Expert: Superdome at one of lowest elevations

[Nimbus]

Theres currently 30k in the superdome not 10k!

Thanks for the update, many people must be seeking refuge at the dome after they realized their homes were going to be flooded out for an extended period.

Hope they can fly some supplies in to the superdome helipad.

Surprised the media has not had a calvary to the rescue story for the superdome.

[Nimbus]

Theres currently 30k in the superdome not 10k!

Thanks for the update, many people must be seeking refuge at the dome after they realized their homes were going to be flooded out for an extended period.

Hope they can fly some supplies in to the superdome helipad.

Surprised the media has not had a calvary to the rescue story for the 30 thousand superdome survivers

[Jim Hughes]

How on earth are all the people in there going to be able to get out if the water keeps rising due to it finding its lowest level in the city. Are there elevated exits or is the roof going to need to be destroyed to airlift them out one by one. Oh my God, this is terrible.

They have better have a good game plan because I heard them mention earlier that all rescued people are being sent there. So the total number of people there is growing every hour.


Jim

[DCmetroraleigh]

3:07 P.M. - Governor Blanco: We are looking for ways to get people out of the Superdome and out of New Orleans said Governor Blanco as she tried to keep from crying.


3:03 P.M. - Latest on Northshore from St. Tammany Parish. Click here.


2:42 P.M. (AP) -- The question is not whether Congress will pass legislation to speed disaster relief to communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but how soon and how much. The answers: real soon and a lot.


The Federal Emergency Management Agency has $2.5 billion in funds available for immediate assistance such as emergency shelters, food, and medical care, said Scott Milburn, spokesman for the White House budget office. But longer-term assistance, such as help in removing wreckage, rebuilding homes, and repairing highways and federal facilities will require a major infusion of cash provided by Congress.


2:41 P.M. - Jefferson Parish officials say schools could reopen by Dec. 1.


2:39 P.M. - Jeff Parish councilman Tom Capella says pumps working near Veterans and West Esplanade and water is receeding there. He says break in levee at 17th Street canal continues to pour water into Lakeview.


2:32 P.M. - LSU to begin classes next Tuesday.


2:30 P.M. - Coast Guard says it has rescued 1,200 people so far in Louisiana.


2:24 P.M. - (AP) -- Hurricane Katrina forced scores more flight cancellations involving New Orleans and other Southern cities Tuesday as airlines juggled their schedules around one of the worst storms on record.


2:09 P.M. - Video on WAFB-TV shows the Twin Spans between I-10 and Slidell broken in dozens of spots

[Mattie]

It sounds like a script from a bad disaster film and these people are living it live and in person. I also heard that I-10 across Pontchatrain is now impassible. Rescue vehicles are going to have to be by boat from the Mississippi River barges to the private crafts that can doc somewhere, then to smaller boats that can navigate the street flooding. What coordination it will take to pull all of that off!

[Cookiely]

I cant imagine how those folks must feel right now!!!! Im claustraphobic as well as a germaphobe.... I would be going stir crazy right now as well.

Crowds and noise bother me too. I can understand the man jumping. If I ran out of cigaretts and no hope of getting more, might as well end it. I do feel sorry for the people their who are drug addicts or alcoholics (they must be getting desparate). You can only put so many people per foot of space. What happense is very ugly when you overcrowd people under stress.

[N2Storms]

Hope they can fly some supplies in to the superdome helipad.

Surprised the media has not had a calvary to the rescue story for the 30 thousand superdome survivers





I've heard that FEMA has stated that they have plenty of supplies for those seeking refuge in the Superdome...they're #1 Priority right now is getting those who are trapped in their homes to a place of safe refuge, then they are going to transport those in shelters out of New Orleans to FEMA operated shelters...on a somewhat lighter note I heard that a group of rescuers were traveling by boat down a stretch of I-10 that is under water to and they saw a 3ft shark going down I-10...I guess that lays to rest to the question of whether or not their are sharks in Lake Ponchatrain...

[Nimbus]

Doesn't sound as though New Orleans is going to be inhabitable for a while.

Maybe they can use some military porta bridge or a hovercraft from the superdome garage to a barge loading point to evacuate the superdome?

I'm pretty sure the parking garage and helipad which is at 30' elevation is connected to the upper level box seats in the dome.

Short term people may have to move up into the higher seats but they should be safe.