BC-Hurricane Katrina, 24th Ld-Writethru,1614

New Orleans mayor says thousands are probably dead, urges rest to flee flooded city

By ADAM NOSSITER
Associated Press Writer

AP Graphics
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00265555 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Thu Sep 1 02:08:04 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0416‡-----

u abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 24th Ld-Writethru,1614

New Orleans mayor says thousands are probably dead, urges rest to flee flooded city

Eds: LEADS with 5 grafs to update with Tenet Healthcare saying it will evacuate functioning hospital

%photo(AP Photos%)

AP Graphics

By ADAM NOSSITER

Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – With thousands feared drowned in what could be America's deadliest natural disaster in a century, New Orleans' leaders all but surrendered the streets to floodwaters Wednesday and began turning out the lights on the ruined city – perhaps for months.

Looting spiraled so out of control that Mayor Ray Nagin ordered virtually the entire police force to abandon search-and-rescue efforts and focus on the brazen packs of thieves who have turned increasingly hostile.

Late Wednesday, Tenet Healthcare Corp. asked Louisiana State Police and the U.S. Coast Guard to help evacuate one of its hospitals in Gretna after a supply truck carrying food, water, medical supplies and pharmaceuticals was held up by gunmen.

"We have to close it down because we can no longer ensure the safety of our patients or our staff in that hospital," Tenet spokesman Steven Campanini said of the 203-bed Meadowcrest Hospital.

He said there were about 350 employees and between 125 to 150 patients inside the hospital, which is not flooded and is functioning.

Earlier, Nagin called for an all-out evacuation of the city's remaining residents. Asked how many people died, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

With most of the city under water, Army engineers struggled to plug New Orleans' breached levees with giant sandbags and concrete barriers, and authorities drew up plans to clear out the tens of thousands of remaining people and practically abandon the below-sea-level city.

Nagin said there will be a "total evacuation of the city. We have to. The city will not be functional for two or three months." And he said people would not be allowed back into their homes for at least a month or two.

If the mayor's death-toll estimate holds true, it would make Katrina the worst natural disaster in the United States since at least the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, which have blamed for anywhere from about 500 to 6,000 deaths. Katrina would also be the nation's deadliest hurricane since 1900, when a storm in Galveston, Texas, killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people.

A slow exodus from the Superdome began Wednesday as the first of nearly 25,000 refugees left the miserable surroundings of the football stadium and were transported in buses to the Astrodome in Houston, 350 miles away. Conditions in the Superdome had become horrendous: There was no air conditioning, the toilets were backed up, and the stench was so bad that medical workers wore masks as they walked around.

In Mississippi, bodies are starting to pile up at the morgue in hard-hit Harrison County. Forty corpses have been brought to the morgue already, and officials expect the death toll in the county to climb well above 100.

Tempers were beginning to flare in the aftermath of the storm. Police said a man fatally shot his sister in the head over a bag of ice in Hattiesburg, Miss.

President Bush flew over New Orleans and parts of Mississippi's hurricane-blasted coastline in Air Force One. Turning to his aides, he said: "It's totally wiped out. ... It's devastating, it's got to be doubly devastating on the ground."

"We're dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history," Bush said later in a televised address from the White House, which most victims could not see because power remains out to 1 million Gulf Coast residents.

The federal government dispatched helicopters, warships and elite SEAL water-rescue teams in one of the biggest relief operations in U.S. history, aimed at plucking residents from rooftops in the last of the "golden 72 hours" rescuers say is crucial to saving lives.

As fires burned from broken natural-gas mains, the skies above the city buzzed with National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters frantically dropping baskets to roofs where victims had been stranded since the storm roared in with a 145-mph fury Monday. Atop one apartment building, two children held up a giant sign scrawled with the words: "Help us!"

Looters used garbage cans and inflatable mattresses to float away with food, blue jeans, tennis shoes, TV sets – even guns. Outside one pharmacy, thieves commandeered a forklift and used it to push up the storm shutters and break through the glass. The driver of a nursing-home bus surrendered the vehicle to thugs after being threatened.

Police were asking residents to give up any firearms before they evacuated neighborhoods because officers desperately needed the firepower: Some officers who had been stranded on the roof of a hotel said they were shot at.

Police said their first priority remained saving lives, and mostly just stood by and watched the looting. But Nagin later said the looting had gotten so bad that stopping the thieves became the top priority for the police department.

"They are starting to get closer to heavily populated areas – hotels, hospitals, and we're going to stop it right now," Nagin said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Hundreds of people wandered up and down shattered Interstate 10 – the only major freeway leading into New Orleans from the east – pushing shopping carts, laundry racks, anything they could find to carry their belongings.

On some of the few roads that were still open, people waved at passing cars with empty water jugs, begging for relief. Hundreds of people appeared to have spent the night on a crippled highway.

Nagin, whose pre-hurricane evacuation order got most of his city of a half a million out of harm's way, estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people remained, and said that 14,000 to 15,000 a day could be evacuated in ensuing convoys.

"We have to," Nagin said. "It's not living conditions."

He also expressed concern about people staying in the water: "People walking in that water with those dead bodies, it can get in your pores, you don't have to drink it."

In addition to the Astrodome solution, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was considering putting people on cruise ships, in tent cities, mobile home parks, and so-called floating dormitories.

The floodwaters streamed into the city's streets from two levee breaks near Lake Pontchartrain a day after New Orleans thought it had escaped catastrophic damage from Katrina. The floodwaters covered 80 percent of the city, in some areas 20 feet deep, in a reddish-brown soup of sewage, gasoline and garbage.

Around midday, officials with the state and the Army Corps of Engineers said the water levels between the city and the lake had equalized, and water had stopped spilling into New Orleans, and even appeared to be falling. But the danger was far from over.

The Corps of Engineers said it planned to use heavy-duty Chinook helicopters to drop 15,000-pound bags of sand and stone as early as Wednesday night into the 500-foot gap in the failed floodwall.

But the agency said it was having trouble getting the sandbags and dozens of 15-foot highway barriers to the site because the city's waterways were blocked by loose barges, boats and large debris.

In Washington, the Bush administration decided to release crude oil from the federal petroleum reserves after Katrina knocked out 95 percent of the Gulf of Mexico's output. But because of the disruptions and damage to the refineries, gasoline prices surged above $3 a gallon in many parts of the country.

The death toll has reached at least 110 in Mississippi alone. But the full magnitude of the disaster had been unclear for days – in part, because some areas in both coastal Mississippi and New Orleans are still unreachable, but also because authorities' first priority has been the living.

In Mississippi, for example, ambulances roamed through the passable streets of devastated places such as Biloxi, Gulfport, Waveland and Bay St. Louis, in some cases speeding past corpses in hopes of saving people trapped in flooded and crumbled buildings.

State officials said Nagin's guess of thousands dead seemed plausible.

Lt. Kevin Cowan of the state Office of Emergency Preparedness said it is too soon to say with any accuracy how many died. But he noted that since thousands of people had been rescued from roofs and attics, it could be assumed that there were lots of others who were not saved.

"You have a limited number of resources, for an unknown number of evacuees. It's already been several days. You've had reports there are casualties. You all can do the math," he said.

On the flooded streets of New Orleans, dozens of fishermen from up to 200 miles away floated in on caravans of boats to pull residents out.

One of those rescued was 40-year-old Kevin Montgomery, who spent three days shuttling between the attic of a one-story home and a canopy he built on the roof.

Every once in a while, Mongtomery would see a body float by. But he cannot swim and had to fight the urge to wade in and tie them down.

"It was terrible," he said. "All I could do was pass them by and hope that God takes care of the rest of that."

–––

Associated Press reporters Robert Tanner, Holbrook Mohr, Mary Foster, Allen G. Breed, Cain Burdeau and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00260587 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 04:30:07 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0453‡-----

r abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, Bjt,1229

Gulf Coast struggles to reach the living and New Orleans to stem the floods

Eds: Press conference set for 9 a.m. EDT

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Along the Gulf Coast, there was simply no time to even count the dead. Engineers scrambled to plug two broken New Orleans levees and rescuers searched for survivors clinging to both hope and rooftops as the swirling, tea-colored water continued to rise.

The flooding in New Orleans grew worse by the minute Tuesday, prompting Gov. Kathleen Blanco to say that everyone still in the city, now huddled in the Superdome and other rescue centers, needs to leave. She said she wanted the Superdome evacuated within two days, but it was still unclear where the people would go.

To repair damage to one of the levees holding back Lake Pontchartrain, officials late Tuesday dropped 3,000-pound sandbags from helicopters and hauled dozens of 15-foot concrete barriers into the breach. Maj. Gen. Don Riley of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said officials also had a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the hole.

Riley said it could take close to a month to get all the flood water out of the city. If the water rises a few feet higher, it could also wipe out the water system for whole city, said New Orleans' homeland security chief Terry Ebbert.

A helicopter view of the devastation over Louisiana and Mississippi revealed people standing on black rooftops baking in the sunshine while waiting for rescue boats.

"I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour after touring the destruction by air.

All day long, rescuers in boats and helicopters plucked bedraggled flood refugees from rooftops and attics. Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu said 3,000 people have been rescued by boat and air, some placed shivering and wet into helicopter baskets. They were brought by the truckload into shelters, some in wheelchairs and some carrying babies, with stories of survival and of those who didn't make it.

"Oh my God, it was hell," said Kioka Williams, who had to hack through the ceiling of the beauty shop where she worked as floodwaters rose in New Orleans' low-lying Ninth Ward. "We were screaming, hollering, flashing lights. It was complete chaos."

Looting broke out in some New Orleans neighborhoods, prompting authorities to send more that 70 additional officers and an armed personnel carrier into the city. One police officer was shot in the head by a looter, but was expected to recover, said Sgt. Paul Accardo, a police spokesman.

On New Orleans' Canal Street, dozens of looters ripped open the steel gates on clothing and jewelry stores and grabbed merchandise. In Biloxi, Miss., people picked through casino slot machines for coins and ransacked other businesses. In some cases, the looting was in full view of police and National Guardsmen.

Officials said it was simply too early to estimate a death toll. One Mississippi county alone said it had suffered at least 100 deaths, and officials are "very, very worried that this is going to go a lot higher," said Joe Spraggins, civil defense director for Harrison County, home to Biloxi and Gulfport. In neighboring Jackson County, officials said at least 10 deaths were blamed on the storm.

Several victims in Harrison County were from a beachfront apartment building that collapsed under a 25-foot wall of water as Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast with 145-mph winds Monday. Louisiana officials said many were feared dead there, too, making Katrina one of the most punishing storms to hit the United States in decades.

Blanco asked residents to spend Wednesday in prayer.

"That would be the best thing to calm our spirits and thank our Lord that we are survivors," she said. "Slowly, gradually, we will recover; we will survive; we will rebuild."

Across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, more than 1 million residents remained without electricity, some without clean drinking water. An untold number who heeded evacuation orders were displaced and 40,000 were in Red Cross shelters, with officials saying it could be weeks, if not months, before most will be able to return.

Emergency medical teams from across the country were sent into the region and President Bush cut short his Texas vacation Tuesday to return to Washington to focus on the storm damage.

Federal Emergency Management Agency director Mike Brown warned that structural damage to homes, diseases from animal carcasses and chemicals in floodwaters made it unsafe for residents to come home anytime soon. The sweltering city of 480,000 had no drinkable water, and the electricity could be out for weeks.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is considering putting people on cruise ships, in tent cities, mobile home parks, and so-called floating dormitories – boats the agency uses to house its own employees.

Even the Superdome was no longer safe. The dome, which became a shelter for some 20,000 people, has no air conditioning or electricity. Broken toilets and overflowing garbage cans have made for extremely unsanitary conditions.

Katrina, which was downgraded to a tropical depression, packed winds around 30 mph as it moved through the Ohio Valley early Wednesday, with the potential to dump 8 inches of rain and spin off deadly tornadoes.

The remnants of Katrina spawned bands of storms and tornadoes across Georgia that caused at least two deaths, multiple injuries and leveled dozens of buildings. A tornado damaged 13 homes near Marshall, Va.

A clearer picture of the destruction in Alabama began to emerge Tuesday: cement slabs where homes once stood, a 100-foot shrimp boat smoldering on its side, people searching for swept-away keepsakes. The damage in some areas appears to be worse than last year's Hurricane Ivan.

In devastated Biloxi, areas that were not underwater were littered with tree trunks, downed power lines and chunks of broken concrete. Some buildings were flattened.

The string of floating barge casinos crucial to the coastal economy were a shambles. At least three of them were picked up by the storm surge and carried inland, their barnacle-covered hulls sitting up to 200 yards inland.

One of the deadliest spots appeared to be Biloxi's Quiet Water Beach apartments, where authorities estimated 30 people were washed away, although the exact toll was unknown. All that was left of the red-brick building was a concrete slab.

"We grabbed a lady and pulled her out the window and then we swam with the current," 55-year-old Joy Schovest said through tears. "It was terrifying. You should have seen the cars floating around us. We had to push them away when we were trying to swim."

–––

Associated Press reporters Holbrook Mohr, Mary Foster, Allen G. Breed, Adam Nossiter and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

–––

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00261091 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 07:32:48 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0487‡-----

u abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 1st Ld-Writethru,1372

Gulf Coast struggles to reach the living and New Orleans to stem the floods

Eds: LEADS with 7 grafs to UPDATE with fresh quotes from Louisiana governor on evacuations, levee, ADDS latest federal government response; Picks up 8th graf bgng 'A helicopter view...' Press conference set for 9 a.m. EDT

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

"The situation is worsening," Blanco said on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday. Asked if New Orleans would have to be evacuated, she said, "I don't think we can do anything else right now."

"The challenge is an engineering nightmare," Blanco said. "The National Guard has been dropping sandbags into it, but it's like dropping it into a black hole."

Riley said it could take close to a month to get all the flood water out of the city. If the water rises a few feet higher, it could also wipe out the water system for the whole city, said New Orleans' homeland security chief, Terry Ebbert.

The U.S. Navy is sending four ships carrying water and other supplies, while medical disaster teams and Red Cross workers from across the country converged on the devastated Gulf Coast region. The Red Cross reported it had about 40,000 people in 200 shelters across the area.

A helicopter view of the devastation over Louisiana and Mississippi revealed people standing on black rooftops baking in the sunshine while waiting for rescue boats.

"I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour after touring the destruction by air.

Looting broke out in some New Orleans neighborhoods, prompting authorities to send more than 70 additional officers and an armed personnel carrier into the city. One police officer was shot in the head by a looter, but was expected to recover, said Sgt. Paul Accardo, a police spokesman.

Blanco asked residents to spend Wednesday in prayer.

"That would be the best thing to calm our spirits and thank our Lord that we are survivors," she said. "Slowly, gradually, we will recover; we will survive; we will rebuild."

Emergency medical teams from across the country were sent into the region and President Bush cut short his Texas vacation Tuesday to return to Washington to focus on the storm damage.

In devastated Biloxi, areas that were not underwater were littered with tree trunks, downed power lines and chunks of broken concrete. Some buildings were flattened.

–––

Associated Press reporters Holbrook Mohr, Mary Foster, Allen G. Breed, Adam Nossiter and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

–––

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00261268 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 08:19:26 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0499‡-----

u abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 2nd Ld-Writethru,1173

Gulf Coast struggles to reach the living and New Orleans to stem the floods

Eds: LEADS throughout to UPDATE with more from governor on levee repair attempts, looting; CORRECTS that interview was on Wednesday sted Tuesday. News conference with governor and other officials set for 9 a.m. EDT

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Army engineers struggled without success to plug New Orleans' breached levees with sandbags, and the governor said Wednesday the situation was worsening and there was no choice but to abandon the flooded city.

"The challenge is an engineering nightmare," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "The National Guard has been dropping sandbags into it, but it's like dropping it into a black hole."

As the waters continued to rise in New Orleans, four Navy ships raced toward the Gulf Coast with drinking water and other emergency supplies, and Red Cross workers from across the country converged on the devastated region. The Red Cross reported it had about 40,000 people in 200 shelters across the area.

Officials said the death toll from Hurricane Katrina had reached at least 110 in Mississippi, while Louisiana put aside the counting of the dead to concentrate on rescuing the living, many of whom were still trapped on rooftops and in attics.

Blanco acknowledged that looting was a severe problem but said that officials had to focus on survivors. "We don't like looters one bit, but first and foremost is search and rescue," she said.

To repair one of the levees holding back Lake Pontchartrain, officials late Tuesday dropped 3,000-pound sandbags from helicopters and hauled dozens of 15-foot concrete barriers into the breach. Maj. Gen. Don Riley of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said officials also had a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the 500-foot hole.

Riley said it could take close to a month to get the water out of the city. If the water rises a few feet higher, it could also wipe out the water system for the whole city, said New Orleans' homeland security chief, Terry Ebbert.

Blanco said she wanted the Superdome – which had become a shelter of last resort for about 20,000 people – evacuated within two days, though was still unclear where the people would go. The air conditioning inside the Superdome was out, the toilets were broken, and tempers were rising in the sweltering heat. "Conditions are degenerating rapidly," she said. "It's a very, very desperate situation."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency was considering putting people on cruise ships, in tent cities, mobile home parks, and so-called floating dormitories – boats the agency uses to house its own employees.

A helicopter view of the devastation over Louisiana and Mississippi revealed people standing on black rooftops, baking in the sunshine while waiting for rescue boats.

"I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour after touring the destruction by air Tuesday.

Several of dead in Harrison County were from a beachfront apartment building that collapsed under a 25-foot wall of water as Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast with 145-mph winds Monday. Louisiana officials said many were feared dead there, too, making Katrina one of the most punishing storms to hit the United States in decades.

Blanco asked residents to spend Wednesday in prayer.

"That would be the best thing to calm our spirits and thank our Lord that we are survivors," she said. "Slowly, gradually, we will recover; we will survive; we will rebuild."

Across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, more than 1 million residents remained without electricity, some without clean drinking water. Officials said it could be weeks, if not months, before most evacuees will be able to return.

Emergency medical teams from across the country were sent into the region and President Bush cut short his Texas vacation Tuesday to return to Washington to focus on the storm damage.

–––

Associated Press reporters Holbrook Mohr, Mary Foster, Allen G. Breed, Adam Nossiter and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

–––

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00261387 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 08:55:00 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0515‡-----

u abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 3rd Ld-Writethru,1399

`Engineering nightmare': Water keeps rising in New Orleans

Eds: UPDATES with mayor saying it could be months before people can return, I-10 badly damage. News conference with governor and other officials set for 9 a.m. EDT

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Army engineers struggled without success to plug New Orleans' breached levees with giant sandbags, and the governor said Wednesday the situation was worsening and there was no choice but to abandon the flooded city.

The death toll from Hurricane Katrina reached at least 110 in Mississippi alone, while Louisiana put aside the counting of the dead to concentrate on rescuing the living, many of whom were still trapped on rooftops and in attics.

A full day after the city thought it had escaped Katrina's full fury, two levees broke and spilled water into the streets of New Orleans on Tuesday, swamping an estimated 80 percent of the bowl-shaped, below-sea-level city, inundating miles and miles of homes and rendering much of New Orleans uninhabitable for weeks or months.

"We are looking at 12 to 16 weeks before people can come in," New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said on ABC's "Good Morning America, "and the other issue that's concerning me is have dead bodies in the water. At some point in time the dead bodies are going to start to create a serious disease issue."

Blanco acknowledged that looting was a severe problem but said that officials had to focus on survivors. "We don't like looters one bit, but first and foremost is search and rescue," she said.

Blanco said she wanted the Superdome – which had become a shelter of last resort for about 20,000 people – evacuated within two days, along with other gathering points for storm refugees. The situation inside the dank and sweltering Superdome was becoming desperate: The water was rising, the air conditioning was out, toilets were broken, and tempers were rising.

At the same time, sections of Interstate 10, the only major freeway leading into New Orleans from the east, lay shattered, dozens of huge slabs of concrete floating in the floodwaters. I-10 is the only route for commercial trucking across southern Louisiana.

The sweltering city of 480,000 people – an estimated 80 percent of whom obeyed orders to evacuate as Katrina closed in over the weekend – also had no drinkable water, and the electricity could be out for weeks.

"The logistical problems are impossible and we have to evacuate people in shelters," the governor said. "It's becoming untenable. There's no power. It's getting more difficult to get food and water supplies in, just basic essentials."

She said arrangements were being made to shelter refugees across the state, and buses were being sent in to take them from New Orleans.

A helicopter view of the devastation over Louisiana and Mississippi revealed people standing on black rooftops, baking in the sunshine while waiting for rescue boats.

"I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour after touring the destruction by air Tuesday.

Several of the dead in Harrison County were from a beachfront apartment building that collapsed under a 25-foot wall of water as Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast with 145-mph winds Monday. Louisiana officials said many were feared dead there, too, making Katrina one of the most punishing storms to hit the United States in decades.

Blanco asked residents to spend Wednesday in prayer.

"That would be the best thing to calm our spirits and thank our Lord that we are survivors," she said. "Slowly, gradually, we will recover; we will survive; we will rebuild."

Emergency medical teams from across the country were sent into the region and President Bush cut short his Texas vacation Tuesday to return to Washington to focus on the storm damage.

–––

Associated Press reporters Holbrook Mohr, Mary Foster, Allen G. Breed, Adam Nossiter and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

–––

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00261484 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 09:25:02 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0524‡-----

u abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 4th Ld-Writethru,1449

`Engineering nightmare': Water keeps rising in New Orleans

Eds: INSERTS 1 graf after 20th graf, `Looting broke ...' to UPDATE with guns looted from Wal-Mart. News conference with governor and other officials set for 9 a.m. EDT

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

A full day after the Big Easy thought it had escaped Katrina's full fury, two levees broke and spilled water into the streets on Tuesday, swamping an estimated 80 percent of the bowl-shaped, below-sea-level city, inundating miles and miles of homes and rendering much of New Orleans uninhabitable for weeks or months.

"We are looking at 12 to 16 weeks before people can come in," Mayor Ray Nagin said on ABC's "Good Morning America, "and the other issue that's concerning me is have dead bodies in the water. At some point in time the dead bodies are going to start to create a serious disease issue."

Blanco acknowledged that looting was a severe problem but said that officials had to focus on survivors. "We don't like looters one bit, but first and foremost is search and rescue," she said.

She said arrangements were being made to shelter refugees across the state, and buses were being sent in to take them from New Orleans.

A helicopter view of the devastation over Louisiana and Mississippi revealed people standing on black rooftops, baking in the sunshine while waiting for rescue boats.

"I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour after touring the destruction by air Tuesday.

A giant new Wal-Mart in New Orleans was looted, and the entire gun collection was taken, The Times-Picayune reported. "There are gangs of armed men in the city moving around the city," said Ebbert, the city's homeland security chief. Also, looters tried to break into Children's Hospital, the governor's office said.

Blanco asked residents to spend Wednesday in prayer.

"That would be the best thing to calm our spirits and thank our Lord that we are survivors," she said. "Slowly, gradually, we will recover; we will survive; we will rebuild."

Emergency medical teams from across the country were sent into the region and President Bush cut short his Texas vacation Tuesday to return to Washington to focus on the storm damage.

–––

Associated Press reporters Holbrook Mohr, Mary Foster, Allen G. Breed, Adam Nossiter and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

–––

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00261586 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 09:55:34 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0528‡-----

u abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 5th Ld-Writethru,1492

`Engineering nightmare': Water keeps rising in New Orleans

Eds: UPDATES with report that evacuees will be taken to the Houston Astrodome, Bush administration to release crude oil from its reserve. News conference with governor about to begin.

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

The sweltering city of 480,000 people – an estimated 80 percent of whom obeyed orders to evacuate as Katrina closed in over the weekend – also had no drinkable water, the electricity could be out for weeks, and looters were ransacking stores around town.

She gave no details on exactly where the refugees would be taken. But in Houston, Rusty Cornelius, a county emergency official, said at least 25,000 of them would travel in a bus convoy to Houston starting Wednesday and would be sheltered at the 40-year-old Astrodome, which is no longer used for professional sporting events.

A helicopter view of the devastation over Louisiana and Mississippi revealed people standing on black rooftops, baking in the sunshine while waiting for rescue boats.

"I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour after touring the destruction by air Tuesday.

A giant new Wal-Mart in New Orleans was looted, and the entire gun collection was taken, The Times-Picayune newspaper reported. "There are gangs of armed men in the city moving around the city," said Ebbert, the city's homeland security chief. Also, looters tried to break into Children's Hospital, the governor's office said.

Blanco acknowledged that looting was a severe problem but said that officials had to focus on survivors. "We don't like looters one bit, but first and foremost is search and rescue," she said.

Blanco asked residents to spend Wednesday in prayer.

"That would be the best thing to calm our spirits and thank our Lord that we are survivors," she said. "Slowly, gradually, we will recover; we will survive; we will rebuild."

Emergency medical teams from across the country were sent into the region and President Bush cut short his Texas vacation Tuesday to return to Washington to focus on the storm damage.

Also, the Bush administration decided to release crude oil from federal petroleum reserves to help refiners whose supply was disrupted by Katrina. The announcement helped push oil prices lower.

–––

Associated Press reporters Holbrook Mohr, Mary Foster, Allen G. Breed, Adam Nossiter and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

–––

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00261966 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 11:30:39 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0554‡-----

u abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 6th Ld-Writethru,1464

`Engineering nightmare': Water keeps rising in New Orleans

Eds: CORRECTS that Army has not actually begun dropping giant sandbags, but plans to do so later today.

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Army engineers trying to plug New Orleans' breached levees struggled to move giant sandbags and concrete barriers into place, and the governor said Wednesday the situation was growing more desperate and there was no choice but to abandon the flooded city.

"The challenge is an engineering nightmare," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

As the waters continued to rise in New Orleans, the Pentagon began mounting one of the biggest search-and-rescue operations in U.S. history, sending four Navy ships to the Gulf Coast with drinking water and other emergency supplies, along with the hospital ship USNS Comfort, search helicopters and eight swift-water rescue teams. Red Cross workers from across the country converged on the devastated region.

The Army Corps of Engineers said it planned to use heavy-duty Chinook helicopters to drop 3,000-pound sandbags Wednesday into the 500-foot gap in the failed floodwall. But the agency said it was having trouble getting the sandbags and dozens of 15-foot highway barriers to the site because the city's waterways were blocked by loose barges, boats and large debris.

Officials said they were also looking at a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the 500-foot hole.

The Red Cross reported it had about 40,000 people in 200 shelters across the area in one of the biggest urban disasters the nation has ever seen.

A full day after the Big Easy thought it had escaped Katrina's full fury, two levees broke and spilled water into the streets Tuesday, swamping an estimated 80 percent of the bowl-shaped, below-sea-level city, inundating miles and miles of homes and rendering much of New Orleans uninhabitable for weeks or months.

"We are looking at 12 to 16 weeks before people can come in," Mayor Ray Nagin said on ABC's "Good Morning America, "and the other issue that's concerning me is we have dead bodies in the water. At some point in time the dead bodies are going to start to create a serious disease issue."

Once the levees are fixed, Maj. Gen. Don Riley of the Army Corps of Engineers said, it could take close to a month to get the water out of the city. If the water rises a few feet higher, it could also wipe out the water system for the whole city, said New Orleans' homeland security chief, Terry Ebbert.

A helicopter view of the devastation over Louisiana and Mississippi revealed people standing on black rooftops, baking in the sunshine while waiting for rescue boats.

"I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour after touring the destruction by air Tuesday.

Blanco acknowledged that looting was a severe problem but said that officials had to focus on survivors. "We don't like looters one bit, but first and foremost is search and rescue," she said.

Blanco asked residents to spend Wednesday in prayer.

"That would be the best thing to calm our spirits and thank our Lord that we are survivors," she said. "Slowly, gradually, we will recover; we will survive; we will rebuild."

Emergency medical teams from across the country were sent into the region and President Bush cut short his Texas vacation Tuesday to return to Washington to focus on the storm damage.

Also, the Bush administration decided to release crude oil from federal petroleum reserves to help refiners whose supply was disrupted by Katrina. The announcement helped push oil prices lower.

–––

Associated Press reporters Holbrook Mohr, Mary Foster, Allen G. Breed, Adam Nossiter and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

–––

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00262730 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 14:22:32 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0461‡-----

b abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 7th Ld,0111

BULLETIN

`Engineering nightmare': Water keeps rising in New Orleans

Eds: UPDATES with mayor saying thousands may have died in New Orleans.

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The mayor said Wednesday that Hurricane Katrina killed hundreds – maybe thousands – of people in New Orleans.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00262754 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 14:28:09 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0464‡-----

b abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 8th Ld,0136

BULLETIN

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, dead in New Orleans, mayor says

Eds: UPDATES with quote from mayor.

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The mayor said Wednesday that Hurricane Katrina probably killed thousands of people in New Orleans.

"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and others dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 9th Ld,0820

URGENT

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, dead in New Orleans, mayor says

Eds: RESTORES background.

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00262778 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 14:34:29 2005

Alert Categories: bus coa dam def env kcr mun non tra

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0469‡-----

u abx

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The mayor said Wednesday that Hurricane Katrina probably killed thousands of people in New Orleans.

"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and others dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

The frightening prediction came as Army engineers struggled to plug New Orleans' breached levees with giant sandbags and concrete barriers, while authorities drew up plans to move some 25,000 storm refugees out of the city to Houston in a huge bus convoy and all but abandon flooded-out New Orleans.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the situation was desperate and there was no choice but to clear out.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, began mounting one of the largest search-and-rescue operations in U.S. history, sending four Navy ships to the Gulf Coast with drinking water and other emergency supplies, along with the hospital ship USNS Comfort, search helicopters and elite SEAL water-rescue teams. American Red Cross workers from across the country converged on the devastated region in the agency's biggest-ever relief operation.

The death toll from Hurricane Katrina has reached at least 110 in Mississippi alone. But Louisiana has put aside the counting of the dead to concentrate on rescuing the living, many of whom were still trapped on rooftops and in attics.

"We are looking at 12 to 16 weeks before people can come in," Nagin said on ABC's "Good Morning America, "and the other issue that's concerning me is we have dead bodies in the water. At some point in time the dead bodies are going to start to create a serious disease issue."

With the streets awash and looters brazenly cleaning out stores, authorities planned to move at least 25,000 of New Orlean's storm refugees – most of them taking shelter in the dank and sweltering Superdome – to the Astrodome in Houston in a vast exodus by bus.

Around midday, officials with the state and the Army Corps of Engineers said the water levels between the city and Lake Pontchartrain had equalized, and water had stopped rising in New Orleans, and even appeared to be falling, at least in some places. But the danger was far from over.

Officials said they were also looking at a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the 500-foot hole.

"The challenge is an engineering nightmare," the governor said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

As New Orleans descended deeper into chaos, hundreds of people wandered aimlessly up and down Interstate 10, pushing shopping carts, laundry racks, anything they could find to carry their belongings. Dozens of fishermen from up to 200 miles away floated in on caravans of boats to pull residents out of flooded neighborhoods.

On some of the few roads that were still passable, people waved at passing cars with empty water jugs, begging for relief. Hundreds of people appeared to have spent the night on a crippled highway.

In one east New orleans neighborhood, refugees were being loaded onto the backs of moving vans like cattle, and in one case emergency workers with a sledgehammer and an ax broke open the back of a mail truck and used it to ferry sick and elderly residents.

Police officers were asking residents to give up any guns they had before they boarded buses and trucks because police desperately needed the firepower: Some officers who had been stranded on the roof of a motel said they were being shot at overnight.

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 10th Ld,0909

URGENT

Thousands are probably dead in flooded-out New Orleans, mayor says

Eds: UPDATES with mayor saying the city will not be functioning for two to three months.

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00262847 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 14:53:28 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0479‡-----

u abx

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The mayor said Wednesday that Hurricane Katrina probably killed thousands of people in New Orleans.

"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and other people dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

There will be a "total evacuation of the city. We have to. The city will not be functional for two or three months," Nagin said.

Most of those refugees – 15,000 to 20,000 people – were in the Superdome, which had become hot and stuffy, with broken toilets and nowhere for anyone to bathe. "It can no longer operate as a shelter of last resort," the mayor said.

Nagin estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people remained in New Orleans. He said 14,000 to 15,000 a day could be evacuated.

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 11th Ld-Writethru,0898

URGENT

Thousands are probably dead in flooded-out New Orleans, mayor says

Eds: RESTORES background.

AP Graphics LEVEE BREAK, HURR KATRINA COMPARISON, HURR EXTREME WEATHER, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR KATRINA RESPONSE

AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00262860 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 14:56:59 2005

Alert Categories: bus coa dam def env kcr mun non tra

Profiler Categories: Business Crime Damages Defense Environment

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0481‡-----

u abx

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The mayor said Wednesday that Hurricane Katrina probably killed thousands of people in New Orleans.

"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and other people dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

There will be a "total evacuation of the city. We have to. The city will not be functional for two or three months," Nagin said.

Nagin estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people remained in New Orleans. He said 14,000 to 15,000 a day could be evacuated.

With the streets awash and looters brazenly cleaning out stores, authorities planned to move at least 25,000 of the New Orlean's storm refugees to the Houston Astrodome, 350 miles away, over two days in a vast convoy of some 475 buses.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the situation was desperate and there was no choice but to clear out.

The Army Corps of Engineers said it planned to use heavy-duty Chinook helicopters to drop 20,000-pound sandbags Wednesday into the 500-foot gap in the failed floodwall. But the agency said it was having trouble getting the sandbags and dozens of 15-foot highway barriers to the site because the city's waterways were blocked by loose barges, boats and large debris.

Officials said they were also looking at a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the 500-foot hole.

"The challenge is an engineering nightmare," the governor said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

On some of the few roads that were still passable, people waved at passing cars with empty water jugs, begging for relief. Hundreds of people appeared to have spent the night on a crippled highway.

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 12th Ld-Writethru,0975

URGENT

Thousands are probably dead in flooded-out New Orleans, mayor says

Eds: ADDS background on how Katrina compares with other hurricanes.

AP Graphics HURR CITY DEVASTATED, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR RED CROSS, HURR KATRINA ROUNDUP, HURR PAST HURRICANES, HURR LEVEE BREACH

AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00262949 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 15:15:02 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0491‡-----

u abx

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The mayor said Wednesday that Katrina probably killed thousands of people in New Orleans – an estimate that, if accurate, would make the storm by far the nation's deadliest hurricane in more than a century.

"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and other people dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

There will be a "total evacuation of the city. We have to. The city will not be functional for two or three months," Nagin said.

Most of those storm refugees – 15,000 to 20,000 people – were in the Superdome, which had become hot and stuffy, with broken toilets and nowhere for anyone to bathe. "It can no longer operate as a shelter of last resort," the mayor said.

Nagin estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people remained in New Orleans, a city of nearly half a million people. He said 14,000 to 15,000 a day could be evacuated.

The death toll from Hurricane Katrina has reached at least 110 in Mississippi alone. But the full magnitude of the disaster had been unclear for days; Louisiana has been putting aside the counting of the dead to concentrate on rescuing the living, many of whom were still trapped on rooftops and in attics.

If the mayor's estimate holds true, it would make Katrina the nation's deadliest hurricane since 1900, when a storm in Galveston, Texas, killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the situation was desperate and there was no choice but to clear out.

Officials said they were also looking at a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the 500-foot hole.

"The challenge is an engineering nightmare," the governor said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

As the sense of desperation deepened in New Orleans, hundreds of people wandered up and down Interstate 10, pushing shopping carts, laundry racks, anything they could find to carry their belongings. Dozens of fishermen from up to 200 miles away floated in on caravans of boats to pull residents out of flooded neighborhoods.

On some of the few roads that were still passable, people waved at passing cars with empty water jugs, begging for relief. Hundreds of people appeared to have spent the night on a crippled highway.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00263077 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 15:41:45 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0506‡-----

u abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 13th Ld-Writethru,1493

Thousands are probably dead in flooded-out New Orleans, mayor says

Eds: ADDS background on other natural disasters. RESTORES background.

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics HURR CITY DEVASTATED, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR RED CROSS, HURR KATRINA ROUNDUP, HURR PAST HURRICANES, HURR LEVEE BREACH

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Hurricane Katrina probably killed thousands of people in New Orleans, the mayor said Wednesday – an estimate that, if accurate, would make the storm the nation's deadliest natural disaster since at least the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and other people dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

There will be a "total evacuation of the city. We have to. The city will not be functional for two or three months," Nagin said.

Nagin estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people remained in New Orleans, a city of nearly half a million people. He said 14,000 to 15,000 a day could be evacuated.

Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast on Monday just east of New Orleans with howling, 145-mile wind. The death toll has reached at least 110 in Mississippi alone. But the full magnitude of the disaster had been unclear for days; Louisiana has been putting aside the counting of the dead to concentrate on rescuing the living, many of whom were still trapped on rooftops and in attics.

If the mayor's estimate holds true, it would make Katrina the nation's deadliest hurricane since 1900, when a storm in Galveston, Texas, killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people. The death toll in the San Francisco earthquake and the resulting fire has been put at anywhere from about 500 to 6,000.

With the streets awash and looters brazenly cleaning out stores, authorities planned to move at least 25,000 of the New Orleans' storm refugees to the Houston Astrodome, 350 miles away, in a vast, two-day convoy of some 475 buses.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the situation was desperate and there was no choice but to clear out.

Officials said they were also looking at a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the 500-foot hole.

"The challenge is an engineering nightmare," the governor said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

On some of the few roads that were still passable, people waved at passing cars with empty water jugs, begging for relief. Hundreds of people appeared to have spent the night on a crippled highway.

In one east New Orleans neighborhood, refugees were loaded onto the backs of moving vans like cattle, and in one case emergency workers with a sledgehammer and an ax broke open the back of a mail truck and used it to ferry sick and elderly residents.

The sweltering city of 480,000 people – an estimated 80 percent of whom obeyed orders to evacuate as Katrina closed in over the weekend – had no drinkable water, the electricity could be out for weeks, and looters were ransacking stores around town.

Sections of Interstate 10, the only major freeway leading into New Orleans from the east, lay shattered, dozens of huge slabs of concrete floating in the floodwaters. I-10 is the only route for commercial trucking across southern Louisiana.

In addition to the Houston Astrodome solution, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was considering putting people on cruise ships, in tent cities, mobile home parks, and so-called floating dormitories – boats the agency uses to house its own employees.

A helicopter view of the devastation over Louisiana and Mississippi revealed people standing on black rooftops, baking in the sunshine while waiting for rescue boats.

"I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour after touring the destruction by air Tuesday.

The governor acknowledged that looting was a severe problem but said that officials had to focus on survivors. "We don't like looters one bit, but first and foremost is search and rescue," she said.

In Washington, the Bush administration decided to release crude oil from federal petroleum reserves to help refiners whose supply was disrupted by Katrina. The announcement helped push oil prices lower.

–––

Associated Press reporters Holbrook Mohr, Mary Foster, Allen G. Breed, Adam Nossiter and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

–––

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00263249 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 16:22:44 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0538‡-----

u abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 14th Ld-Writethru,1492

Thousands are probably dead in flooded-out New Orleans, mayor says

Eds: LEADS with 11 grafs to UPDATE with mayor saying people will not be allowed back for a month or two. PICKS UP 13th graf pvs, `Gov. Kathleen ...'

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics HURR CITY DEVASTATED, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR RED CROSS, HURR KATRINA ROUNDUP, HURR PAST HURRICANES, HURR LEVEE BREACH

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and other people dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

The frightening estimate came as Army engineers struggled to plug New Orleans' breached levees with giant sandbags and concrete barriers, while authorities drew up plans to clear out the tens of thousands of people left in the Big Easy and all but abandon the flooded-out city. Many of the evacuees – including thousands now staying in the Superdome – will be moved to the Astrodome in Houston, 350 miles away.

There will be a "total evacuation of the city. We have to. The city will not be functional for two or three months," Nagin said. And he said people will not be allowed back into their homes for at least a month or two.

Nagin estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people remained in New Orleans, a city of nearly half a million people. He said 14,000 to 15,000 a day could be evacuated.

With the streets awash and looters brazenly cleaning out stores, authorities planned to move at least 25,000 of the New Orleans' storm refugees to the Astrodome in a vast, two-day convoy of some 475 buses.

Many of the city's storm refugees – 15,000 to 20,000 people – were in the Superdome, which had become hot and stuffy, with broken toilets and nowhere for anyone to bathe. "It can no longer operate as a shelter of last resort," the mayor said.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the situation was desperate and there was no choice but to clear out.

Officials said they were also looking at a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the 500-foot hole.

"The challenge is an engineering nightmare," the governor said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

On some of the few roads that were still passable, people waved at passing cars with empty water jugs, begging for relief. Hundreds of people appeared to have spent the night on a crippled highway.

A helicopter view of the devastation over Louisiana and Mississippi revealed people standing on black rooftops, baking in the sunshine while waiting for rescue boats.

"I can only imagine that this is what Hiroshima looked like 60 years ago," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour after touring the destruction by air Tuesday.

The governor acknowledged that looting was a severe problem but said that officials had to focus on survivors. "We don't like looters one bit, but first and foremost is search and rescue," she said.

–––

Associated Press reporters Holbrook Mohr, Mary Foster, Allen G. Breed, Adam Nossiter and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

–––

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00263463 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 17:02:03 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0559‡-----

u abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 15th Ld-Writethru,1492

Thousands are probably dead in flooded-out New Orleans, mayor says

Eds: UPDATES with state officials saying estimate of death toll is plausible, details on levee repair plan.

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics HURR CITY DEVASTATED, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR RED CROSS, HURR KATRINA ROUNDUP, HURR PAST HURRICANES, HURR LEVEE BREACH

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and other people dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

Nagin estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people remained in New Orleans, a city of nearly half a million people. He said 14,000 to 15,000 a day could be evacuated.

State officials said the mayor's figure seemed plausible.

Lt. Kevin Cowan of the state Office of Emergency Preparedness said there is no way to determine with any accuracy how many died. But he noted that since thousands of people had been rescued from roofs and attics, it could be assumed that there were lots of others who were not saved.

"You have a limited number of resources, for an unknown number of evacuees. It's already been several days. You've had reports there are casualties. You all can do the math," he said.

Around midday, officials with the state and the Army Corps of Engineers said the water levels between the city and Lake Pontchartrain had equalized, and water had stopped pouring into New Orleans, and even appeared to be falling, at least in some places. But the danger was far from over.

The Army Corps of Engineers said it planned to use heavy-duty Chinook helicopters to drop 15,000-pound bags of sand and stone as early as Wednesday night into the 500-foot gap in the failed floodwall.

But the agency said it was having trouble getting the sandbags and dozens of 15-foot highway barriers to the site because the city's waterways were blocked by loose barges, boats and large debris.

Officials said they were also looking at a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the 500-foot hole.

"The challenge is an engineering nightmare," the governor said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

With the streets awash and looters brazenly cleaning out stores with law enforcement officers too busy to do anything about it, authorities planned to move at least 25,000 of the New Orleans' storm refugees to the Astrodome in a vast, two-day caravan of some 475 buses.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the situation was desperate and there was no choice but to clear out.

Walter Baumy of the Army Corps of Engineers said that it could be weeks before the water is removed from the city, but that he is confident New Orleans' pumps, once they are back in service, can handle the load.

On some of the few roads that were still passable, people waved at passing cars with empty water jugs, begging for relief. Hundreds of people appeared to have spent the night on a crippled highway.

A helicopter view of the devastation over Louisiana and Mississippi revealed people standing on black rooftops, baking in the sunshine while waiting for rescue boats.

The governor acknowledged that looting was a severe problem but said that officials had to focus on survivors. "We don't like looters one bit, but first and foremost is search and rescue," she said.

–––

Associated Press reporters Holbrook Mohr, Mary Foster, Allen G. Breed, Adam Nossiter and Jay Reeves contributed to this report.

–––

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Doc: 00263544 DB: research–d–2005–3 Date: Wed Aug 31 17:18:27 2005

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

a0570‡-----

u abx

BC-Hurricane Katrina, 16th Ld-Writethru,1462

Thousands are probably dead in flooded-out New Orleans, mayor says

Eds: Minor editing throughout.

%photo(AP Photos LAEG111, LADP117, LADP216, LADM130, LAEG101, LAEG108, TXDAM107, NY123, FLPC101, MSRC102%)

AP Graphics HURR CITY DEVASTATED, HURR SERVICE LOSS, HURR RED CROSS, HURR KATRINA ROUNDUP, HURR PAST HURRICANES, HURR LEVEE BREACH

By BRETT MARTEL

Associated Press Writer

"We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and other people dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

The frightening estimate came as Army engineers struggled to plug New Orleans' breached levees with giant sandbags and concrete barriers, and authorities drew up plans to clear out the tens of thousands of people left in the Big Easy and practically abandon the flooded-out city. Many of the evacuees – including thousands now staying in the Superdome – will be moved to the Astrodome in Houston, 350 miles away.

Nagin estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people remained in New Orleans, a city of nearly half a million. He said 14,000 to 15,000 a day could be evacuated.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, began mounting one of the largest search-and-rescue operations in U.S. history, sending four Navy ships with drinking water and other emergency supplies, along with the hospital ship USNS Comfort, search helicopters and elite SEAL water-rescue teams. American Red Cross workers from across the country converged on the devastated region in the agency's biggest-ever relief operation.

State officials said the mayor's figure seemed plausible.

"You have a limited number of resources, for an unknown number of evacuees. It's already been several days. You've had reports there are casualties. You all can do the math," he said.

Around midday, officials with the state and the Army Corps of Engineers said the water levels between the city and Lake Pontchartrain had equalized, and the water had stopped pouring into New Orleans, and even appeared to be falling, at least in some places. But the danger was far from over.

But the agency said it was having trouble getting the sandbags and dozens of 15-foot highway barriers to the site because the city's waterways were blocked by loose barges, boats and large debris.

Officials said they were also looking at a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the 500-foot hole.

"The challenge is an engineering nightmare," the governor said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

With the streets awash and looters brazenly cleaning out stores with law enforcement officers too busy to do anything about it, authorities planned to move at least 25,000 of New Orleans' storm refugees to the Astrodome in a vast, two-day caravan of some 475 buses.

Many of the city's refugees – 15,000 to 20,000 people – were in the Superdome, which had become hot and stuffy, with broken toilets and nowhere for anyone to bathe. "It can no longer operate as a shelter of last resort," the mayor said.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the situation was desperate and there was no choice but to clear out.

On some of the few roads that were still passable, people waved at passing cars with empty water jugs, begging for relief. Hundreds of people appeared to have spent the night on a crippled highway.

Police officers were asking residents to give up any guns they had before they boarded buses and trucks because police desperately needed the firepower: Some office