A Friend Forwarded This KATRINA Story !!!

Got this forewarded from a Doctor who was sent to the area from here.

It was actually writtren by a military personnell, ****USMC2.

The date was today - Thurday 9-1-05 - 21:47 EDT

Art

> Subject: Hey> > Wanted to let ya'll know that we got our power back around 4:30> yesterday afternoon. We still do not have cable or internet so we only> see what is on the local news and that's very fuzzy. I can tell you that> you and Mike both need to hug and kiss the kids the next time you see> them and understand that we are all so very lucky. This with out a doubt> will surpass anything this country has EVERY seen in it's history !!!! > We had a meeting yesterday with OEP (Office of Emergeny Prepardness) and> every single manager and administrative person in the room was crying.> They told us that the city of New Orleans has effectively ceased to> exsist. They are having to evacuate everyone starting this morning from> all shelters and hospitals where they can. The ones they can't get to> may not make it. Close to 30 buildings in the dowtown and surrounding> areas has collapsed. The french Quarter is no more. River Walk and the> aquarium does not exsist. Most of the factories, refineries are 90-100%> destroyed. All state wide infrastrucure and services based in the city> are destroyed. We do not have phones here at the hospital. We have right> now close to 350,000 people from the city, here in Baton Rouge. They are> pleading with people to help. We only have a few places to get gas. The> grocery stores are bare. Wal Mart said they are down to less than 20% of> normal stock in all stores in the state. They said they expect Baton> Rouge to grow 10 times it's current size in the next 5 years because> people now are trying purchase any home or shelter they can find here to> move. People do not realize that do not live here, that this will effect> the entire country. New Orleans is one of three ports in the US where> imported goods and services comes in the country. There are 1.5 million> people in the state with no jobs and no way to suppport their families> now. Most of all the companies based in New Orleans are here looking to> move the business to BR just to keep their name going and have something> to start with when they can. It is just so incredible It seems like we> are playing the part of some sick movie about a natural disaster that> seems to unreal to ever happen. Well, I am seeing from the inside and> it's not pretty. We cannot get supplies for the hospital, not even food.> OEP calls ever hour to check bed counts. We are adding makeshift rooms> to take patients from New Orleans starting today. It is so> heartbreaking, I just want to cry. My nerves are are being pushed to the> limit as well as every one here. I know they are saying on the news that> no official body count has been done and that no bodies have been seen> in the city. THIS IS A LIE!!!!!. They do not want to put that out yet.> Doug, our Plant Ops Supervisor, his son is down there doing rescues. He> sent Doug a picture, that I saw, of them floating in the water. He went> to put in a boat and when he cranked the motor, they hit something under> water and five bodies floated up under the boat. They had a place where> they take care of people who are bed ridden, not much more than a> vegtable, they were told to evacuate and put toe tags on the patients so> they could identify the bodies. They could not get the patients out.> There was a nursing home with over 200 residents that had been evacuated> to one of the hotels on the fourth floor. When the levey broke, it> started to fill up with water and they had to leave them. They all> drowned. We are getting reports like this all day long from people who> are there and seeing it first hand. Martial Law has been declared> despite what is on TV. This all sounds so unreal, but damn, it is real.> I just never thought I would ever see anything like this in my lifetime.> It really humbles you and makes you feel fortunate to have what you> have. People say they have it bad down there and everything will be ok,> well, peolpe just have no way of understanding what is going on and> cannot grasp the situation. I-10 east out of New Orleans, both spans has> collapsed. The causeway bride going across the lake from Slidell to New> Oleans has chunks of bridge that has collapsed in both directions. There> is only one road that is open into the city. The one we went down when> ya'll were here. Both airports are under water and it is rising a foot> an hour right now. One levey has a 200 ft break in it and the other has> a 200 ft break and a 300ft break in it. There is no way at this point to> stop the water coming in. They have all kinds of people down there> trying different things and cannot get it stopped. I just cannot descibe> to you or anyone just how bad things really are. We have a major US> city, that does not exsist anymore. They have 50,000 body bags down> there now. Another 50,000 has been ordered. I just don't know what to> say. The news is trying to focus more on the other hard hit areas> because the govenor has aked that limited reports be issued to the rest> of the country for now until they can get a handle on things and believe> it or not, it seems the media is doing that. Biloxi and Gulfport got hit> really hard but they can rebuild. I just don't see how they can in New> Orleans. There will easily be more deaths than there has been in any> single event this country has ever seen. I'm sorry to say all this cause> I know how much you worry but I needed to say it for myself also. Don't> worry about us. We will be fine and we are fine. I just feel so damn> sorry for those people that lost everything. Not just their belongings,> but their way of live is gone. They will be starting over from scratch> basically their entire life. It's just so sad. I bitch when Tena and I> argue or when somehthing does not go how I think it should, well not> anymore. I looked at me kids and Tena last night and I had to go outside> and cry. Anyway, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT WORRY. WE WILL BE OK. It's> another one of life's challenges and we will make it. I just had to get> this all of my chest.> Anyway, I need to get back to work. I will talk to ya'll later.> We love ya'll and miss ya'll> Wayne