11:13 AM CDT on Thursday, September 8, 2005

Tom Planchet

11:21 P.M. - (AP): A Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman says the agency has hired a contractor to help remove bodies in New Orleans.

The decision was made with the expectation that there may be large numbers of corpses. But the spokesman says other than "guesswork," nobody has any numbers about the number of deaths.

Meanwhile, floodwaters continue to recede in New Orleans, but slowly. A spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers says "there's a long way to go."

Only 23 of the city's 148 pumps are in operation, along with three portable pumps. And Corps spokesman John Hall says it's still not clear how long it will be before all the pumps are running.

8:41 P.M. - (AP): A civilian helicopter crashed at a minor league baseball field in suburban New Orleans on Wednesday, injuring three people on board, a Louisiana National Guard official said.

The helicopter crashed at Zephyr Field, which is used by the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. It was not clear how serious the injuries were or what caused the crash, said Lt. Col. Pete Schneider.

Federal Aviation Administration officials didn't immediately have information on the crash.

7:02 P.M. - FEMA Official: If you were hit with any sort of disaster-related loss, you qualify for federal assistance. If you had to spend a night in a hotel, FEMA will cover it. Save your receipts, keep track of everything you’ve bought.

6:56 P.M. - (AP): By the numbers look at evacuees now sheltered in Texas.

6:51 P.M. - (AP): New Orleans teachers scattered throughout the country after fleeing the path of destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina may get paid next week, school officials said Wednesday.

Back up tapes containing payroll information have been retrieved and were being processed at IBM's Disaster Recovery Data Center in Tuxedo, New York, according to Alvarez & Marsal, a restructuring firm that has been working with New Orleans' public schools.

The complex process was expected to continue for several days, but when finished, the company expects to make arrangements with a yet-unnamed national financial services company to distribute payments to employees.

Alvarez & Marsal said that payments, which might be in the form of advances if accurate payroll information is not quickly recoverable, would be available on Sept. 15.

Officials encouraged displaced teachers to call a toll-free hotline, 877-771-5800, to make payment arrangements.

"To date, over 3,000 employees have called the hotline and provided their contact information," said Bill Roberti, managing director of the firm. "It is crucially important that all employees call in, if they have not already done so."

The company also advised that two Web pages, www.alvarezandmarsalnops.com and www.louisianaschools.net, had accurate information for displaced teachers.

6:50 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): It will be a long, slow process, but transportation officials are taking the first steps toward rebuilding the roads and bridges destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

The state of Mississippi has signed a contract for $5.1 million to repair the I-10 bridge in Columbia. The work is set to begin this weekend and could be finished in a month.

Louisiana starts bidding on Friday for one of the most visible projects, repairing the Twin Span Bridge over Lake Pontchartrain. The acting chief of the Federal Highway Administration says the work will take 100 days before both spans can be opened.

These are just the first projects in a massive rebuilding effort.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta says he expects the repairs in Louisiana alone to about cost $1.3 billion.

6:49 P.M. - MEXICO CITY (AP): A Mexican army convoy bound for Texas to deliver Hurricane Katrina relief is expected to cross the border tomorrow at Laredo.

This is the first time Mexico's military has aided its powerful northern neighbor and is generally seen as a symbolic journey.

The last time a Mexican military unit operated on U.S. soil was 1846, when Mexican troops briefly marched into Texas.

Officials at first said the convoy was bound for Houston, then the word was that it would be rerouted to Dallas.

U.S. Army officials at Fort Sam Houston late today said the convoy is headed to KellyUSA in San Antonio to help refugees who are in shelters. The convoy will be escorted by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

6:45 P.M. - Dr. John Rock, Chancellor LSU Health Sciences Center: Learning centers, hospitals (Charity and University Hospitals) hit hard; billions of dollars of damage worth to the facilities.

The deans are working to reestablish school for the end of this September. They are working with FEMA to acquire housing for students, teachers, etc. We will stay here in Baton Rouge until New Orleans is ready to welcome us back. This is just a temporary move.

6:40 P.M. - (AP): Officials estimate there are now at least 30,000 Louisiana refugees in major Red Cross shelters in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas. Thousands more are in smaller shelters, hotels or other private housing.

San Antonio city councilman Art Hall says the refugee population in area shelters is down to about 52-hundred, from a high of as many as 14,000.

Houston-based Continental Airlines today had a bank of computers on the Astrodome floor, offering refugees free one-way tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S. where the carrier flies.

To receive a ticket, the refugees had to show their pink bands that get them admittance into the shelter and provide their FEMA case number.

Buses departed from the Astrodome for various locations, including Dallas and Wisconsin.

6:30 P.M. - WWL-TV's Mike Ross: St. Tammany Parish School Board is very optimistic about a proposed October 3 return date.

Ross: Parish officials are coping with the impending homeless problem. 20,000 residents will be homeless, and Kevin Davis has made a request with FEMA for modular/mobile homes so families can be close to their homes when they return.

6:20 P.M. - Kevin Davis, St. Tammany Parish President: We’re reestablishing the infrastructure. Please, do not come back to the parish just yet. Cleco said some of their utility workers have been hit or their repair vehicles have been struck by other cars. They can’t have power company employees directing traffic. Those are hands being taken away from correcting the problem.

I will not issue an order allowing families to come take a peek at their homes for a few hours (like in Jefferson Parish).

The power companies making progress. Cleco hopes to have 85% of their customers up and running in the next two to three weeks.

I am hoping to allow people back in within a couple of days.

5:45 P.M. - WWL-TV: Don Bohn Ford reports that half of their 500 employees are still unaccounted for. The company is urging its employees to get in touch with them immediately; they have financial assistance set up for their employees. You can reach Don Bohn Ford at 713-647-5700 or online at Bohnzone.com.

5:30 P.M. - STATE DEPARTMENT (AP): Iran's offer to the United States of 20 million barrels of crude oil in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has been rejected.

The State Department says the proposal was turned down because Iran wanted the U.S. to lift trade sanctions in exchange for the oil.

Last week, Iran's Foreign Ministry offered to send relief supplies to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief. Iranian newspapers reported that no response to that proposal was received.

The gesture was seen as a reciprocal move for U.S. supplies sent to Iran after some 26,000 people were killed by an earthquake in 2003.

5:15 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): The man who was Montgomery County's police chief during the sniper shootings is among the National Guard troops deployed to Louisiana on hurricane duty.

The D.C. National Guard says Charles Moose is commander of the 113th Security Forces Squadron. Chief Moose -- now known as Major Moose -- is coordinating the security help the military is giving the New Orleans police. The D.C. Guard's commanding general says being an ex-cop makes Moose ideal for the job.

Moose also served on active duty with the Guard following the September 11 terror attacks, when he was assigned to a military police unit.

Moose quit the Montgomery force in June of 2003, in a dispute over whether he could profit from a book he wrote about the sniper case.

4:58 P.M. - ATLANTA (AP): Louisiana's insurance commissioner wants to help Hurricane Katrina victims in his state hold on to their property and health insurance.

Robert Wooley has released a draft order that would significantly restrict the ability of insurance companies to cancel hurricane victims' policies.

The order isn't expected to be finalized until late next week. That will allow insurers time to respond.

The order says provisions requiring premium payments will be suspended retroactive to August 26, when Louisiana declared a state of emergency. It also says cancellation notices issued after that date for a policy that was in effect that day will be void.

Insurance losses in Louisiana alone are estimated at $19 billion.

4:52 P.M. - BATON ROUGE (AP): Gov. Kathleen Blanco has suspended all deadlines for court cases, other legal proceedings, medical malpractice liabilities and administrative agencies and boards, from the time Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana until Sept. 25.

Blanco issued the executive order Wednesday, noting that in many cases, courthouses are shut down, clients are evacuated and attorneys' offices are destroyed and inaccessible. The state bar association, trial lawyers association and defense counsel organization requested that the deadlines to legal proceedings be suspended, the order says.

State Senate President Don Hines and House Speaker Joe Salter said the Legislature's staff was researching whether a special session would be needed to revise the deadlines and possibly suspend them for a longer period of time while recovery efforts continue.

4:30 P.M. - BATON ROUGE (AP): The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today made progress in repairing pumps around New Orleans.

By midday, 23 of the 148 permanent pumps are working in New Orleans and in Saint Bernard Parish, three of the 28 pumps are working.

John Hall, a spokesman for the U-S Army Corps of Engineers, said it's not clear how long it will be before all the pumps are up and running.

Possible damage to the pumps from debris remains a concern. If the water pumps get blocked and begin sucking air, Hall says it can damage them.

4:21 P.M. - BATON ROUGE (AP): In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Superdome became a symbol of relief efforts gone wrong, a scene of heartbreaking misery for thousands.

But no decision has been made about the future of the structure.

The manager of the domed stadium expects it will take more than two months to get a damage assessment and determine whether the Superdome should be repaired or razed.

The last storm victims stuck at the Superdome climbed aboard evacuation buses Saturday, leaving millions of dollars of damage behind.

In all, about 70% of the roof failed. Water poured into the building during the storm, along with debris.

Elevators, escalators and ceiling tiles were damaged. Two inches of water were on the field in some places, and the entire field where the New Orleans Saints play their football games must be removed.

There's damage to seats, bathrooms and other interior areas from the thousands of evacuees who were stranded in the building.

Although the damage is severe, Doug Thornton, a regional vice president for the company that manages the Superdome, say it will take about two months to do a full assessment.

Thornton estimates repairs to the building would be a minimum $100 million, but demolition and construction of a new stadium could cost between $500 and $600 million.

4:17 P.M. - HOUSTON (AP): Thousands of Hurricane Katrina refugees from Louisiana are in Houston and elsewhere -- wanting a job, a home and a new start. A hastily organized job fair was held today in downtown Houston. The Dallas-Fort Worth Career Conference was held in Arlington.

Oilfield services company Baker Hughes of Houston is seeking engineers. Christian Brothers Automotive advertised for technicians and shop foremen.

The Army posted a contact number, as did the Houston Public Library, the Houston Zoo and a temp agency. The Houston school district also is seeking teachers, counselors and other professionals.

Similar scenes played out in other cities that have taken in Katrina refugees. A job fair in Little Rock included the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department seeking to fill some truck driver openings.

4:15 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP) -- The post office has delivered some 15,000 Social Security checks at collection points in the area affected by Hurricane Katrina. But the agency is still trying to locate 2,000 of its workers.

In the affected region, 188 post offices have returned to full service, 189 are providing limited service and 120 are still closed.

Postmaster General John Potter says about 720,000 delivery points in Louisiana, mostly in New Orleans and the surrounding area, remain without service.

About 52,000 people who have been evacuated from their homes have filed change-of-address forms so their mail can be forwarded.

Day says the normal 30-day limit on temporary change-of-address forwarding has been suspended.

Changes can be filed at any local post office, by phone at 800-275-8777 or online at www.usps.com.

3:55 P.M. - TALLAHASSEE, FL (AP): A lot of families that fled from Hurricane Katrina and ended up in Florida say they are running low on cash and need help soon.

Hundreds of people are lining up at a Red Cross facility in Tallahassee to file for assistance from the federal government. They are eligible for multiple benefits, including cash grants, clothing, medical and psychological help as well as lodging in a hotel.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is paying for hotel stays of up to two weeks for evacuees. FEMA is also providing cash grants to evacuees. The amount ranges from $700 to $1,800 depending on the size of the family.

Plus, they are eligible for help in finding a new job.

3:50 P.M. - NEW YORK (AP): The Red Cross set up one database to help refugees from Hurricane Katrina reconnect with their families. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children created another to help displaced kids.

Efforts to reconcile all of the data have been scattered as thousands of Louisiana refugees get help in Texas shelters.

The Internet makes it simple for people around the world to help out with disaster relief.

But confusion and frustration have reigned as refugees, families and volunteers sort through as many as 50 Web sites to check on loved ones.

The Red Cross believes its Family Links Registry, previously used during civil wars abroad and the tsunami, is working.

As of today, more than 117-thousand entries had been submitted by people seeking a loved one or reporting that they're safe.

Some media organizations also created databases.

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On the Net:

Red Cross: http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina/locate

GulfCoastNews: http://wx.gulfcoastnews.com/katrina/status.aspx

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: http://www.missingkids.com

Lycos search: http://www.lycos.com/katrina

3:46 P.M. - STATE DEPARTMENT (AP): Iran's offer to the United States of 20 million barrels of crude oil in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has been rejected.

The State Department says the proposal was turned down because Iran wanted the U.S. to lift trade sanctions in exchange for the oil.

Last week, Iran's Foreign Ministry offered to send relief supplies to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief. Iranian newspapers reported that no response to that proposal was received.

The gesture was seen as a reciprocal move for U.S. supplies sent to Iran after some 26,000 people were killed by an earthquake in 2003.

3:45 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): The lower Mississippi River is open again to two-way traffic for grain shipments from the Gulf Coast.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns says most of the elevators along the lower river are back in business and capacity is a little less than two thirds the level before Hurricane Katrina.

The cargo can move only during daylight hours because Katrina knocked out navigational lights. And there are a couple of major blockages that prevent larger ships from using the river's Southwest Pass shipping channel.

More than half of U.S. grain exports go through Mississippi River ports hit by the hurricane.

3:20 P.M. - DALLAS (AP): The emergency room has reopened at Gulf Coast Medical Center in Biloxi, Mississippi, as the area struggles to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare says staffers are trying to restore service in other parts of the hospital to resume admitting patients.

The hospital was shut down shortly after Katrina hit last week.

The emergency room and a triage tent to fill prescriptions and give immunizations opened yesterday.

Patients in more serious condition will be airlifted to a Tenet hospital in Slidell, Louisiana, which remained open throughout Katrina's aftermath.

Hospital staff in Biloxi urged refugees with chronic medical conditions to remain out of the Katrina-damaged region because some medical services have not been restored.

Four other Tenet hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi remain closed.

3:10 P.M. - LOS ANGELES (AP): An 80-year-old Los Angeles woman speaks Creole with her cousin and listens to her favorite zydeco bands on vinyl records.

That's about as close as Louisiana transplant Wilda Little gets these days to the Creole culture of her youth. Her culture has been in a long decline in Los Angeles, as zydeco dance halls shut down and native Creole speakers died. And now, Hurricane Katrina has dealt the remote outposts a devastating blow.

The Associated Press reports Louisiana Creoles are loosely defined as people of mixed African, French and American Indian heritage who share a variety of French and African culture.

Thousands of Creoles left Louisiana after World War II to escape racism and find better jobs. Many passed through Houston and East Texas and wound up settling in Los Angeles. Other significant pockets are in Chicago and Detroit.

3:05 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): A White House spokesman says Former First Lady Barbara Bush's comments about some hurricane refugees were a personal observation.

The wife of former President George Bush on Monday said poor people at a relocation center in Houston are faring better than before Hurricane Katrina struck.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan today didn't answer directly when asked if the current president agreed with his mother's remarks.

Barbara Bush, after touring the Astrodome complex in Houston on Monday, said, "What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."

She commented during a radio interview with the American Public Media program "Marketplace."

2:50 P.M. - BATON ROUGE (AP): Four cases of West Nile encephalitis or meningitis were diagnosed before Hurricane Katrina bore down on the state last week, forcing the Office of Public Health out of its New Orleans offices, the state epidemiologist reported Wednesday.

The emergency kept that less urgent news from being released, Dr. Raoult Ratard said. Those cases bring the total known in Louisiana to 38 dangerous infections of the brain or spinal fluid, 14 of less serious West Nile fever and seven without any symptoms.

A satellite lab for West Nile testing is not yet ready; until it is, doctors should use private laboratories for testing and report by phone, fax or a Web-based system, said Dr. Raoult Ratard.

He said doctors don't know what effect the storm will have on the way West Nile is spread. Mosquitoes carry the virus from birds to people, and the storm killed many birds.

"Mosquitoes will become very abundant in flood waters," Ratard wrote in an e-mail, adding that those breeding in the floodwaters may not be the species which spread the virus.

The "house mosquitoes" which spread it will return once areas dry out a bit, and would carry the virus if birds in the area are infected.

There are so many unknown factors that there is no way to predict what will happen, Ratard said. More than ever, he said, it is important to use repellent and other personal protection against mosquitoes, increase mosquito control and keep tabs on human cases.

2:40 P.M. - CHARLESTON, SC (AP): As New Orleans works to recover from Hurricane Katrina, South Carolina works to offer a home for that area's displaced film industry.

In the days after Hurricane Katrina, South Carolina's Film Office has called major production companies, sent e-mails and increased its advertising in trade publications touting the state.

State film commissioner Jeff Monks says the state does not want to look like a vulture but it does want to help the film industry.

Louisiana has aggressively pursued film productions in recent years and offers a 15% tax credit for productions with budgets over $8 million. Last year it picked up $337 million in productions including the movies "Ray and "The Dukes of Hazzard."

2:33 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): Domestic oil production and refinery output should return to pre-hurricane levels by November, the Energy Department said Wednesday, as repairs are made to damaged oil rigs and Gulf coast refineries.

The department's statistical agency, the Energy Information Administration, said the recovery could vary somewhat, depending on the pace of repairs to facilities damaged by the hurricane.

But barring an unusually slow pace of repairs, the agency said domestic oil production should return to just under 5.4 million barrels a day in November, the level it was in August before Hurricane Katrina disrupted most of the Gulf production and knocked out ten Gulf coast refineries.

The EIA said U.S. refining capacity also should rebound with an anticipated output of gasoline and other fuels of nearly 16.4 million barrels a day in November, the same as the August levels.

Even in a slow recovery scenario a "return to normal operations .... is (expected to be) achieved or nearly achieved by December," said the EIA in a report issued Wednesday.

2:31 P.M. - HOUSTON (AP): In the dark tunnels underneath the Astrodome, volunteer barbers and stylists have set up a shop where Katrina's refugees can get a shave or have their hair done for free before they set out to rebuild their lives.

"What they are doing is priceless," said storm survivor Keith Anderson, a 41-year-old probation officer who waited in line for a shave and a haircut he hoped would help him find a new home and a job.

"It could be the make-or-break of getting that job. Obviously, your appearance matters. It helps with your self-esteem. You definitely, definitely want to put your best foot forward."

About 8,000 storm victims from New Orleans are sleeping on cots and standing in line for showers at the Astrodome complex.

After seeing the refugees' misery, stylist Terry Walter and his sister, Tiffany, offered their services and recruited a few more stylists and barbers, all of whom are donating their services and equipment.

Walter and his sister often stay until 4 a.m. each day, cutting, conditioning, coloring, shaving and curling refugees' hair.

"I was at home in tears, and I don't have too much stuff affect me like that, but when you see so many people broken up, you know sometimes a good haircut will put a smile on somebody's face," Terry Walter said. "It just makes me feel good."

Impromptu counseling is included. Tears rolled down Annette Massey's face as she recalled that Saturday was her missing daughter's 18th birthday. Terry Walter applied a treatment to her hair, called her "sweetie" and offered a reassuring smile.

"Some of us don't have any money to get our hair done and we need to get our hair back straightened out like it used to be because of the water that we was in," Massey said. "We needed to get the hair cut and get it back healthy-looking."

Elaine Davis, a 32-year-old mother of six, said: "If you look good, you feel good. It is going to give me some sense of taking charge and taking my life back."

2:27 P.M. - NORFOLK, VA (AP): Rudolph Giuliani, who guided New York City through the dark days after Sept. 11, said there is no place for second-guessing during an emergency, and he is not interested in criticizing the way government officials handled Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

The former mayor said before a speech Tuesday that it is too soon to draw any conclusions about whether the agencies that responded took too long or who was responsible. When the situation stabilizes, Giuliani said, the nation can examine the rescue efforts.

Giuliani said he would be willing to take a role in the relief effort but was not seeking a position.

Told by a questioner after the speech that he seemed the ideal candidate to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Giuliani said: "Maybe in a few years. Right now, I'm not a candidate for anything."

2:25 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): The anonymous donor turned up at a U.S. diplomatic office and presented an envelope with 1,000 euros (about $1,240) for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

It was a way of repaying a debt to the United States for being liberated by American soldiers from a concentration camp and treated more than 60 years ago, Sean McCormack, the State Department spokesman, said Wednesday in relating the incident.

The donor was 90 years old, but that is all McCormack would say by way of identification. "This is a person who is not seeking any publicity for this act -- which in the time we live makes it even more extraordinary," he said.

"This is a selfless act by somebody who is repaying what they felt was a deeply felt debt of gratitude to the United States," the spokesman said.

This is one of many stories from around the world of individuals being very generous with the American people at a time of need, McCormack said.

"It's extraordinary," he said.

2:21 P.M. - CAMP VICTORY, KUWAIT (AP): Hundreds of soldiers from a New Orleans National Guard unit begin leaving Thursday to return to the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina. Guard officials said 80% lost homes or jobs and some had not heard from relatives since the storm.

A Pentagon team led by Brig. Gen. Sean Byrne flew into this U.S. base in the Kuwaiti desert to help ease the Louisiana's unit redeployment home.

Speaking Wednesday to 150 soldiers sitting on plywood benches in a tent billowing in the wind, Byrne told them that if their homes are gone and their families scattered and homeless, the Army will help. Click here.

2:17 P.M. - GENEVA (AP): The international Red Cross Web site aimed at reuniting families separated by Hurricane Katrina has registered 118,000 names since it went online less than a week ago, a spokesman said Wednesday.

About one-third of the people registered live in devastated Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, while the rest lived elsewhere and were looking for someone in those states, said Florian Westphal, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"Obviously people are quite desperate," Westphal said.

Since the Web site was created, the ICRC has been getting about 500 e-mails a day from people asking to be removed from the list because they had been reunited with family members or friends.

"They wouldn't necessarily tell us it was due to the site," he said. "They may have done that by other means."

Westphal said the ICRC has a staff of 15, including temporary employees hired because of the hurricane, working in Geneva to handle the e-mails.

"We are absolutely answering every single e-mail we are getting. That's very important for us," he said.

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On the Net:

http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina

American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org

Information also can be given by phone: 1-877-568-3317

2:16 P.M. - FEMA Director Mike Brown: Asked if he’d submitted a letter of resignation, or planned to do so: I serve totally at the will of the President. We have the ability to process anywhere from 500 up to 1,000 bodies per day if need be. We will treat those bodies with the respect they deserve and work to get in touch with the deceased person’s family.

2:14 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): Floodwaters in New Orleans contain bacteria associated with sewage that are at least 10 times higher than acceptable safety levels, making direct contact by rescue workers and remaining residents dangerous, the first government tests confirmed Wednesday. Click here.

1:57 P.M. - BALTIMORE (AP): The first group of Johns Hopkins relief volunteers returned from hurricane-battered Gulf Coast while another group prepared Wednesday to head to the region.

The group that returned Tuesday left for the Gulf Coast on Friday to lead two Red Cross teams assessing medical needs in the area.

On Monday, three doctors and nine nurses flew to Louisiana to provide relief to the staff of the West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero, La., outside of New Orleans. The group, from Johns Hopkins Hospital, Bayview Medical Center, Howard County General Hospital and the Johns Hopkins Home Care Group, was sent at the request of the Maryland Department of Health and Human Services, which responded to an aid request from Louisiana state officials.

A group of more than 100, meanwhile, is waiting to head to the region. The group was prepared to leave Tuesday to join a team being assembled by the National Institutes of Health at a military base in Meridian, Miss., about 50 miles north of New Orleans. The team was to staff a field hospital planned for the region, but plans for the hospital are being reassessed, Johns Hopkins said in a statement.

Two Johns Hopkins faculty members have also been sent to the region to help set up a mental health crisis response team for those displaced by the hurricane, particularly children and families.

1:55 P.M. - (AP): Even as crews in New Orleans try to find and count the corpses that are decaying in the 90-degree heat, reports of the extent of the tragedy are starting to emerge.

A Louisiana congressman says more than 100 people died at a warehouse along a New Orleans dock. Congressman Charlie Melancon says they died as they waited for rescuers to take them to safety.

And a state lawmaker says 30 people died at a flooded-out nursing home just outside New Orleans.

Nita Hutter says the staff had left the residents behind in their beds.

A rescue that was supposed to take place never happened.

1:54 P.M. - (The Houston Chronicle): Famous faces such as Jamie Foxx and Oprah Winfrey have been seen strolling through the cots set up at the Reliant Astrodome for those taking refuge from Hurricane Katrina.

Venus Junius, who was forced from her New Orleans home during the hurricane and spent three days on top of a bridge until a bus brought her to Houston, said the celebrity visits have been nice "because right now we need everybody we can get."

So far she's seen Jada Pinkett Smith, Winfrey and Foxx.

"When I saw him I just ran to where he was at," she said. "He was so fine. I was just wishing he could have took me home with him."

Foxx, who is working with the NAACP on relief efforts, said that celebrities should get giving when the going gets tough.

"The reason you have to do this is you have to let them know that you're real," Foxx said at an NAACP event after visiting the Astrodome. "I had one guy say, 'It's about time we get some black celebrities down here.' I'm calling on all of them to come down here to see how it really is."

Ruth Bibbs, a 72-year-old from New Orleans' Lower Garden District, said meeting Foxx helped her temporarily take her mind off the devastation.

"You forget about it for a moment, at least," she said. "Then I'm back where I was, and I know I have to go back to that, but it was a relief to when you get to feel all that joy and meet all these different people. It was very inspiring."

A spokesman for Reliant Center's Joint Information Center said that because there is no standard process celebrities must go through before visiting, anyone could visit on any given day.

1:53 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): The Bush administration is getting harsh criticism from two top Democrats concerning the Hurricane Katrina r elief effort.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid is demanding to know if President Bush's Texas vacation hampered relief efforts. Reid has sent a letter to the chair of the Senate's Homeland Security Committee, calling for a wide-ranging investigation.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is characterizing Bush as "oblivious" and "in denial."

She made the comment as she revealed that during a White House meeting yesterday, she had called on Bush to fire the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She says Bush responded, "Why would I do that?"

Pelosi says FEMA chief Michael Brown has "absolutely no credentials."

The criticism comes as Bush is asking lawmakers for an additional $51.8 billion for recovery efforts.

1:51 P.M. - (AP): One New Orleans holdout says all he wants is to be left alone.

Jack Jones says he has plenty of food and bottled water and he still has running water, which he uses to flush his toilet. The French Quarter resident says his house never flooded and he will resist if soldiers try to force him to leave.

So far, nobody's been forced to go -- but soldiers are coaxing some of the stubborn holdouts from their homes.

An 86-year-old man reluctantly locked the door of the home where he's lived since 1955, and stepped into an ambulance as soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne looked on. He left only after a neighbor assured him it would be "like a vacation."

One woman cried out to reporters that instead of evacuating people who want to stay, authorities should be tending to the "dead babies."

1:50 P.M. - SAN FRANCISCO (AP): The Mervyns department store chain plans to close nearly a quarter of its stores nationwide and lay off 4,800 employees as its new owners attempt to improve the retailer's profitability. The Hayward, California-based company said today it will close 62 stores in eight states, including Louisiana.

All Mervyns stores in Michigan and Oklahoma, and some in Colorado, Louisiana and Texas, will close by February 2006.

Colorado has about 10 stores scattered along the eastern slopes of the Rockies, from Fort Collins to Pueblo. The company also will close three stores in California, Oregon and Utah, and two distribution centers in Texas and Utah. The company says the stores are money-losers and comprised just 17% of total sales.

About 1,200 full-time employees and 3,600 part-time workers will be laid off. Mervyns LLC was sold last year by Target Corporation to a private investment consortium in a deal worth $1.65 billion.

1:35 P.M. - Gayle Sloan, Superintendent of the St. Tammany Parish Public School System: We’re working real hard to have schools opened for the beginning of October. The most significant damage occurred in our Slidell-area schools. But we have a substantial number of buildings that would require little clean up in order to be fully functional.

We can use portions of our Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mardi Gras holidays to make certain the kids are out in time for Summer.

We think it’s quite possible to have students from other parishes attend our schools, so we’ll be working to accommodate them.

1:24 P.M. - Sen. Mary Landrieu: Don’t send money to FEMA; send it to the local governments. FEMA doesn’t have the wherewithal to manage this problem right now.

In the long run, we need to reestablish FEMA. I’d rather put Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama first.

I’m asking for the federal government to step in and ask for a temporary freeze on debt, or to put off mortgage payments for period of time. The banks have a long term vested interest in helping these people by providing some sort of temporary relief.

If (small businesses) can just get through these next few weeks together, they’ll be stronger in the long run.

1:20 P.M. - (AP): A top New Orleans official says rescuers are now focusing on getting out those who want to leave the city. Police department superintendent Eddie Compass says there are thousands of people willing to voluntarily evacuate.

In a news briefing, he said once those voluntary evacuations have taken place, police will focus on mandatory evacuations.

Earlier, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered the 10,000 or so holdouts to leave the city and said force would be used, if necessary. But so far, there are no reports of people being forced out.

Compass says, right now, if he pulls his manpower from the search and rescue effort, many people who want to leave would die.

1:19 P.M. - JONESBORO, AR (AP): Operators of an AIDS treatment center in Jonesboro, Arkansas, say they expect their client list to grow as victims of both AIDS and Hurricane Katrina run out of medications used to treat their illness.

Case manager Kacey Tyler says she's already getting calls from AIDS patients from the hurricane zone who need medicine and from those who want information.

Also, the American Cancer Society office in Little Rock says it is offering assistance to patients who were undergoing cancer treatments when the storm hit. The agency says the help is available to people in shelters and for people who are staying in hotels or private homes, too.

1:10 P.M. - WWL-TV: Body collection point has been established in St. Bernard Parish.

1:07 P.M. - PHILADELPHIA (AP): More than three dozen people forced from their homes by Hurricane Katrina have arrived in Philadelphia by airplane today.

It's the first wave of refugees who will be housed and schooled in the city indefinitely in the storm's aftermath.

A commercial airliner carrying 39 people landed at the Philadelphia International Airport's old overseas terminal around noon after a one-day postponement.

Mayor John Street says the refugees have received preliminary medical treatment and will be transported to temporary shelters later today. He says the "people are in pretty good spirits."

One refugee, Bruce Patterson, who is a native of southern New Jersey, says he is glad to be back in the Philadelphia area for now, but he hopes to eventually return to New Orleans.

The city has prepared two vacant school buildings as shelters for the displaced Gulf Coast residents.

1:03 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): EPA confirms flood water in New Orleans contains elevated sewage bacteria, plus high lead levels, and advises that people avoid the water as much as possible.

1:02 P.M. - CHARLESTON, SC (AP): The president of the Orleans Parish School Board says some schools in New Orleans might reopen in January. But the Reverend Torin Sanders says it will take a complete assessment of the district's 125 schools to be sure.

Sanders evacuated before the storm to Shreveport. He then headed to Charleston, South Carolina, where his parents live.

Sanders says the district is trying to develop a computer-based system so that high school seniors can take courses online and still graduate on schedule next spring.

He says Orleans Parish School Board plans to have a meeting in Baton Rouge next week.

He says the schools on the West Bank and uptown area seem to be the least damaged and could possibly reopen in January.

1:01 P.M. - WWL-TV: Ochsner has opened a primary care, walk-in clinic for New Orleans residents, offering pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics, and cardiology services. The clinic, open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily, is located across the street from Ochsner Hospital, 1514 Jefferson Hwy.

On September 12, 2005, the following clinics will be open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.:

Ochsner Clinic Kenner: Internal Medicine, Pediatrics

Ochsner Clinic LaPalco: Family Practice, Internal Medicine

Ochsner Clinic Metairie: Internal Medicine

Ochsner Hospital is open and fully operational.

The Ochsner ER is currently receiving S&R patients and walk-ins. We are not treating gastrointestinal problems as of yet, physicians feel those problems may begin to develop in the following weeks. We are mainly treating dehydration and administering tetanus shots. Ochsner Hospital is also the hub to treat all responders to Hurricane Katrina.

Patients currently receiving radiation treatment contact Dr. Troy Scroggins at tscroggjr@aol.com.

Ochsner Clinic Foundation North Shore Medical Center in Covington, LA is open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily. (Directions: I-12 to Exit 59 (Covington/Madisonville exit), north on Highway 21, immediate left into the facility).

Ochsner Clinic Hammond is open and operating under a normal schedule. We will notify employees via this website as other locations open.

Ochsner Clinic Baton Rouge on Bluebonnet will be open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Urgent Care: Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Ochsner Clinic Destrehan is open and offering Family Practice and Pediatrics. Clinic runs Monday - Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. - Noon. Open to walk-ins.

12:58 P.M. - PHOENIX (AP): The Arizona governor's office says a flight that was to have brought some 115 Hurricane Katrina evacuees to Phoenix tonight has been canceled by FEMA.

However, it says another flight carrying an undetermined number of evacuees to Tucson is en route and should arrive this afternoon. They are the first evacuees to be airlifted to Tucson, and they will be cared for in a shelter set up inside the Tucson Convention Center.

Nearly 600 evacuees were airlifted to Phoenix on Sunday, with approximately 500 of them finding shelter at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Others have been placed in hospitals, nursing homes and hospices.

Governor Janet Napolitano says an additional 500 people have made their way from the Gulf Coast to Arizona on their own and had begun contacting the Red Cross for assistance.

12:49 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hurricane Katrina will reduce employment by 400,000 people in coming months while trimming economic growth by as much as a full percentage point in the second half of this year, according to a Congressional Budget Office assessment obtained by The Associated Press.

In the first government estimate of Katrina's economic impact, the CBO gave a "ballmark estimate" that gas prices would spike by an average of 40 percent this month. That development alone would reduce overall economic growth by 0.4 percent in the current July-September quarter and by 0.9 percent in the fourth quarter of this year.

But the report said that impact would be temporary as gasoline prices returned to pre-Katrina levels and overall consumer spending rebounded.

The CBO report said that Katrina's impact was likely to be "significant but not overwhelming" to the overall U.S. economy, especially if energy production along the Gulf Coast returns to pre-hurricane levels quickly.

"Last week, it appeared that larger economic impacts might occur, but despite continued uncertainty, progress in opening refineries and restarting pipelines now makes those larger impacts less likely," CBO Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin said in a letter to congressional leaders.

12:48 P.M. - (AP): Tiny, unmanned surveillance planes are being pressed into action for reconnaissance over Katrina-ravaged New Orleans in what defense contractors call the biggest civilian deployment ever for the technology.

Ten of the unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, have been taking turns this week flying from the New Orleans Naval Air Station and relaying photos of the devastation below to the Air Force.

The original mission for these UAVs -- a new class known as the Evolution, an upgrade over the 4-pound Dragon Eye reconnaissance drones used in Iraq -- was to help in searching for stranded hurricane survivors.

But now the planes mainly are being used to assess damage to oil and gas distribution, dikes, berms and other aspects of the region's infrastructure, said Alfred Lumpkin, director of operations for ISR Group LLC, which is providing logistical support for the planes' maker, L-3 Communications Corp.

These UAVs are a far cry from their larger, more robust cousins such as the Predator that are employed by the U.S. military and intelligence services and can fire missiles and fly all day.

The battery-powered Evolution planes, which can stay aloft for two hours, are circling at a low altitude -- 500 to 1,000 feet -- to capture finely detailed images with their miniature cameras. They also have infrared capabilities for night missions and could be used for atmospheric sampling.

Although UAVs traditionally have been eyed for situations considered too "dull, dirty and dangerous" for human pilots, their workload is expected to expand in coming years because of the increasing sophistication of the vehicles' computers and communication systems.

ISR and L-3 say this is the largest civilian mission for UAVs to date, but drones have been used in domestic skies before.

The Border Patrol has sent UAVs to scan for illegal immigrants darting across southwestern deserts from Mexico. Remote-controlled planes also are launched for environmental studies and fire patrols.

12:42 P.M. - STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (AP): Some of the nations offering aid to the United States after Hurricane Katrina are reporting delays in getting a green light to send help. But a senior State Department official said Washington was evaluating its needs and had not rejected those donations. Click here.

12:41 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): President Bush is asking Congress for $51.8 billion for federal relief and recovery efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims, the White House said.

12:39 P.M. - (AP): Soldiers coaxed some of Hurricane Katrina's stubborn holdouts from their homes Wednesday after the mayor ordered all 10,000 or so residents still in this ruined city evacuated -- by force if necessary -- because of the risk of fires and disease.

"I haven't left my house in my life. I don't want to leave," said a frail-looking 86-year-old Anthony Charbonnet, shaking his head as he locked his front door and walked slowly backwards down the steps of the house where he had lived since 1955.

Charbonnet left only after a neighbor assured him: "Things will be OK. It'll be like a vacation." Still protesting, Charbonnet stepped into the ambulance in which soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division would take him to a helicopter.

As floodwaters began to slowly recede with the first of the city's pumps returning to operation, Mayor C. Ray Nagin instructed law enforcement officers and the U.S. military late Tuesday to evacuate all holdouts for their own safety. He warned that the fetid water could spread disease and that natural gas was leaking all over town.

As of midday Wednesday, there were no reports of anyone being removed by force.

"We have thousands of people who want to voluntarily evacuate at this time," Police Chief Eddie Compass said. Once they all are out, he said, "then we'll concentrate our forces on mandatory evacuation."

Several residents said they heard Nagin's order to leave on portable radios and were reluctantly complying.

12:37 P.M. - ST. PETERSBURG, FL (AP): A St. Petersburg Times reporter who was shot in the stomach during a robbery attempt while working in storm-battered Louisiana is back home and doing fine.

Marcus Franklin was shot Monday night in Baton Rouge. He was taken to a hospital where doctors determined that removing the bullet at that point would be too risky. The newspaper chartered an air ambulance to fly him home yesterday.

Franklin said he had stopped at a poorly lighted intersection in a high-crime area of Baton Rouge. A man approached, asked him how much money he had, and tried to open the passenger door of the rented car.

Franklin saw that the man had a handgun and sped away. He heard the gunshot, and when he pulled over a while later he found that he had been shot in the midsection.

Newspaper officials say Franklin went to a hospital for another checkup today.

12:33 P.M. - DENVER (AP): Colorado Congresswoman Diana DeGette says someone is going to have take responsibility for the federal government's "terrible lapse" regarding Hurricane Katrina.

But the Democratic representative wouldn't say outright whether FEMA director Michael Brown ought to be fired.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has come under fire for its handling of the disaster, and some critics have called on Brown to resign -- or for President Bush to fire him.

DeGette says she believes "there has to be heads rolling" over the government's response to Katrina -- calling it "un-American, what our country did to neglect these folks."

DeGette is cosponsoring a bill to make FEMA a stand-alone agency, saying it's lost its focus on disasters at home.

FEMA is now part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

12:25 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): The federal government plans to begin doling out debit cards worth $2,000 each to adult victims of Hurricane Katrina, The Associated Press has learned.

Homeland Security Department Secretary Michael Chertoff descibed the plan in a conference call with state officials Wednesday morning. The unprecedented cash card program initially will benefit stranded people who have been moved to major rescue centers such as the Houston Astrodome.

"They are going to start issuing debit cards, $2,000 per adult, today (Wednesday) at the Astrodome," said Kathy Walt, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

The cards could be used to buy food, transportation, gas and other essentials, according to a state official who was on the call and requested anonymity because the program has not been publicly announced.

In Boston, Gov. Mitt Romney said the cards will be offered "to people in shelters as well as people who are not in shelters but who have evacuated the area and need help." He said the hope is the cards will encourage people to leave shelters voluntarily.

It's unclear how much the debit card program will cost the government, but it's likely to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars since hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.

12:20 P.M. - SHARON, PA (AP): Winner Steel Company has laid off 70 workers because a materials supplier's plant was damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Winner Steel gets liquid hydrogen, which is used to produce galvanized steel, from Air Products and Chemicals Incorporated, based in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania.

Air Products said its New Orleans industrial gas complex was damaged and will be out of production for an extended period.

As of Friday, Winner had a 10-day hydrogen supply and was scrambling to find alternative sources.

Compounding the problem, Air Products' liquid hydrogen plant in Sarnia, Ontario, is out of production because of a scheduled maintenance shutdown.

Chairman James E. Winner Junior says he hastily bought a hydrogen-generating plant, but it will take two to five weeks for delivery plus a minimum of a week for installation.

To conserve its supply, Winner curtailed production, resulting in the layoffs.

12:18 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress' top two Democrats furiously criticized the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina on Wednesday, with Sen. Harry Reid demanding to know whether President Bush's Texas vacation impeded relief efforts and Rep. Nancy Pelosi assailing the chief executive as "oblivious, in denial" about the difficulties.

With much of New Orleans still under water, Bush readied a request for about $52 billion for relief and recovery along the Gulf Coast, and the White House indicated millions more would be needed later. Congressional officials said they expected to approve the next installment as early as Thursday, to keep the money flowing without interruption.

There was no formal announcement of the details in the request, although the Associated Press learned that the government planned to distribute debit cards worth $2,000 to victims of the hurricane.

"They are going to start issuing debit cards, $2,000 per adult, today at the Astrodome," said Kathy Walt, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

12:14 P.M. - TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran offered to send the United States 20 million barrels of crude oil in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina if Washington waived trade sanctions, but a State Department official said Wednesday that offer was rejected.

In a gesture that mirrors American aid offers after a devastating 2003 earthquake in Iran, Tehran's envoy to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said his government would ship up to 20 million barrels of oil, state radio reported late Tuesday.

"If U.S. sanctions are lifted, Iran is prepared to send that quantity of oil to America," the radio quoted Hossein Kazempour as saying.

11:49 A.M. Father William Maestri: We will work with students enrolled in other schools, we will set up satellite schools where kids are around the nation and we will have classes done online.

11:48 A.M. Maestri: Teachers will remain on salary until Oct. 1 and benefits will continue to the end of October and things will be re-analyzed to see how much further that can be extended.

11:47 A.M. Maestri: We are concerned that children won't come back and we fear that the longer we're closed, the more we may lose. We are unconcerned right now whether our children are in public, Catholic or other private schools right now, they need to do what is best for them and we believe they will be back.

11:47 A.M. Maestri: Some schools in St. John and St. Charles will be back up and ready on Monday.

11:45 A.M. Maestri: If your child is a senior and is in another school, they will be sent a diploma from their New Orleans area Catholic school upon graduation.

11:43 A.M. Maestri: Satellite classrooms will be set up around the nation wherever we can find pockets of students. Two are beginning soon in Baton Rouge. Please register with Archdioces online and let us know of your situation.

11:41 A.M. Maestri: The money will follow the child. We will refund the pro-rated money they paid to them and it can then be forwarded to the school they are enrolled in, if it's outside the area.

11:33 A.M. - St. Tammany Parish Update from 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

11:28 A.M. - Children s Hospital in New Orleans is asking all employees and staff physicians to logon to www.chnola.org or call (225) 615-7299 to provide necessary contact information.

The hospital fared well in the crisis with little or no damage to the facility. All patients were safely transferred to other hospitals. All staff members were safely evacuated from the hospital by Thursday morning, Sept. 1.

A temporary command center has been established in Baton Rouge, La., for Children s Hospital administration to resume operational logistics. Employees are asked to logon to www.chnola.org for periodic updates.

11:26 A.M. - MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Prince is weighing in on the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The rock star released a new single on his Web site over the weekend.

It's called "SST," which was inspired by the tragedy and will benefit relief efforts. It's available for a 99-cent download at www.npgmusicclub.com.

Prince wrote and recorded the song in one long late-night session after watching T-V coverage of the hurricane's aftermath.

11:24 A.M. - WASHINGTON (AP) -- The top U.S. disaster official waited hours after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast before he proposed to his boss sending at least 1,000 Homeland Security workers into the region to support rescuers, internal documents show.

Part of the mission, according to the documents obtained by The Associated Press, was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims.

Acknowledging that such a move would take two days, Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff roughly five hours after Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29.

11:22 A.M. Fire Chief Charles Parent: Morale is up. 300 firefighters from New York and 500 from Iowa are here. We have our own city set up in Algiers.

11:20 A.M. Parent: We had 15 fires Tuesday. We had 111 gas leaks. We've had 57 major fires since the storm.

11:15 A.M. - Animal Services continues to rescue animals in St. Tammany Parish as it has since the storm. Citizens may contact Animal Services at 985 809-0183 between 8am-4:30pm or the Emergency Operations Center at 985-898-2323.

If a citizen has lost a pet, they should contact the Abita Springs Animal Service location immediately. Also check Petfinders.com.

Noah s Wish rescue organization has established a staging area behind Heritage Park in Slidell to help in housing and care of displaced pets.

The Humane Society of the United States, the LASPCA, the Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams and Equine Rescue Teams have set up the Lamar-Dixon Exhibition Center in Gonzales for housing and treatment of displaced and injured animals.

11:13 A.M. - From the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Inspections: The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is currently inspecting all food service establishments in St. Tammany Parish.Establishments meeting DHH requirements will be issued an approval certificate after which they may re-open for business.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals would like all public & private water systems who have not yet reported in to contact Merl Fegan at 985-898-2861.

11:07 A.M. - BATON ROUGE - Hurricane Katrina has had a terrible effect on the state of Louisiana, and there are many college students from South Louisiana who could use help in this time of need. The LSU Foundation s Hurricane Katrina Student Relief Fund has been created in response to the far-reaching damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, and all donations to this fund will directly assist college students whose lives have been greatly affected by the storm.

Donations can be made online at www.lsu.edu/lsufoundation/ or by check. Checks should be made payable to the LSU Foundation and donors should indicate on the check that it is intended for the Hurricane Katrina Student Relief Fund. Mail checks to Hurricane Katrina Student Relief Fund, c/o LSU Foundation, 3838 W. Lakeshore Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70808.

10:54 A.M. - WASHINGTON (AP) -- The federal government plans to distribute debit cards worth $2,000 each to victims of Hurricane Katrina, The Associated Press has learned.

10:50 A.M. - St. Bernard Parish President Jr. Rodriguez - obviously the federal government was overwhelmed by this, but they shouldn't have been.

10:49 A.M. - Rodriguez: When can they come back? There's no homes to come back to. It will be at least a month before they can come and inspect the damage.

10:48 A.M. - Rodriguez: We will rebuild.

10:47 A.M. - Rodriguez: We had Canadian mounties here by the second day, and the government wasn't here. We had no communications, and I think if you don't hear from an entire parish in two days, you go see what's going on.

10:46 A.M. - Rodriguez: We all knew this (a catastrophic hurricane) was coming at some point, but we didn't know it was coming now. The magnitued of this overwhelmed the local, state and federal government, but the federal government shouldn't have been. They'd been told it was coming for a long time and it happened just like they said it was.

10:46 A.M. - Rodriguez: The death count in St. Bernard right now is 67, but it's going to be more than that. We had 30 drown in one nursing home alone.

10:45 A.M. - Rodriguez: We also have an oil spill due to a barge hitting and we have another Love Canal.

10:45 A.M. - BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Baton Rouge police say a Florida reporter in town to cover the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was shot in an attempted robbery. The reporter suffered non-life threatening injuries.

The Saint Petersburg Times reporter was lost in a north Baton Rouge neighborhood Monday when a gunman approached him, demanding money. The man -- identified by the newspaper as 34-year-old Marcus Franklin -- sped away but was shot in the lower abdomen

10:44 A.M. - ATLANTA (AP) -- The Louisiana insurance commissioner urged officials from his state, along with Alabama and Mississippi, to be quick to respond to people affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Insurance Commissioner Robert Wooley is meeting today in Atlanta with insurance officials from the three states.

10:42 A.M. - Authorities in New Orleans have found a suspected sniper.

Federal, state and local authorities had turned out in force, after shots were reported fired at telephone workers trying to restore cellphone service.

The shots came from a public housing project.

Officers from agencies ranging from the U-S Border Patrol to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms went door to door, finding several men who'd taken refuge there and eventually finding a man with two guns.

10:41 A.M. - SOUTHAVEN, Miss. (AP) -- First Lady Laura Bush on Thursday will visit Mississippi school officials educating students displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

The White House said Tuesday that Mrs. Bush would visit Greenbrook Elementary School and Goodman Oaks Church of Christ in Southaven.

10:40 A.M. - PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- A car ferry that carried travelers between Portland and Nova Scotia for 12 summers is heading to the Gulf Coast to help provide shelter for residents forced from their homes by Hurricane Katrina. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it's hired the 485-foot Scotia Prince for six months for the special duty. The ferry's preparing to leave Charleston, South Carolina, where it had been in dry dock.

Federal officials have not said where the Scotia Prince will be berthed or when it's expected to arrive on the Gulf Coast.

10:37 A.M. - State officials say that the first $200 million check from FEMA is arriving this week and will be distributed to the parishes, another $300 million check will come next week and FEMA wants to start individual assistance soon and is asking victims to register at 1-800-621-FEMA.

10:35 A.M. - WASHINGTON (AP) -- Many countries say they want to help, but that their Hurricane Katrina offers have gone unanswered. A top Indian official says his country has a plane "parked at the airport" loaded with medicine and food, but the U-S hasn't given a destination.

Taiwan says it's waiting for the U-S to decide where the island nation's two (m) million-dollar donation should be sent. South Korea has promised 30 (m) million dollars and had said it would sent 40 rescue workers and 100 tons of blankets, diapers, wheelchairs and the like by this weekend. But now a Foreign Ministry official says the delivery will be delayed until next week because "preparations are not going well."

A State Department spokesman says "any offers of support that could potentially benefit" the U-S have been accepted.

10:34 A.M. - WHITE HOUSE (AP) -- The White House says President Bush will ask Congress later today for more cash to pay for Hurricane Katrina recovery work.

Press Secretary Scott McClellan's refusing to confirm what congressional sources are saying -- that the request could reach $40 billion dollars.

But the spokesman says, "We are sparing no effort to help those in need."

10:25 A.M. - To the estimated 10,000 residents still holed up in this ruined city, the mayor had a blunt new warning: Get out now or risk being taken out by force.

As floodwaters began to slowly recede with the first of the city's pumps returning to operation, Mayor C. Ray Nagin instructed law enforcement officers and the U.S. military late Tuesday to evacuate all holdouts for their own safety. He warned that the fetid water could spread disease and that natural gas was leaking all over town.

By midday Wednesday, however, no forced evacuations were reported. Police Capt. Marlon Defillo said police were focusing for now on people who wanted to be rescued. And Art Jones of the state Homeland Security Department said the National Guard does not work for the mayor and has yet to receive orders from the military to force people out.

Nagin's directive -- which superseded an earlier, milder order to evacuate made before Hurricane Katrina crashed ashore Aug. 29 -- came after rescuers scouring New Orleans found hundreds of people ignoring warnings to get out. They included Dennis Rizzuto, 38, who said he had plenty of water, food to last a month and a generator powering his home. He and his family were offered a boat ride to safety, but he declined.

"They're going to have to drag me," Rizzuto said.

10:15 A.M. - PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- A car ferry that carried travelers between Portland and Nova Scotia for 12 summers is heading to the Gulf Coast to help provide shelter for residents forced from their homes by Hurricane Katrina. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it's hired the 485-foot Scotia Prince for six months for the special duty. The ferry's preparing to leave Charleston, South Carolina, where it had been in dry dock.

10:11 A.M. - Doug Thornton: Assessment to be made whether dome can be rebuilt, restored or torn down, but premature to say it has to go. Decision on dome is weeks away.

10:10 A.M. - Thornton: Valid to ask if dome should be reopened since it was site of so much death. Thornton says many good memories also in dome.

10:10 A.M. - Doug Thornton, Superdome: Premature to say the dome can't be saved.

10:09 A.M. - Thornton: Majority of damage to dome is from roof problems, but some damage from evacuees. Water pressure loss caused inability to flush toilets, causing major problems, concourses in bad condition. Water is on the field.

10:08 A.M. - Thornton: The field is absolutely ruined.

10:07 A.M. - Thornton: Hazardous waste crews to come in first to make it safe and sanitary, before anything else can be done.

10:06 A.M. - Thornton: New Orleans Arena could be back in service by five-six months.

10:05 A.M. - East St. John High School is registering students today through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The school will reopen Monday, Sept. 12.

9:45 A.M. - National Sheriffs Association president Ted Sexton said 1,500 sheriffs deputies are helping local law enforcement, 1,000 of those in Louisiana now and 500 in Mississippi.

8:10 A.M. - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers district engineer Colonel Richard Wagenaar, interviewed on WWL-TV by telephone this morning, said his optimistic view of pumping the city dry is 21 days, but if there is a tropical storm or other events it could take up to 3 months.

Col. Wagenaar said work is progressing on the Industrial Canal and London Ave. breaks, with 500 to 1,000 workers involved from all agencies and branches of local, state and federal government.

His estimate for fixing the London Canal break is next week, but he hopes to have the canal blocked in the next day. A contractor is on site, but "the complexity is 5 times that of the 17th Street Canal break."

It's a different situation, however, for the Industrial Canal. "It will take quite a while," Col. Wagennar said. "There are significant blockages" including several barges blocking access to the site.

7:16 A.M. - (AP): To the estimated 10,000 residents still believed to be holed up in this ruined city, the mayor of New Orleans had a blunt new warning: Get out now - or risk being taken out by force.

As floodwaters began to slowly recede with the first of the city's pumps returning to operation, Mayor C. Ray Nagin authorized law enforcement officers and the U.S. military to force the evacuation of all residents who refuse to heed orders to leave.

Police Capt. Marlon Defillo said that forced removal of citizens had not yet begun. "That's an absolute last resort," he said.

Nagin's order targets those still in the city unless they have been designated as helping with the relief effort. Repeated calls to Nagin's spokeswoman, Tami Frazier, seeking comment were not returned.

The move - which supersedes an earlier, milder order to evacuate made before Hurricane Katrina crashed ashore Aug. 29 - comes after rescuers scouring New Orleans found hundreds of people willing to defy repeated urgings to get out.

6:42 A.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security employees to the region – and gave them two days to arrive, according to internal documents.

Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Mike Chertoff roughly five hours after Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29. Brown said that among duties of these employees was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims.

Before then, FEMA had positioned smaller rescue and communications teams across the Gulf Coast. But officials acknowledged Tuesday the first department-wide appeal for help came only as the storm raged.

Brown's memo to Chertoff described Katrina as "this near catastrophic event" but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, "Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities."

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