We’re advised to have food and supplies for 3 days, but what do people in hospitals and nursing homes do? In the largest city in Louisiana, a lot of people are supposed to get power back on Monday, which will be 7 days. But many areas will be out for 2-4 WEEKS. And I bet a lot of the people who left the mandatory evacuation area in New Orleans went where? Baton Rouge.
I knew it must be getting bad, but didn’t realize the full extent until I read this from an article on the Poynter media site about the lack of media coverage: http://poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=150002. Looks like gas and natural gas, water, and sewage are all issues. The Amite River is peaking at 6 feet over flood level.
A quote:
Look at The Advocate’s front page. They have an emergency there. (See photos)
Close to a million people have been without power. As of Thursday afternoon, the local power company is saying it will be at least Sept. 17 before it will be up to 90 percent that have electricity.
One medical center in Baton Rouge had to send all its patients away because there is no electricity. A second hospital had to transfer 29 patients.
In some places, residents are being warned it may be four weeks before power is restored.
Here’s hoping Ike doesn’t come this way. But hey, great news for school kids: in Amite, my parents’ town, they’re starting school on Monday. The Advocate says they’re not sure if all the schools will have power (90 percent of the parish is still out of power as of today), but things are good enough for them to go back.
