contractors and executives of Folgers as they work to restore operations at its coffee production facility in New Orleans.

"Partnering with business to establish temporary housing on-site or nearby is a smart way to get companies back on-line as soon as possible," says Governor Blanco. "We know that in order to rebuild families and communities we have to get people back to work and companies back in business."

More than 200 are working at the Folgers facilities in New Orleans. The company is committed to bring all 500 employees back to work. The company has secured 150 trailers for temporary housing and will be serving employees free meals. The first boat to enter the Port of New Orleans after it reopened last Tuesday included a shipment of Folgers coffee. Folgers has been in New Orleans for 45 years.

TIME: 12:15 p.m.

DATE: Monday, September 19, 2005

LOCATION: 14601 Old Gentilly Road
New Orleans

http://www.wjbo.com

streaming audio radio show Sunday nights 8pm central

Press Releases

Date: 9/20/2005

Contact: Denise Bottcher or Roderick Hawkins at 225-342-9037

UPDATE: TASK FORCE PELICAN

Tuesday - September 20, 2005
- 10:00 am -

This is Day 21st since Hurricane Katrina hit.

§ Regarding Hurricane Rita, Governor Kathleen Blanco said yesterday:

o "Mayor Nagin's decision today to suspend the re-entry of residents into New Orleans is a wise decision in light of the possible complications that Rita may cause. The mayor very wisely has decided that citizens should not be returning to New Orleans at a time when federal, state and local assets might be needed to prepare and respond to another hurricane."

· To date, there are more than 19,000 National Guard (NG) soldiers on the ground under the command of Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.

o Nearly 4,600 Louisiana Army and Air National Guard soldiers are positioned throughout the state

o Nearly 15,000 other National Guard soldiers from states all over the country are positioned throughout Louisiana

· NG primary missions continue to be: saving lives (including providing meals, water, and ice to personnel), enforcing security, evacuating residents, and supporting existing critical infrastructures

Department of Health & Hospitals

. An updated number of fatalities has been announced at 736.

- This number will be updated as often as possible when deaths are determined to be storm-related.

Department of Labor

The Louisiana Department of Labor (DOL) has re-opened the East St. Tammany
Workforce Office in a temporary location:

Slidell City Auditorium

444 Erlanger St. in Old Town Slidell

Slidell, L A

The preliminary number of Unemployment Insurance claims has been revised
142,255 claims had been processed as of Sept. 16
Of those claims, 129,144 of these are eligible to receive either U.I. or Disaster Unemployment Assistance.

· DOL has established a new toll-free phone number for evacuees to call to report a change of address: 1-800-430-8076

Individuals who had filed for UI and Disasters assistance post-Katrina, but have since moved to a new address.
Or those who filed using a New Orleans-area address pre-Katrina and now need their mail sent to another address are encouraged to call

Department of Social Services

· Shelters which are housing more than 25 displaced citizens and not currently registered with the parish Office of Emergency Preparedness should call (866) 310-7617 or in Baton Rouge, 925-1938.

· From Sept. 2 - 19, the Office of Family Support has certified more than 298,000 households (with an average of 3 family members per HH) for total Disaster Food Stamp benefits of more than $ 108.6 million.

· Plaquemines Parish residents can file applications for benefits at temporary office.

o Applications will be taken at this location through 5 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 22.

o Belle Chasse Primary School

539 Edward Hebert Boulevard

Belle Chasse, LA

· Jefferson Parish- West Bank Residents can file applications for benefits at temporary office.

o Applications will be taken at this location beginning Thursday, September 22 and continue through Wednesday, September 28, 2005

o West Bank Mobile Site

14A Westside North

Gretna, LA

· St. Tammany Parish residents are eligible to apply for benefits through 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Department of Environmental Quality

DEQ and EPA continue to take water-quality samples at 22 sites at in and around Lake Pontchartrain.
There are sites along the causeway and along the north and south shores of the Lake. A good sign of the health of the lake is the numbers of crabs noted in crab traps that have been checked. The crews are seeing fish also.

· The Hawk flew over the impacted area today.

Was able to identify numbers on railcars. This will facilitate location of cars with hazardous materials.

Summary of sediment results based on preliminary data
Metals - not an acute human health concern; Maximum concentrations of arsenic, chromium, iron and lead exceeded the risk-based standards for daily exposure over 30 years.

· Summary of flood water testing based on preliminary data

Considering the assumption that flood waters are not a drinking water source and exposure would be primarily through dermal and incidental ingestion, the data do not indicate an acute health risk to chemical contaminants in flood waters

DEQ Air sampling from monitors in the area.
Kenner Site
§ The criteria pollutants Carbon Monoxide, Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Sulfur Dioxide are all reading below the NAAQS, with ozone levels in or below the moderate or code yellow range.

· The continuous PM2.5 sampler (not FRM) measured a maximum of 43 ug/ m3, which is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or code orange.

· Hydrogen Sulfide is reading well below the standard.

Garyville and Hahnville Sites
The readings for the pollutant ozone were in or below the moderate or code yellow range.

Department of Transportation & Development

· Interstate Update

Three contractors hired by DOTD have swept all of I-610, as well as the portions of I-10 that were accessible Friday, Sept. 16.
DOTD has retained a contractor to repair the pumps near I-10 at Mounds Underpass, but Entergy has not yet restored power to the facility.
I-10 East Bank and West Bank near Bayou Sauvage are still under water.
There are still trees down on I-10 West Bank between Lake Pontchartrain and I-510.

· Ferry Update

Normal ferry operations have been resumed at the Plaquemine/Sunshine, New Roads/St. Francisville, and Reserve/Edgard locations.
The two ferries damaged by the storm will be re-floated and sent to a shipyard for repair this week. DOTD anticipates the repairs to be finalized by late October.
Department of Transportation & Development (contd)

· Port Update

The Port of New Orleans' upriver facilities, where about 70 percent of the port's activities are conducted, fared well in the storm.
Port Fourchon is operating at 80 percent capacity. DOTD expects the port to operate at 90 percent capacity after FEMA clears the debris clearance USGS removes the vessels.

DOTD has completed 70 % of the initial sign straightening and reinstallation needed on routes in Jefferson and St. Charles Parishes.

DOTD has repaired or replaced 95 % of damaged signs in Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes.
DOTD is currently preparing contracts to handle damaged trusses and Interstate guide signs.

· Repair work on railroad tracks is progressing. All routes of the CN, BNSF and UP rail lines are usable.

· Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Region VI officials will tour New Orleans on Sept. 20 to assess damages to transit property.

· RTA/FEMA/FTA/DOTD officials are preparing a plan for rebuilding New Orleans and restructuring Baton Rouge.

After the Plan is finalized and approved, DOTD will request funding from FEMA/Public Assistance.

· FHWA and DOTD preliminary estimate for Federal-aid highways and bridges (including the"twin spans" temporary repair) is $1.5 billion. There may be a delay of 2-3 months before funding is set up by FHWA, as Congress must approve a funding package before FHWA can begin setting up the reimbursement mechanism.

· The estimate on repairs to state highways and bridges not in the Federal-Aid system has not been completed.

These repairs will be funded by FEMA.
FEMA reimbursement for permanent repairs to roads and bridges is matched at 75 percent FEMA and 25 percent DOTD.
DOTD has directed a letter to the Congressional Delegation recommending that FEMA accelerate the reimbursement process.
Florida DOT is owed $77M from FEMA for Hurricane Ivan and has only collected $720,000.

· Of the 1,100 affected DOTD employees, 163 have not been accounted for.

DOTD's Human Resources Office has distributed fliers to major in-state and out-of-state Red Cross shelters to inform DOTD evacuees of its toll-free number, (866) 783-5493.

· DOTD's customer service center has answered more than 5,600 calls from the public since Aug. 31.

Department of Education

Approximately 37,000 displaced students have enrolled in Louisiana schools to date, and more than 200 displaced teachers have been hired in state.

The Department of Education Call Center has taken 12,800 calls since Hurricane Katrina.

The Department of Education Web Site has had 235,700 hits since Hurricane Katrina.

4, 688 teachers/employees have registered on www.teachlouisiana.com to register with their school districts and/or apply for available jobs.

Washington Parish schools opened, Monday, September 19, 2005.

St. Tammany & Jefferson Parishes and the City of Bogalusa are planning to open by October 3rd.

Plaquemines Parish schools will open in January.

Orleans & St. Bernard Parish schools do not have a timeline for re-opening schools

Board of Regents

To help college students displaced by Katrina continue their education, the Southern Regional Education Board, in conjunction with the Sloan Foundation, has announced the creation of the Sloan Semester, a catalog of free electronic courses available to Katrina-displaced students.
The catalog is now open. Students may visit the web site to search for available courses, participating colleges and universities and to start the enrollment process.
The address is http://www.sloansemester.org.

· The Southeast Louisiana Business Center has activated a disaster assistance response plan designed to aid area individuals and firms needing temporary business services or assistance in completing applications for business disaster loans. \

The free workshops will be conducted over the next several weeks throughout the north shore area.
Admittance is on a first come, first served basis.
For more information or to register, contact the business center at 985-549-3831 or by e-mail to sbdc@selu.edu.

As of Friday, 9/16, the total number of displaced college students re-enrolled at other Louisiana public college and university campuses across the state is 8,629

Board of Regents information hotline for displaced students:
1-866-415-2269 or visit www.regents.state.la.us
· The Louisiana Community and Technical College System has established a new toll-free student information line (1-866-310-1586).

Department of Corrections

DOC's key mission remains the safety and stability of state and parish correctional facilities given the considerable numbers of evacuated inmates now being sheltered.

State facilities are housing 3,666 additional inmates.
Parish facilities are housing 2,479 additional inmates.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is assisting also, housing 920 inmates at a federal facility in Coleman, Florida.

· Correctional officers and support staff have been working considerably long hours to ensure that the Department's goal of public safety is carried out.

· The Department continues to receive and inventory donated items from various correctional agencies and organizations throughout the country. Some states and organizations have given cash to assist displaced DOC employees. Donated items are being offered to shelters across Baton Rouge and surrounding areas, to DOC employees affected by Hurricane Katrina, and also to evacuated inmates in our institutions.

· 10 states, the American Correctional Association (ACA) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons all have donated truckloads of relief items.

· Donated items include water, assorted clothing, assorted baby items (including diapers), cleaning supplies, generators, personal hygiene items, non-perishable food, mattresses, cots, blankets and pillows.

· DOC has supplied more than 30 church and other shelters with these supplies.

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90% of buildings in St. Bernard's Parish are destroyed. Per NBC.

Insurance companies in LA determining that a lot of the damage is due to flood, and won't pay. But in some areas, the wind blew the water and boats into homes. Is that wind damage, or water damage? Sounds like a cunundrum.

Following Rita this week. Yikes!