Friday's update from my friend from New Orleans:

I've decided to send updates on a daily basis since I hope we can collectively help more than we each can individually and in more creative and long-term ways.

It's Friday morning and I'm in Starkville in Northeast Mississippi. We've spent yesterday moving from Baton Rouge across the state of Mississippi.

Baton Rouge seemed so overcrowded and desperate before we left. It seems like the city has doubled or tripled in size with some desperate New Orleans rumored to be roaming in downtown Baton Rouge in armed gangs, the S.W.A.T. is out and many displaced New Orleans are fruitlessly attempting to find a home in Baton Rouge. I'm concerned that the violence wrought by desperation will turn the refuge camp and rescue and recovery staging ground that is now Baton Rouge into a chaotic and violent mess. I'm also fear that the natives of Baton Rouge might react with violence in order to protect their city (I know of many friends buying shotguns). CNN reports late last night seem to confirm my fears.

We spent the day driving through Mississippi and many of the areas we drove through had hurricane damage. On Highway 61, there are houses blown completely open (I think, by tornado damage) and many of the billboards are completely tattered. It is so heartbreaking to see people (many who seem to be poor African-American New Orleanians) walk empty-handed on the side of the road or pile into the backs of trucks. The lack of gas, ice and other provisions and the boil water order throughout the state remind me of stories of sub-Saharan Africa civil war. We've only seen two gas stations that have been open throughout the state and the lines are hours long and patrolled by 4 police cars each. I'm not honestly sure how riots and violence will be prevented. Personally, we have less than a quarter tank last night and hoped that gas will arrive during the night and plan on an early and lengthy visit to the pumps. My dad is on a pump run.

I've seen the news and have started receiving information from friends today. I'm heartbroken and angry that at the aftermath of Katrina is so devastating.

The damage from the storm was great but completely manageable. However, the storm ended on Monday. The flood could have been preventable (by dropping concrete (instead of sand) on late Monday or early Tuesday) and the looting, violence and complete lack of law and order could have been prevented by decent relief efforts (ones that included food, water and the arrival of National Guard before Thursday). While I think it is highly immoral and plain dumb for guns to be used to steal video games and items from pawn shops (all seen by friends still stuck in New Orleans), many left (mostly poor African-Americans) have been abandoned by the government who could not evacuate them prior to the storm, house or feed them during the storm or rescue them afterwards and who feel forced to take matters into their own hands. (A historical note – this sentiment has been felt by Louisiana's African-American population repeatedly and notably in the aftermath of Hurricane Betsy in the 1960's and the flood in 1927. It's rumored that the Army Corp of Engineers broke a dam to protect the Garden District and Uptown (rich, mostly white neighborhoods) which flooded the Ninth Ward (an almost completely African-American area) during Betsy and that they used African-Americans as sandbags during the flood).

In my opinion, causalities during a disaster versus casualties during and after a disaster (with more occurring during the aftermath) differentiate civilization from the non-civilized world, peace-time from war-time. The number of dead bodies littering shelters and the city just reinforce this.

The fight for life and the lack of help our people are getting is frightful. The use of small busses (instead of large cruise boats) makes little sense. The lack of rescue operations today is unfathomable to me. According to a friend, Jefferson Parish has sent sheriffs out across the Cresent City connection to prevent New Orleans Citizens from Crossing into Algiers (which is in Orleans Parish,) sending them back into the water logged city. The Western Bank of New Orleans is dry and could provide a safer staging place for rescue efforts. The dangerous conditions within the city have forced some of our friends to remain inside an apartment building and delay evacuation attempts in order to avoid gunfire and crazed mobs.

I also can't belief the reaction of the federal government officials and the comments made by certain members of the republican leadership, before a emergency session of Congress to provide money for rescue operations (not rebuilding money). It's not the time to comment on the economic future of New Orleans; we're still trying to rescue our survivors and then need to bury our dead before these discussions should even begin. Money should not matter during the rescue stage of the nation's biggest national disaster. For a country that claims to value our citizen's lives beyond all else, we need to spend any penny that might save a single life.

Though I thought the following sentiment was nuts earlier today, it seems like the Republican leadership is trying to use America's worst national disaster. Here are couple of pieces of information that could lead to this sickening conclusion:

1. I learnt from Jean-Paul Morrell (the son of New Orleans' City Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge Morrell and State Representative Arthur Morrell, brother of NOPD Special force Sergeant Todd F. Morrell) that NOPD has not received food or even bullets from the federal government. They are down to about 10 bullets per office. Looters have raided the armory (that was supposed to be protected by national guardsmen that weren't there) and police officers have been eating Peanut Butter sandwiches because the Feds won't even give them MREs.
2. Jean-Paul also has learnt that the National Guard had not been deployed into New Orleans before Thursday. Most of the national guard troops, reported to be in the region, are in Baton Rouge awaiting orders.
3. Jean-Paul also informed me that the Federal Government is requesting that the Mayor of New Orleans relinquish control of New Orleans. The Mayor has refused to do so, stating that he is the legally elected representative from New Orleans to represent the people's interest. Guilliani was not asked to relinquish control of New York. Mayor Nagin is a democrat. Guilliani is a republican
4. Hastert's comments. These comments show heartlessness towards New Orleanians -- a callousness that I'm sure he would not display to his own.
5. The demographics of New Orleans. The city voted for Kerry overwhelming (74% if I remember correctly) and elects democrats to municipal, state and federal offices. 60% of the city is African-American. 50% of the city lived in poverty prior to the hurricane (I think).
6. The demographics of most of those trapped. The images on TV show African-Americans, mostly those who didn't have the resources to leave the city.

I feel that this accusation of political opportunism and institutional racism is crazy but I can't understand how the richest, most powerful democracy in the world can be so inept, letting so many suffer and die.

I've been able to be in email and cell phone contact with many friends around the country today and have learnt that many want and are planning to come down to Louisiana and the Gulf Coast to help with the relief and recovery efforts. In my opinion, the region is overwhelmed with refugees from devastated areas and really is not equipped to deal with another wave of people, even if they are volunteers. The Red Cross in Baton Rouge (the main staging area for Louisiana) supposedly is claiming that it has too many volunteers and that some of its volunteer efforts are impeding general progress. I believe we can be much more effective if we partake in a collective, long-term effort to rebuild lives (especially of those poor, African-American Orleanians who seem to have nothing left—no savings accounts, insurance, standing home, ect.). I have a couple of nascent ideas where we might begin.

1. Counseling and life planning efforts. The kids I've seen in Louisiana and Mississippi who fled after the storm look like they have grown old and have the weight of the world on them. I think the American Psychological Association could be a great initial point of contact for this project. I plan to try to get in touch with some of their people (my dad's a member)
2. Creating a non-email/internet communication tool for survivors to keep in touch with family and friends. Statistics showed that only 20% of Louisianans had internet access and only 10% had (not used) email. I don't think closing the digital divide needs to be the first step before reconnecting people.
3. Planning long term financial aid/security to victims
4. Finding jobs for victims.

Please let me know what you think we do. I don't think it is possible to watch without doing something and the last couple of hellish days have demonstrated that something isn't enough. We need to be creative and compassionate to intelligently mitigate something I have yet to fathom.

I'm still trying to get in touch with some people who I'm a bit worried about. So, please email or call if you know anything about where they are…

Gabe Bordenave
Joyce and Dave
Melody Lee
Nancy and Ben Rosow

Take care and hugs to everyone