Hurricane Katrina

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan

Has the U.S asked for foreign aid, has anybody offered to help yet?

I hear Coffean (sp) at the UN is all over it right now.

[Anonymous]

Fox news says that Power will be out for months to come.
Over 100 are dead[:(]. It's bad. It's very bad.[:(].
Allan.

[edblysard]

Evening news shows New Orleans is pretty much destroyed...massive flooding through out the city, no power city wide, no drinkable water at all, a major city water main broken...areas that had minimum flooding last night now chest deep and rising, other areas roof deep, several hundred people trapped on roof tops due the Lake Pontchartrain overflowing, the levees being breached and the city pumps no longer function.
Louisiana Governor debating closing/ evacuating the city completely, possible National Guard deployment to protect the city and keep people from returning to the city/looter patrol...

Was watching some of the film...saw a Wal-Mart with less than five feet of roof line showing...death count area wide is estimated to reach the into the hundreds...

Possibility two or more breaks in the levee system...no where else for the water to go.

Remember, next time it might be your city hammered, so when the refugees show up, threat them the way you would want to be treated.

Ed

[dmcclendon]

Based on what is being seen on TV. I think it will be several days before rail service can be restored. Along with the same note I live in SE Missouri and we now have just in our area several hundred Louisanna residents here and we are almost 400 miles from New Orleans. It shows just how far people have to go. Like what was stated earlier lets treat these people with love and support. I ask our forum readers to look for ways to help (donations, food and Prayer).

[conrailman]

Maybe Bill Gates could give a Few Billion Dollars and Donald Trump Too?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSF railfan.

Fox news says that Power will be out for months to come.
Over 100 are dead[:(]. Oil going up. It's bad. It's very bad.[:(].
Allan.

Why are you always so worried about the price of oil? I think with this situation there are other things much more important than the price of gasoline going up.

m

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mehrlich

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSF railfan.

Fox news says that Power will be out for months to come.
Over 100 are dead[:(]. Oil going up. It's bad. It's very bad.[:(].
Allan.

Why are you always so worried about the price of oil? I think with this situation there are other things much more important than the price of gasoline going up.

m

There. You happy now. Im sorry.
Allan.

[Anonymous]

Would anybody confirm that rail and crossties have been swept off of CSX bridge pilings at Bay St. Louis? Earlier CNN's Brian Tuchmann mistakenly reported from that site that highway bridge deck had been blown into Lake Ponchatrain.

[Tharmeni]

No bridge deck left at all - only supports. But CNN thought it was "Highway 90". But down there just now, it's hard to tell what's what.

[dealemeout]

The last I heard 80% of New Orleans was under water. I was wondering if the carbarn(s) serving the St. Charles and Canal Street streetcar lines is at a high enough elevation to be out of danger. Can anyone familiar with the area provide this information?

[Anonymous]

Donate, boys, donate.


m

[Junctionfan]

I really wish I had the resources and the time to go down to the area and help evacuate those poor folk. Seeing those poor folk stranded on their roofs and attics is heart wrenching.

Thease looter however need to be shot. Instead of the police handling this, send out some Navy patrol boats and amphibious craft and take them out. I heard that one looter even shot a cop in the head; although the police officer is expected to recover, not the point. Thease scum need to be givin communism like treatment.

I also wonder if any tent cities have been set up as close to the site as safety will permit. Also, does the marines have any spare amphibious craft or landing craft that can go house to house and pick folk up like a bus would make stops?

I also imagine that the center for disease control will have to spray the areas as it will attract an unusual amount of mosquitos which may carry the West Nile Virus.

[conrailman]

People are Stealing 100 to 150 Dollars Nikes Shoes from store down there.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan

I really wish I had the resources and the time to go down to the area and help evacuate those poor folk. Seeing those poor folk stranded on their roofs and attics is heart wrenching.

Thease looter however need to be shot. Instead of the police handling this, send out some Navy patrol boats and amphibious craft and take them out. I heard that one looter even shot a cop in the head; although the police officer is expected to recover, not the point. Thease scum need to be givin communism like treatment.

I also wonder if any tent cities have been set up as close to the site as safety will permit. Also, does the marines have any spare amphibious craft or landing craft that can go house to house and pick folk up like a bus would make stops?

I also imagine that the center for disease control will have to spray the areas as it will attract an unusual amount of mosquitos which may carry the West Nile Virus.

Use the resources you have. Red Cross is only a click away!

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan

I really wish I had the resources and the time to go down to the area and help evacuate those poor folk. Seeing those poor folk stranded on their roofs and attics is heart wrenching.

Word in the fire trade press is not to go unless lawfully requested. These folks have enough to worry about without dealing with well-meaning, but under-prepared people coming into the area wanting to help but becoming a burden. You may see some of the FEMA urban search and rescue (USAR) teams brought in if needed.

But, you know, these people were warned. They didn't have to be there at all. "It can't happen to me!"

That said - the "Pay to the Order of" line on your check should read "American Red Cross."

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan

I really wish I had the resources and the time to go down to the area and help evacuate those poor folk. Seeing those poor folk stranded on their roofs and attics is heart wrenching.

Thease looter however need to be shot. Instead of the police handling this, send out some Navy patrol boats and amphibious craft and take them out. I heard that one looter even shot a cop in the head; although the police officer is expected to recover, not the point. Thease scum need to be givin communism like treatment.

I also wonder if any tent cities have been set up as close to the site as safety will permit. Also, does the marines have any spare amphibious craft or landing craft that can go house to house and pick folk up like a bus would make stops?

I also imagine that the center for disease control will have to spray the areas as it will attract an unusual amount of mosquitos which may carry the West Nile Virus.

Give it a rest, especially the moral outrage over the looting. There is no rule of law (not man's law anyway) in the flood zone. People are just trying to survive. They have no food, no water, no electricity, no sanitation, and unless they find a way out, no hope. Put yourself in their position, and think about what you would do.

Law enforcement has no gasoline, and is severely out numbered. Their efforts are going to be needed to help with the evacuation process. Beside, no people means no looting. That is the real goal.

Air rescues are extermely inefficient for the situation in New Orleans. I expect that today we will see boats employed in the rescue and evacuation efforts. Reports are that the number of people at the Superdome has swelled to over 30,000 since the levees broke, up from the 8,000 who initially rode out the storm. There are no resources to care for these people inside the flood zone. They simply must be moved.

There are only 3 logical reasons why people would not obey the original evacuation orders given before the storm. They were too poor to move, too sick to move, or too stupid to move. Darwin is watching.

Let's not forget that this is a railroading forum. I have found LC's reports very interesting. The region affected, and the entire country will be looking to the railroads to carry in the materials for the rebuilding process. KCS has the right idea, inspect everything down to the water line, and restore service as quickly as possible once the waters recede. The others can only do the same.

This old expression is particularly applicable to the situation of the day. When you are up to your a$$ in allegators, it's hard to remember that your goal was to drain the swamp. There is a lot of draining to be done.

[Modelcar]

...Just saw running across the bottom of the TV screen the thousands of refugee's in the Superdome to be moved to the Houston Astrodome.....Wow, wonder how that will be accomplished...30,000 or so people...!! Maybe ships....It's beyond me.

[vsmith]

Wheres the National Guard been thru all this?

I thought they would be at least partially mobilized even when Katrina was a Cat 3?

[SALfan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan

Has the U.S asked for foreign aid, has anybody offered to help yet?

Don't hold your breath until any other country offers to help, even though we've helped almost every country in the world at some time or other. It's interesting that some countries can curse the U.S. as the Great Satan, while holding out their hand for our aid.

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Wheres the National Guard been thru all this?

I thought they would be at least partially mobilized even when Katrina was a Cat 3?

They were. Usually they get a call to standby for mobilization, but there's generally not a whole lot to do until it hits. Can't pre-rescue people who don't wan to leave or fix stuff until it breaks.

Dan

[Junctionfan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

...Just saw running across the bottom of the TV screen the thousands of refugee's in the Superdome to be moved to the Houston Astrodome.....Wow, wonder how that will be accomplished...30,000 or so people...!! Maybe ships....It's beyond me.

Is there any large hoovercraft normally used for ferry service near by? That way the vessel doesn't have to worry about water levels.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

...Just saw running across the bottom of the TV screen the thousands of refugee's in the Superdome to be moved to the Houston Astrodome.....Wow, wonder how that will be accomplished...30,000 or so people...!! Maybe ships....It's beyond me.

The Navy has now mobilized 6 ships to steam to New Orleans to assist. Also, they are flying in a swift boat squadron from San Diego and involuntarily mobilizing all Coast Guard Reserves.

Help is on the way.

LC

[Anonymous]

Those interested may also wi***o look at the Railinc (AAR) embargo page at www.embargo.railinc.com. This shows all the filed railroad embargoes including those for Hurricane katrina related matters.

LC

[dehusman]

The people will be moved to the Astrodome in buses.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

Katrina detours rail lines to north
(The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette posted the following article on its website on August 30.)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Freight railroads whose lines through the New Orleans area were damaged by Hurricane Katrina detoured rail traffic Tuesday as far north as Chicago.

A Fort Smith generator manufacturer, Baldor Electric Co., meanwhile, expects a business lift after the devastating hurricane.

Trains were stopped as far as 400 miles from New Orleans on CSX Corp. ’s lines and up to 200 miles from the city on Norfolk Southern Corp. rails.

Rail lines were still working to assess the damage to their tracks and other infrastructure, but industry analysts predicted shipping delays would cost the companies no more than a few pennies per share. "It is very early to quantify the potential market impact," analyst Thomas Wadewitz said in an investor note.

About 100 freight trains a day serve New Orleans, one of the cities where Eastern railroads such as CSX deliver shipments and exchange traffic with Western lines such as Union Pacific. Shipments that typically run through New Orleans are being detoured as far as Chicago, 900 miles to the north. None of the railroads provided delay estimates.

CSX said on its Web site that service was being resumed late Tuesday between Montgomery, Ala., and Pensacola, Fla., and that efforts to inspect track between Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans are continuing.

Burlington Northern plans to resume service between Lafayette, La., and New Orleans on Thursday, after bridge repairs and restoration of signals, spokesman Patrick Hiatte said.

In other business news related to Katrina: An executive at Baldor in Fort Smith said the company expects to have increased demand for the motors it makes because of Katrina.

The company, which produces generators, electric motors and motor controls, saw sales increase last year after each of four Florida hurricanes. "When the National Hurricane Center put out their advisories three months ago saying that it was going to be a busier than typical season, we started bolstering inventory not only in Fort Smith, but in Tampa, Fla.; Greensboro, N. C., Atlanta, Memphis and Houston warehouses," said Randy Breaux, Baldor vice president of marketing.

Baldor sold twice as many generators last year, compared to 2003. Soybeans rose Tuesday on speculation that rains from Katrina will miss most of the Midwest growing regions, hurting already from dry crops.

Soybeans price gains were tempered by speculation that hurricane damage to the grain-export depots in the Gulf of Mexico are likely to be less severe than previously expected, avoiding major disruptions to shipments, analysts said. The Port of New Orleans handles about 70 percent of total U.S. grain and oilseed exports.

Soybeans for November delivery rose 5 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $6.11 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade. Information for this article was contributed by Bloomberg News and The Associated Press.


Wednesday, August 31, 2005
From BLET Site

[Anonymous]

Truckers, trains will rebound, but airlines?
(The following article by Tim McLaughlin was posted on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website on August 31.)

ST. LOUIS, Mo. --Trains and trucks will be fine. Airlines won't.

That was the assessment Tuesday after Hurricane Katrina battered New Orleans, a transportation epicenter, and pushed fuel prices - already a millstone around the neck of several passenger airlines on the brink of bankruptcy - to record levels.

Delta Air Lines, many Wall Street analysts predict, will be the next airline to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, propelled by a final push from Katrina. Delta shares tumbled to $1.20 in Tuesday trading, down 5.5 percent.

Even before Katrina hit, some Wall Street analysts anticipated possible bankruptcy filings by Delta, the world's second-largest airline, and by Northwest Airlines and Independence Air after the Labor Day weekend. Sky-high fuel costs have roiled the airline industry, where cutthroat competition has hindered the ability to raise ticket prices.

That scenario only got worse when fuel prices surged to a record for a second day. Crude oil for October delivery rose 3.9 percent to $69.81 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, according to Bloomberg data. That's the highest close since trading began in 1983, Bloomberg News said.

Unlike low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines, many airlines didn't or don't have the financial wherewithal to hedge a substantial amount of their future fuel costs.

Jet fuel prices are crushing the industry, said John Heimlich, chief economist at the Air Transport Association. The airlines consume 19 billion gallons a year, which means they are paying $16 billion in increased fuel prices this year, the industry group said. That means every penny increase in the price of a gallon of jet fuel adds $190 million to the industry's annual fuel tab.

All of this pressure from soaring fuel expenses comes as Delta and Northwest seek pension funding relief from Congress and further concessions from workers.

"There definitely may be another airline bankruptcy or two before the bankruptcy laws are tightened on Oct. 17," Ray Neidl, an analyst at Calyon Securities, recently wrote in a research note.

Meanwhile, things are not so dire for North America's five big railroads, which all send trains through New Orleans.

A.G. Edwards transportation analyst Donald Broughton said the big five - Union Pacific, CSX Corp., Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Norfolk Southern and Canadian National Railway - probably will see their profits hurt in the current quarter because of Katrina's damage. But in the fourth quarter and beyond, he expects an upswing in business for the railroads, as they participate in the recovery and reconstruction of damaged areas, transporting bricks, concrete and mortar.

"Railroad track is extremely durable," Broughton said. "Once the water recedes, it will be repaired, and in most cases, rather quickly. ... Is it bad? Yes, but it's also what railroads do."

He said the trucking industry also will be in position to participate in reconstruction efforts, because the companies pulled their assets out of harm's way before the hurricane hit.

Broughton said New Orleans is similar to St. Louis, because it is one of the few cities that serve as a site of origin and destination for the big railroads, trucking and barges.

"It's rare to find the five largest railroads in North America going to the same city," he said. "Usually, only a couple serve a particular city."

CSX told customers Tuesday that rail service continues to be suspended from Montgomery, Ala., south and from Chattahoochee, Fla., west to New Orleans. Inspections have begun in the segment between Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans, but reports are incomplete. High water prevents accurate assessment in some areas, especially in and around New Orleans, CSX said in a bulletin.

Amtrak, which uses the tracks of freight railroads, said in a bulletin that it had suspended New Orleans passenger service, terminating trains instead in Atlanta, San Antonio and Memphis.


Wednesday, August 31, 2005
From BLET

[motor]

How's Amtrak's westbound affected east of NOLa? I know about the eastbound Sunset being turned around in SA.

motor

[Anonymous]

MY personal take on Katrina. I once took a trip to the Pacific coast via New Orleans on Amtrak. This city has some remarkable features such as: the Huey Long Bridge which carries the espee high above the old Miss . The long Lake Ponchatrain Bridge (former Southern route) into the city and of course the enormous freight "yardage" just West of the Mississippi. My train the Sunset Ltd. laid over in New Orleans for One day. So my Pullman standard sleeper became my hotel for 3 days. The view out my picture window of course The "Superdome". I just can't believe that this city is virtually shut down with no end in sight to stopping the breech of the dikes. My thoughts and prayers go out to the citizens of the affected Gulf Coast area. I hope the 100 or so daily freights are running via New Orleans soon along with Crescent and the Sunset.

Don from Boston (GP9-FL9)(hoodunits)

[nanaimo73]

Motor-The track should be open to Pensacola from the east. Probably to Mobile this week. I would guess the Mobile to New Orleans line will open in October.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by nanaimo73

Motor-The track should be open to Pensacola from the east. Probably to Mobile this week. I would guess the Mobile to New Orleans line will open in October.

Don't hold your breath. I would guess later than that. The Bay St. Louis Bridge is completely gone. It will take longer than 60 days to even consider rebuilding that...

LC