Generators, water, ice available
WASHINGTON -- Baby formula from the Agriculture Department, communications equipment and medical teams from the Defense Department, and generators, water, and ice from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are among the assistance ready for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
As the Category 4 storm surged ashore just east of New Orleans yesterday, FEMA had medical teams, rescue squads, and groups prepared to supply food and water poised around the city, said agency Director Michael Brown.
While federal, state, and local agencies were poised to help, recovery could be a slow process.
The American Red Cross said it had thousands of volunteers mobilized for the hurricane, the ''largest single mobilization that we've done for any single natural disaster," said spokesman Bradley Hague. The organization set up operational headquarters in Baton Rouge, La.
With its partners -- local churches and community organizations -- the Red Cross said it expects to serve about 500,000 meals a day to those displaced by the hurricane.
Former Army Corps of Engineers commander Robert B. Flowers said yesterday that a major hurricane striking near New Orleans is a worst-case scenario.
''I couldn't even begin to estimate the billions of dollars in damage that are going to result. You could have water several feet deep in the city for days before the pumps can discharge it," said Flowers, now chief executive of HNTB Federal Services Corp. in Arlington, Va.
The potential damage of such a storm striking New Orleans has long been a worry of federal agencies including the National Weather Service, FEMA, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA dispatched emergency crews to Louisiana and Texas because of concern about oil and chemical spills. The agency set up facilities for checking on the damage but won't be able to assess the region's needs until it can safely send more people into the field.
Sam Coleman, a regional director for EPA's Superfund toxic waste division in Dallas, said an employee standing by in Baton Rouge will oversee the agency's after-storm review of petrochemical, wastewater treatment, and drinking-water plants.
''Once that rapid assessment is done, then we go into full force," Coleman said. ''We don't want to put everybody too close to the storm until we figure out exactly what to do."
''We have the equipment standing by, an aspect plane for surveillance that can see petrochemical spills from the air, but it's not cleared to fly in high winds or dangerous weather," he said.
The Coast Guard closed ports and waterways along the Gulf Coast and evacuated its own personnel and equipment.
More than 40 Coast Guard aircraft from units along the entire Eastern Seaboard, along with more than 30 small boats, patrol boats, and cutters, were positioned around the area to be ready to conduct post-hurricane search and rescue operations, make waterway damage checks, and begin any needed repairs.
The Agriculture Department said it will provide meals and other commodities such as infant formula, distilled water for babies, and emergency food stamps through its Food & Nutrition Service.
Its Natural Resources Conservation Service has an emergency watershed protection program. Its Rural Development office offers housing assistance to keep people from being delinquent on housing payments. The Farm Service Agency has state emergency boards with members who will assess damage to agriculture and decide the type and amount of recovery aid available in areas where disasters have been declared.
The Federal Aviation Administration said airports were closed in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La.; Biloxi, Miss.; Mobile, Ala.; and Pensacola and Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Airlines moved their equipment away from the stricken areas and canceled all flights, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said. Many air traffic control facilities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama were closed.
The Defense Department dispatched emergency coordinators to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi to provide a range of assistance including communications equipment, search and rescue operations, medical teams, and other emergency supplies.
Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the states have adequate National Guard units to handle the hurricane needs, with at least 60 percent of the guard available in each state. He said about 6,500 National Guard troops were available in Louisiana, about 7,000 troops in Mississippi, nearly 10,000 in Alabama, and about 8,200 in Florida.
