Beyond Katrina

On the Scene

By: Rick Portier

The suits finally pulled the trigger. I made it to Grand Isle, Louisiana at midnight. Right now all the experts are saying it'll be a nice day for folks who are boarding up and the photogs who are shooting them.

Only premium gas to be found anywhere south of my hometown of Thibodaux. When I called that info in to the station, the producers asked me for a phoner about it. (I'm sure it's somewhere on wafb.com.) So I made my first Hurricane report before I even got in place.

I'm headed out to look for something too shoot. Jim Shannon and Joe McCoy are already in upper Lafourche parish checking on evacuations. They're picking up video on the way south for this evenings stories.

Rain is supposed to begin Sunday afternoon. Not sure how long I'll be here, or how much I'll be able to blog. But check in here and the WAFB blog. http://wafb.typepad.com/covering_gustav

Rick Portier is a television news photographer in Baton Rouge. For more of his unique stories and interesting rants see his personal blog at http://turdpolisher.blogspot.com/

Storm Alert For Cultural Individuals and Organizations in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast

August 28, 2008 –  

The Office of Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism urge you to take every precaution to protect yourself and property in the wake of Hurricane Gustav. The Cultural Assets Rescue (www.crt.state.la.us/culturalassets) website was developed in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to serve as a clearinghouse and information center for artists, individual cultural workers, cultural organizations and businesses. It contains valuable information to assist in relocation, restoration and recovery from disasters.

Please use the resources provided here and register your contact information in the Directories section. For direct communication click the feedback link to generate an email message or call 225-342-8200.

 

Susan Brunner

Chair

Louisiana Parntership For The Arts

Governor Jindal’s Update on Hurricane Gustav Preparedness Efforts

Thursday, August 28, 2008

BATON ROUGE – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal met with the unified command of the emergency operation center at GOSHEP to receive an update on the state’s preparedness efforts surrounding the possible impact of Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana.

The Governor’s briefing from the National Weather Service reported that the center of the storm was broken up and has re-strengthened as it is approaching Jamaica. Currently, it is projected to be in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, and move toward the Louisiana coast on Tuesday morning.

Governor Jindal said, “At this point, projections show that we could see tropical storm force winds along our coast as early as late Sunday night. This could potentially affect anywhere from New Orleans to Lake Charles, depending on the direction of the storm. Plaquemines and Iberia Parishes have already declared an emergency in their parishes, and other parishes are expected to declare emergencies today and tomorrow.”

The Governor added that 150 of the 700 buses on contract for an evacuation are arriving in the state today, and the state has requested federal help to assist in standing up the newly constructed shelter in Alexandria.

Governor Jindal also ordered the Louisiana National Guard to be ready to deploy more than 1,500 guardsmen to New Orleans as early as tomorrow to assist in securing the city as citizens begin to evacuate their homes, should an evacuation be triggered. Additionally, the Guard has requested possible aircraft assistance from Oklahoma (1), Colorado (4), Illinois (8), Nebraska (5), Pennsylvania (1), Ohio (1), Maryland (1), and Kentucky (5). The Louisiana Guard already has satellite equipment positioned in Terrebonne, Lafourche, Jefferson, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard, and Orleans Parishes to assist in first responder communications on the ground. Additional satellite equipment will be positioned in Southeast and Central Louisiana today.

The US Army Corps of Engineers was a part of the emergency operation center briefing today, and they reported that they are working to monitor levees and canals in coastal Louisiana. The Corps will ride out the storm in Louisiana and will then fly with the Coast Guard to assess levee conditions after the storm passes.

The Governor also announced today that the Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) is beginning to get twice-daily updates from nursing homes and hospitals to ensure they are on track to evacuate patients in need of assistance.

DHH is executing their contracts today for ambulance assistance, and they will be receiving 150 additional, requested ambulances from FEMA to assist in the evacuation of patients from nursing homes and hospitals. DHH will have mandatory evacuations of hospitals and nursing homes if the storm reaches a Category 3.

The Governor added that the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is stopping their road construction projects today, in preparation for a possible evacuation.

Due to the updated projections of the storm, the Governor updated the timeline of possible state events to include the beginning of phased parish evacuations as early as Saturday. Also on Saturday, critical needs and medical needs shelters are set to open, including the PMAC at LSU. Pet shelters would also open on Saturday and some hospital and nursing home patients would begin to be evacuated. On Sunday, contra-flow could be activated to assist in evacuation efforts. The state has requested four urban search and rescue teams from the federal government, along with a command center, and their arrival is expected this weekend. This is only a possible timeline of events to prepare citizens, and will be updated as the storm continues to move.

DSS UPDATE on Shelter Locations:

People who are evacuating on their own and who do not have an alternative shelter should stop at shelter-information points along the evacuation route to get the most up-to-date information about which shelters are open. <

The shelter-information points (also listed on the Louisiana evacuation guides) are located at:

Tourist Welcome Center, U.S. 65 & 84, 1401 Carter St., Vidalia.

Tourist Welcome Center, 836 I-20 West, Tallulah.

Paragon Casino, 711 Paragon Place, Marksville.

Sammy’s Truck Stop, I-49, Exit 53, 3601 La. 115 West, Bunkie.

Med Express Office, 7525 U.S. 71, Alexandria.

LSU-Shreveport, P.E. Gym, One University Place, Shreveport.  

Pickering High School, 180 Lebleu Road, Leesville.

Mowad Civic Center, Fifth Avenue and 10th Street, one block off U.S. 165, Oakdale.

DSS also will assist with the registration of New Orleans area evacuees who require city and/or state assistance in evacuation at the Union Pacific Terminal in New Orleans.

DHH UPDATE on Special Medical Needs Shelters:

Five locations are preparing to open as Special Medical Needs Shelters, located in Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Monroe, Bossier, and Hammond. Hirsch Coliseum in Shreveport is being prepared for Critical Transportation Needs populations and for pets, should this population be asked to evacuate.

Agriculture and Forestry UPDATE on pet evacuations:

A pet evacuation center for residents with critical transportation needs will be open in Shreveport in accordance with the timeline set by the local parish OEP officials. It is only for evacuees with critical transportation needs, and those residents are instructed to coordinate with their local OEP offices to arrange transportation for themselves and their pets to the shelter.

Pets under 15 pounds that are carried in a pet carrier will be allowed to travel with their owners on the bus transports (soft-sided carriers are preferred). Larger pets will be placed in size-appropriate pet carriers and bussed separately from their owners to the pet/owner shelter.

Other shelters for self-evacuators for pets and owners will open as storm and evacuation conditions dictate. Pets must have proper identification – preferably something permanent like a microchip or tattoo. Dogs and cats need to have proof of annual rabies and other vaccinations. It's also very important to have collars, leashes, harnesses and kennels for confining animals when necessary. Muzzles may be appropriate for animals that are apprehensive in unfamiliar settings. Pet owners should bring at least a three-day supply of food, water and medications for their animals.

BACKGROUND FACTS ON PREPARATION:

The state has 700 buses contracted – these are all within a 500-mile radius.

These 700 buses will accommodate 35,000 people.

These buses will be supplemented by an air and rail evacuation plan, which is led by FEMA.

The state has up to 10,000 spaces for Critical Special Needs evacuees - these are individuals that have no transportation of their own. These shelters are state run.

The state has 564,000 MREs pre-positioned in Louisiana.

The state already has 525,000 liters of water pre-positioned in Louisiana.

The state is ready to provide food and water to 350,000 responders and folks who remain in the state because they cannot evacuate.

FEMA has contracts in place for additional supplies, and they are currently working to load up these supplies and move them to Louisiana.

How to Sign Up for State Alerts – An Easy, Step-by-Step Process

Visit www.mystateusa.com.

Click on “Sign Up Here” under “AlertSense” on the left side of the homepage.

Provide your email and zip code.

Providing your name is optional.

(All personal information will be kept strictly confidential)

Indicate alerts you would like to receive by selecting from a list of weather and non-weather related options

This allows you to receive alert information direct to your email address.

To receive alerts via text message, provide your cell phone or other personal communications devices, and the name of your service provider.

Signing up for the alerts is free. Depending on the terms of your contract with your service provider, you may incur charges for receiving text messages.

Read the “Terms of Use” and if you are in agreement, check the box that says, “I accept the Terms of Use.” &

Click on the “Sign Me Up” button.

If you decide that you would like to stop receiving emergency alerts on your cell phone, cell phone or other personal communications devices, simply return to the www.mystateusa.com website, go to the “AlertSense” page and click on “Unsubscribe Me.”

END

Oil Sheen Spotted off Grand Isle

The US Coast Guard told reporter Amy Wold of The Advocate that offshore sheen hit Grand Isle's beaches on two separate days in June, and a section of the beach was closed for a day.  The Advocate has followed up that report with an article about Louisiana's Oil spills, here.

Blog Contributor's Photographs Selected for Exhibition

Matthew White's Landscapes Featured in Grand Isle's "Vanishing Horizons"

"Gulf of Mexico, Cameron Parish, La 5/06" (copyright Matthew White)

Baton Rouge, La. (PRWEB) April 7, 2007 -- Matthew White, a landscape photographer and "Beyond Katrina" contributor, has been selected to show some of his photography in an upcoming exhibit in Grand Isle, La. "Vanishing Horizons" runs from April 7-15 at the Grand Isle Community Center, on Hwy. 1.

"I feel really happy having my work be part of an exhibit in a place as special as Grand Isle. Seeing how well the island has come back since Katrina is a good sign," explained White. "I hope that the exhibit, as well as my work, will show people the real beauty of the Louisiana coast and let them see how important it is to restore it."

The photos White will feature in the exhibit are Lake Borgne, La. (#2)" and "Gulf of Mexico, Cameron Parish, La 5/06". A New York native, White moved to Louisiana in 2000 and soon thereafter began photographing most of the notable locations along the Louisiana coastline. His mission, to convey the beauty and uniqueness of the Louisiana landscape, didn't waiver after the storm. His collection of landscapes continues to speak for a state that has survived the worst from nature and continues to evolve after an unprecedented tragedy.

Lake Borgne, La. (#2) ---copyright Matthew White

"From his initial contributions six months ago through today, Matthew continues to elicit strong emotion and thought at the blog," explained award-winning blogger Margaret Saizan, "Beyond Katrina" creator. "I'm thrilled that now more people will be exposed to his perspective and amazing talents in person, rather than simply online."

White's photo essay series at www.hurricane-katrina.org begin with where Katrina made landfall, then document White's photographic journey before and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita starting in 2000. Each post includes a photo, a narrative of White's experience at that location, and then supporting commentary from the Saizan, which echoes the themes of "Beyond Katrina."   

The Grand Isle Community Development Team, Inc. with support from the Grand Isle Port Commission and the Town of Grand Isle, are sponsoring the exhibit to showcase works with themes relating to the nature, natural beauty and potential loss of the only inhabited Louisiana barrier island and the surrounding wetlands. Organizers say the goal of the exhibition is to raise awareness of Louisiana's coastal erosion through an artist's eye and to encourage the creation and preservation of images of this culture and its disappearing habitat for future generations.

About Matthew White
Matthew White is a native New Yorker who made Louisiana his home and his artistic focus in 2000. For five years he photographed nearly every notable location on the Louisiana coast. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita changed the landscape, but not Mathew's vision and desire to show Louisiana's unique beauty. While hundreds of others have documented the tragedy wrought by the storms, Matthew's body of work captures the beauty that the storms of 2005 could not erase. Rather than clichéd incongruity and depressing devastation, Matthew's photos capture a landscape touched by and triumphing over catastrophe. Matthew shares the same vision as blogger Margaret Saizan, looking "Beyond Katrina," and lending a silent voice to disaster and recovery. Matthew White's fine prints are available through gymnopedies13 @ yahoo.com.

About Margaret Saizan
Margaret Saizan (www.margaretsaizan.org) is a new media publisher, personal/ organizational coach, and community activist. The Baton Rouge, La. native became a blogger during the largest natural disaster in U.S. history - Hurricane Katrina. A graduate of Newfield Network, one of the best regarded international coach training schools, Margaret focuses on empowering leadership and facilitating action during transition, crisis, and disaster as the pathway to new vision. www.hurricane-katrina.org and Big Vision Media aspire to ignite wise action, new vision and positive change through transformational media. Her blog, "Beyond Katrina," won the 2006 Society for New Communications Research Professional Award.

To download press release in various formats go to PRWeb.com.

# # # Other Releases

• National Writer and Journalism Teacher Brings New Voice to Beyond Katrina 2007-03-28
• Beyond Katrina Offers Help and Healing via Online Gathering 2007-03-09
• Roving Ethnographer Joins Narrative and Visual Voice of Beyond Katrina 2007-01-16
• Photographer Tells Visual Story of Hurricane Rita 2006-12-20
• Bloggers Team Up with Online Nonprofit to Deliver Christmas to Katrina Families 2006-12-08

Pigeon Feathers: An Inside Look at Angola Prison

By Margaret Saizan

I

I had a moving and transformative experience today. At around 10:00 am this morning I entered the gates of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, better known as Angola Prison to those of us who live here---and I was forever changed from that moment on.  As an invited VIP guest of  the Kairos Prison Ministry of Louisiana, I got to see some places  first hand that many outsiders never grace. I walked death row and  Camp 7, which is a lock down facility housing  the "worst of the worst" inmates inside the prison. I looked into the eyes of men - death row inmates and "lifers"- who because they have committed the most heinous crimes known to mankind, will never  leave those prison grounds.  I got to see how these men live, work, worship, and die. I say die because besides seeing the grave sites and places where executions take place, a lifer  had passed away  and there was a funeral happening while we were there. Funerals are very moving events inside the gates of Angola Prison and I'll write about how they take place in a future essay.

Now interestingly Kairos means " the appointed time in the purpose of God". And yes l do feel that my visit there today is aligned with some higher purpose. The take away from that experience  will be with me for some time. I do not know how the events of this day will shape my future -- I just know that somehow in a very powerful and provocative way it  has. And inasmuch as writing is the way I process my experiences and create my future - for writing is indeed generative - I'll be posting  about my experience  in a series of essays here.

So why title the essays "Pigeon Feathers"? Quite simply, I found a nest of pigeon feathers in a particular and moving place I visited  today and I scooped them up and carried them home with me to keep as a reminder or touchstone.  I'll say  more about where I was (as it is significant)  in a future essay. At any rate,  once back at  home I looked up the symbolism associated with pigeons.  It seems  pigeons are considered to be "stepped down" doves  and noted for their hardiness to withstand the harsh realities of  life.  This of course is reminiscent to  me of the inmates.  And in  Kate Chopin's book, The Awakening, a wonderful story set in Grand Isle, Louisiana she uses the symbolism of caged birds to represent Edna, the main character's entrapment. But pigeons are also also powerful messengers. And this reminds me of of the high desire of any writer. It's to be a messenger.  So awakenings and the role of the messenger - those are for me.

To Be Continued...

Call for Katrina/Rita Families

Over the past few days I've been writing about Post Santa - www.postsanta.com - a new bulletin board focused on Christmas wish fulfillment for hurricane impacted families.  I am delighted to report that we have heard from many folks who stand ready to adopt a family this Christmas -  They represent people from schools and businesses along the Gulf Coast who are saying, "Where's a family I can adopt, I am ready to do this now"! So while we have adopters lined up, we've yet to hear from families who want to be adopted - and I know there are many folks who could use the extra help this Christmas. And here's the thing.  To make this special the adopters need time.  If the adoption is  a group effort, they need to inform people, collect money, gifts, and get them to their adopted families. So if you are family in need or if you know of a family in need, please let us know. To get the particulars, head to the site.

T'ings Gonna Get Betta: A Tale of Wonder

Publishers Note: The following is the second in a series of Katrina stories "penned "by guest author, Rick Portier. I really LOVE this story as it is focused on Grande Isle, one of my favorite haunts - it is a place of pristine beauty where quiet moments spent amongst the  wild marsh grasses and inspiring encounters with the wildlife Rick mentions re-awakens me to the raw beauty and power of the natural world. Of course the next best thing to being there is to capture its genus loci in a C.C. Lockwood photograph - or via a story by Rick Portier... So enjoy!

Home to about 1500, Grand Isle is a seven-mile stretch of sand off the southern coast of the boot-shaped state. It has protected southern Lafourche and Jefferson parishes from hurricanes the likes of Andrew and Betsy and Camile for hundreds of years. Early accounts had the island wiped out by Katrina. From the air two weeks after the storm, things looked bad, but the island was far from gone.

David Carmadell is a short swarthy man with a "t'ick" cajun accent. He's been on the island all his life.  He's been mayor almost that long. Mayor Carmadell left the island more than two weeks ago with the clothes on his back. The red tee-shirt he sported this day, he bought from Wal-Mart yesterday, "T'ree-ninety-nine."

Carmadell leads a tour for the only tourist allowed on the island, famed Louisiana nature photographer C.C. Lockwood.  Katrina halted C.C.'s latest project documenting gold footed heron, brown pelicans, alligators and other endangered wildlife in the vanishing wetlands.  But the storm also brings him a chance to trumpet another of his causes, the importance of those wetlands to the well-being of Louisiana and the entire country.

The Bayside Trailer Park was obviously the hardest hit area on the island. "See all doze camps still stan'in'?" Carmadell points across the street. The camps are missing shingles and siding.  A window or two is missing here and there, but the camps are still structurally sound.  "Dey was built afta (Hurricane) Andrew -- tougha buildin' codes.  Anyt'ing built befo' Andrew," he sweeps his hands across the tailgate of his truc,. "phuh, gone!"

C.C. Lockwood straps on his digital eye and walks headlong into the tragedy. It's clear many called this trailer park home (or at least summer home), but he'd be hard-pressed to find where one trailer ended and the next began.  He climbs the stairs to where a camp was once eight feet above ground.  The camp is gone, but the small potted plant that greeted vacationers is still on the barren porch.  C.C. takes in the sea of crumpled aluminum, splintered wood and scattered memories through a 75 mm lens.  He's here merely as an observer, to document what happened here as only C.C. Lockwood can.  His nature photos stir feelings of splendor and awe in anyone who has visited Louisiana's bayous and backwaters.  There's a different kind of wonder that rises in the pit of his stomach as he scans the desolate horizon.  It's a sense of the power of nature and the insignifance of man.

The air is eerily still.  A flock of brown pelican swoop in for a look.  But C.C. doesn't turn his lens at them.  He's fixated on what nature has wrought in front of him.  Homes ripped open, dreams scattered in mounds of debris, and a lone bookshelf standing in the distance.  On the second shelf, a young man in uniform smiles from behind a broken panel

Back in the bed of the National Guard truck, Carmadell remembers what hurricanes Betsy and Camile did to his home in the sixites. He was just a boy then, but he's telling folks here the same "t'ing" his daddy told him, "It's all gone now, but we gonna rebuild. Dat's all we kin do. T'ings gonna get betta!" The Louisiana guard is in charge of the clean-up on the island. They are getting help from guardsmen form Tenneessee. (Interesting side note: The last time the Tenneessee guard was in Louisiana was for the battle of New Orleans. They marched through woodlands all the way. When they got here, their uniforms were so tattered that locals cut-up their blankets to make new uniforms for the soldiers.) They see the same hospitality today from the local or two that are trying to return.  They're frying fish at what used to be the island's fire station.

C.C. whips out his lens again.  It's another awe-inspiring moment.  In the midst of all this, Cajuns have found a reason to celebrate.  People on the coast are a hard-working and resilient lot.  C.C. can tell you that.  T'ings gonna get betta!

For C.C. Lockwood's nature photography and his storm pictures, check out his website, http://www.cclockwood.com/

Rick Portier is a television news photographer in Baton Rouge.  For more of his stories and rants see his personal blog at  http://turdpolisher.blogspot.com/

Alligator Sighting!

My husband who is an avid outdoorsman seems to be an alligator magnet. We once had a huge gator in our pond at the back of our house. This critter would crawl up to the backdoor and threaten our children. We couldn't do anything about it as there are laws in Louisiana against taking alligator matters into your own hands!

At any rate, we called the wildlife and fisheries to come out and get the gator out of our yard. The experts had a good bit of trouble trying to corral this big rascal. After several trips out they finally managed to outwit the ole, sly gator. He was eventually captured and whisked him off to alligator paradise.

Well, husband just called from a cell phone. He just had another encounter with a Louisiana alligator. This one was a six footer laying belly up on the side of the road right outside of Gramercy, Louisiana. He said a couple of guys had pulled over to the side of the road and were trying to haul the dead gator into their truck. I suppose they were hoping to cash in for the hide.