Re: OT: followup on New Orleans - disgraceful
- From: John Larkin <jjlarkin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 06 Sep 2005 09:56:12 -0700
On Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:56:13 +0100, Pooh Bear
<rabbitsfriendsandrelations@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>A poster to the previous thread I started posted the following link.
>
>http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2005/08/31/disaster_preparation/
>
>Includes...
>
>" A year ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed to study how New
>Orleans could be protected from a catastrophic hurricane, but the Bush
>administration ordered that the research not be undertaken. "
>
>your comments are welcome
>
>
>Graham
>
I went to high school in New Orleans, and my classmates have organized
an email exchange of contacts and information. Here's one I received:
>
Sent: Friday, September 02, 2005 11:56 AM Subject: horrors from a physician stuck in the Ritz Carlton.
Read this horrifying account of what is going on. Mindy A former
Wilmington NC physician writes from New Orleans
Aug. 31, 2005: This is a dispatch from New Orleans from Dr. Greg
Henderson, a pathologist who recently moved from Wilmington :
Thanks to all of you who have sent your notes of concern and your
prayers. I am writing this note on Tuesday at 2 p.m. I wanted to
update all of you as to the situation here. I don't know how much
information you are getting but I am certain it is more than we are
getting. Be advised that almost everything I am telling you is from
direct observation or rumor from reasonable sources. They are allowing
limited internet access, so I hope to send this dispatch today.
Personally, my family and I are fine. My family is safe in Jackson ,
Miss. and I am now a temporary resident of the Ritz Carleton Hotel in
New Orleans . I figured if it was my time to go, I wanted to go in a
place with a good wine list. In addition, this hotel is in a very old
building on Canal Street that could and did sustain little damage.
Many of the other hotels sustained significant loss of windows, and we
expect that many of the guests may be evacuated here.
Things were obviously bad yesterday, but they are much worse today.
Overnight the water arrived. Now Canal Street (true to its origins) is
indeed a canal. The first floor of all downtown buildings is
underwater. I have heard that Charity Hospital and Tulane are limited
in their ability to care for patients because of water. Ochsner is the
only hospital that remains fully functional. However, I spoke with
them today and they too are on generator and losing food and water
fast.
The city now has no clean water, no sewerage system, no electricity,
and no real communications. Bodies are still being recovered floating
in the floods. We are worried about a cholera epidemic. Even the
police are without effective communications. We have a group of armed
police here with us at the hotel that is admirably trying to exert
some local law enforcement. This is tough because looting is now
rampant. Most of it is not malicious looting. These are poor and
desperate people with no housing and no medical care and no food or
water trying to take care of themselves and their families.
Unfortunately, the people are armed and dangerous. We hear gunshots
frequently. Most of Canal street is occupied by armed looters who have
a low threshold for discharging their weapons. We hear gunshots
frequently. The looters are using makeshift boats made of pieces of
styrofoam to access. We are still waiting for a significant National
Guard presence.
The health care situation here has dramatically worsened overnight.
Many people in the hotel are elderly and small children. Many other
guests have unusual diseases. There are (Infectious Disease)
physicians in at this hotel attending an HIV conference. We have
commandeered the world famous French Quarter Bar to turn into an
makeshift clinic. There is a team of about seven doctors and PAs and
pharmacists. We anticipate that this will be the major medical
facility in the central business district and French Quarter.
Our biggest adventure today was raiding the Walgreens on Canal under
police escort. The pharmacy was dark and full of water. We basically
scooped the entire drug sets into garbage bags and removed them. All
under police escort. The looters had to be held back at gunpoint.
After a dose of prophylactic Cipro I hope to be fine.
In all we are faring well. We have set up a hospital in the French
Quarter bar in the hotel, and will start admitting patients today.
Many will be from the hotel, but many will not. We are anticipating
dealing with multiple medical problems, medications and acute
injuries. Infection and perhaps even cholera are anticipated major
problems. Food and water shortages are imminent.
The biggest question to all of us is where the National Guard is. We
hear jet fighters and helicopters, but no real armed presence, and
hence the rampant looting. There is no Red Cross and no Salvation
Army.
In a sort of cliché way, this is an edifying experience. One is
rapidly focused away from the transient and material to the bare
necessities of life. It has been challenging to me to learn how to be
a primary care physician. We are under martial law so return to our
homes is impossible. I don't know how long it will be and this is my
greatest fear. Despite it all, this is a soul-edifying experience. The
greatest pain is to think about the loss. And how long the rebuild
will take. And the horror of so many dead people.
PLEASE SEND THIS DISPATCH TO ALL YOU THING MAY BE INTERESTED IN A
DISPATCH from the front. I will send more according to your interest.
Hopefully their collective prayers will be answered. By the way,
suture packs, sterile gloves and stethoscopes will be needed as the
Ritz turns into a MASH unit.
Greg Henderson
.
- References:
- OT: followup on New Orleans - disgraceful
- From: Pooh Bear
- OT: followup on New Orleans - disgraceful
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