Storms 411

Day 16 – 9/7/05, New Orleans Will Force Evacuations

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- New Orleans' mayor ordered law enforcement agencies Tuesday night to remove everyone from the city who is not involved in cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina, whether they want to go or not.

Mayor Ray Nagin instructed all public safety officers "to compel the evacuation of all persons ... regardless of whether such persons are on private property or do not desire to leave," according to a written statement from his office.

The order did not apply to people in Algiers on the West Bank side of Orleans Parish.

Many residents have refused to leave New Orleans despite a mandatory evacuation and warnings from government officials that staying in the flooded city represents a health risk. [Read more - CNN]

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Day 15 – 9/6/05, The Impact Spreads

The evacuees are making other kinds of substantial impact wherever they've landed:

• Baton Rouge, which had a population of 228,000, swelled by 200,000 evacuees, instantly surpassing New Orleans as Louisiana's largest city. Hotels are bursting. Roads are clogged with traffic. Local service stations are suffering gas shortages and long lines. On busy Florida Boulevard, Wendy's and Church's Chicken stores were warning patrons that there were no more french fries.

• More than 6,000 evacuee students enrolled in Houston kindergarten through high school classes last week, and the number could reach 10,000, Kevin Hoffman of the Houston Independent Board of Education estimates. Saying Texas shelters are full while "there are shelters set up in other states that are sitting empty," Texas Gov. Rick Perry ordered emergency officials Saturday to airlift some evacuees to other states that have offered help.

• Some resilient, middle-class evacuees are already putting down new roots elsewhere. In Baton Rouge and Jackson, Miss., so many of them are buying houses that Sen. David Vitter, R-La., calls it "the great land rush." The average home price in Baton Rouge has jumped about $25,000, to $200,000, since Katrina, real estate agent Beth Alford says. One New Orleans law firm bought 50 houses in Baton Rouge, sight unseen, says Ann Prewitt, a Madison, Miss., agent.

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Day 12 – 9/3/05, Shelter in Biloxi closed after 20 fall ill

BILOXI, Mississippi (AP) -- -- Officials closed a shelter Saturday because more than 20 people there fell ill, and doctors believe the patients may have contracted dysentery from tainted water.

Another 20 people in the area also were treated for vomiting and diarrhea.

The shelter at a Biloxi school had been without water and power since Katrina hit Monday. About 400 people had been staying there, and doctors said some may have ignored warnings to stay away from water.

Some running water came back on late Friday, but it was not safe to drink or even to use to brush teeth or wash, said Dr. Jason Dees, a volunteer working at Biloxi Regional Medical Center.

Most of the patients were treated with antibiotics. About 30 ill residents were taken to a hospital in Mobile, Alabama, while the rest were bused to a shelter in Thomasville, Georgia. [Read more - CNN]

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Day 12 – 9/3/05, Last 300 refugees leave Superdome

NEW ORLEANS — The last 300 refugees in the Superdome climbed aboard buses Saturday bound for new temporary shelter, leaving behind a darkened and stinking arena strewn with trash.

The sight of the last person - an elderly man wearing a Houston Rockets cap - prompted cheers from members of the Texas National Guard who were guarding the facility.

"I feel like I've been here 40 years," said Louis Dalmas Sr., one of the last people out of the arena. "Any bus going anywhere - that's all I want."

Inside and outside the Superdome - including the concourse around it and a 50-yard bridge that connects it to a shopping center - was a sea of garbage up to 5 feet deep. [Read more - WWLTV]

Day 12 – 9/3/05, Superdome Evacuation Halted

2,000 remaining refugees remain calm despite putrid conditions

NEW ORLEANS - National Guard members halted the evacuation of the Superdome early Saturday after buses transporting the refugees of Hurricane Katrina stopped rolling.

About 2,000 people remained in the stadium and could be there until Sunday, according to the Texas Air National Guard. They had hoped to evacuate the last of the crowd before dawn Saturday.

Guard members said they were told only that the buses had stopped coming and to close down the area where the buses were loaded. [Read more - MSNBC]

Day 10 – 9/1/05, FEMA Chief: Victims Bear Some Responsibility

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday those New Orleans residents who chose not to heed warnings to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina bear some responsibility for their fates.

Michael Brown also agreed with other public officials that the death toll in the city could reach into the thousands.

"Unfortunately, that's going to be attributable a lot to people who did not heed the advance warnings," Brown told CNN.

"I don't make judgments about why people chose not to leave but, you know, there was a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans," he said. [Read more - CNN]

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Day 11 – 9/2/05,Evacuations Continue After Gunfire Report

NEW ORLEANS — At the front of the line, the weary refugees waded through ankle-deep water, grabbed a bottle of water from state troopers and happily hopped on buses that would deliver them from the horrendous conditions of the Superdome.

At the back end of the line, people jammed against police barricades in the rain. Refugees passed out and had to be lifted hand-over-hand overhead to medics. Pets were not allowed on the bus, and when a police officer confiscated a little boy's dog, the child cried until he vomited. "Snowball, snowball," he cried.

The scene played out Thursday as the plodding procession out of the Superdome entered its second day — an evacuation that became more complicated as thousands more storm victims showed up at the arena. [Read more - Fox News]

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Day 11 – 9/2/05, Astrodome Can't Take More Refugees

NEW ORLEANS — Red Cross officials said Friday that the Houston Astrodome cannot accept any more refugees from Hurricane Katrina. The sports arena has been turned into a temporary shelter for more than 11,000 left homeless in the New Orleans area.

"We've actually reached capacity for the safety and comfort of the people inside there," American Red Cross (search) spokeswoman Dana Allen said.

Buses that continued to arrive were being sent on to other shelters in the area and as far away as Huntsville, about an hour north of Houston. [Read more - Fox News]

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Day 10 – 9/1/05, Up to 60,000 Trying to Flee New Orleans

Thousands wait among dying evacuees at convention center

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Police and National Guard troops struggled to restore order Thursday in New Orleans and worked to evacuate tens of thousands of people, who are growing weaker and more desperate in the flooded city.

Thousands of people slept on streets, interstate access ramps, bridges or any dry spot they could find.

Outside the New Orleans Convention Center, a huge crowd waited on the sidewalks for aid that could be a long time coming. The building was used as a secondary shelter when the Louisiana Superdome was overwhelmed. 

CNN's Chris Lawrence reported that conditions inside the building were extremely bad -- a number of bodies were visible, including a baby.

"We are out here like pure animals. We don't have any help," Rev. Issac Clark told the Associated Press. [Read more]

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Day 9 - 8/31/05, A Caravan of Buses Departed the Louisiana Superdome Wednesday Evening Bound for the Astrodome in Houston, Texas

Buses carrying evacuees from New Orleans began arriving at Houston's Astrodome overnight as Louisiana officials began clearing out the hurricane-ravaged Superdome. (Full story)

The first bus -- an Orleans Parish school bus -- pulled up to the gates of the Astrodome about 10:30 p.m. (11:30 p.m. EDT) Wednesday, surprising authorities who were not expecting anyone for several more hours.

Organizers later declared it a "renegade bus," saying it was carrying people fleeing the floodwaters in New Orleans but was not part of the official caravan of commercial buses traveling from the Superdome.

The Astrodome will provide evacuees many comforts the Superdome lacked after Hurricane Katrina ripped off parts of the roof, and knocked out electricity and water on Monday. (See a report on refugees being evacuated -- 2:00)

People staying there will have cots to sleep on, be able to take showers, have a hot meal and be able to make phone calls. About 20,000 people are expected to be transferred from New Orleans to Houston -- a trip of about 330 miles.

It was not immediately clear how the 50 people on board the renegade transportation came into possession of the bus, but officials in the Astrodome said they would be allowed to stay. A 20-year-old man was behind the wheel.

New Orleans residents were warned to expect a prolonged displacement.

"I surmise there are people in New Orleans who won't be able to get back to their homes for months, if ever," said Michael Brown, the Federal Emergency Management Agency chief who is leading the federal response on the ground.

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