Airlift rescues thousands from hurricane-stricken areas
MSN Money - Financial Times Business News: Airlift rescues thousands from hurricane-stricken areas: "An emergency airlift rescued thousands from hurricane-ravaged New Orleans following President George W. Bush's pledge to send in more troops to help the relief effort.
Mr Bush, facing criticism for the response to the catastrophe, announced on Saturday that 7,000 active troops would be despatched over the next three days. A further 10,000 National Guard were also being sent to Louisiana and Mississippi, bringing the total of US troops deployed to 40,000.
'Many of our citizens are not getting the help they need, especially in New Orleans, and that is unacceptable,' Mr Bush said on Saturday in a live Rose Garden address at the White House.
Thousands of people converged on Louis Armstrong international airport in New Orleans seeking transport, food, water and medical supplies. Helicopters evacuated some of the sickest people as they arrived.
About 24,000 National Guard already deployed to Louisiana and Mississippi were to help stop the looting and other crimes that brought mayhem to New Orleans in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Mr Bush, who visited the hurricane areas on Friday, is due to return to the region in two days. The White House said the president's meeting in Washington next week with President Hu Jintao of China had been postponed because of the crisis.
Conditions began to improve in parts of New Orleans at the weekend as relief was being distributed from National Guard trucks carrying food, water and medical supplies.
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At the Superdome in New Orleans, where as many as 25,000 had been seeking refuge in overcrowded and dirty conditions, the evacuation of about 2,000 refugees remaining resumed after being halted earlier to allow rescue buses to be diverted there. Many people were bused to cities including Houston and Dallas in Texas, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Some people stranded on roofs and balconies for days were winched to safety by military helicopters.
Smoke billowed out from a store in Ne.w Orleans, while several small explosions were also reported.
Water levels in New Orleans appeared to have stabilised on Saturday, and workers began to repair levees that broke when Katrina hit, flooding almost 80 per cent of the city.
The US Coast Guard said it was monitoring the Gulf coast for environmental hazard after an oil spill was reported on the Mississippi near the southern tip of Louisiana.
In addition to the extra troop deployment, the government commissioned three cruise ships from Carnival Cruise Lines for six months to provide temporary housing, Carnival said at the weekend. "
It is about time that help gets to the people of New Orleans. Maybe if most of the National Guard were not over in Iraq then they would have gotten them help days ago. It is the National Guard meaning they protect America not fight in Iraq
"Mr Bush said no one had anticipated the breach of the levees that protect New Orleans from flooding. But Lieutenant-General Carl Strock, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, said the military and the Federal Emergency Management Agency had ordered the evacuation of New Orleans precisely because the levees were not designed to withstand a category five hurricane."
Yeah Bush are you that stupid! They ordered the evacuation because the levees could not hold up against a category five hurricane, so how can you say that no one thought the levees would break. My god how did we elect such an idiot.
Mr Bush, facing criticism for the response to the catastrophe, announced on Saturday that 7,000 active troops would be despatched over the next three days. A further 10,000 National Guard were also being sent to Louisiana and Mississippi, bringing the total of US troops deployed to 40,000.
'Many of our citizens are not getting the help they need, especially in New Orleans, and that is unacceptable,' Mr Bush said on Saturday in a live Rose Garden address at the White House.
Thousands of people converged on Louis Armstrong international airport in New Orleans seeking transport, food, water and medical supplies. Helicopters evacuated some of the sickest people as they arrived.
About 24,000 National Guard already deployed to Louisiana and Mississippi were to help stop the looting and other crimes that brought mayhem to New Orleans in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Mr Bush, who visited the hurricane areas on Friday, is due to return to the region in two days. The White House said the president's meeting in Washington next week with President Hu Jintao of China had been postponed because of the crisis.
Conditions began to improve in parts of New Orleans at the weekend as relief was being distributed from National Guard trucks carrying food, water and medical supplies.
The tabular content relating to this article is not available to view. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience caused.
At the Superdome in New Orleans, where as many as 25,000 had been seeking refuge in overcrowded and dirty conditions, the evacuation of about 2,000 refugees remaining resumed after being halted earlier to allow rescue buses to be diverted there. Many people were bused to cities including Houston and Dallas in Texas, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Some people stranded on roofs and balconies for days were winched to safety by military helicopters.
Smoke billowed out from a store in Ne.w Orleans, while several small explosions were also reported.
Water levels in New Orleans appeared to have stabilised on Saturday, and workers began to repair levees that broke when Katrina hit, flooding almost 80 per cent of the city.
The US Coast Guard said it was monitoring the Gulf coast for environmental hazard after an oil spill was reported on the Mississippi near the southern tip of Louisiana.
In addition to the extra troop deployment, the government commissioned three cruise ships from Carnival Cruise Lines for six months to provide temporary housing, Carnival said at the weekend. "
It is about time that help gets to the people of New Orleans. Maybe if most of the National Guard were not over in Iraq then they would have gotten them help days ago. It is the National Guard meaning they protect America not fight in Iraq
"Mr Bush said no one had anticipated the breach of the levees that protect New Orleans from flooding. But Lieutenant-General Carl Strock, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, said the military and the Federal Emergency Management Agency had ordered the evacuation of New Orleans precisely because the levees were not designed to withstand a category five hurricane."
Yeah Bush are you that stupid! They ordered the evacuation because the levees could not hold up against a category five hurricane, so how can you say that no one thought the levees would break. My god how did we elect such an idiot.
posted by Ben | 
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