EVERYONE MUST LEAVE NEW ORLEANS

The Superdome will no longer be home to some of Hurricane Katrina's victims.

The Governor of Louisiana has called for everyone to leave New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The governor of Louisiana says everyone needs to leave New Orleans due to flooding from Hurricane Katrina. "We've sent buses in. We will be either loading them by boat, helicopter, anything that is necessary," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said. Army engineers struggled without success to plug New Orleans' breached levees with sandbags, and Blanco said Wednesday the situation was worsening, leaving no choice but to evacuate.

"The challenge is an engineering nightmare," Blanco said on morning TV. "The National Guard has been dropping sandbags into it, but it's like dropping it into a black hole."

As the waters continued to rise in New Orleans, four Navy ships raced toward the Gulf Coast with drinking water and other emergency supplies, and Red Cross workers from across the country converged on the devastated region. The Red Cross reported it had about 40,000 people in 200 shelters across the area.

Officials said the death toll from Hurricane Katrina had reached at least 110 in Mississippi, while Louisiana put aside the counting of the dead to concentrate on rescuing the living, many of whom were still trapped on rooftops and in attics.

Blanco acknowledged that looting was a severe problem but said that officials had to focus on survivors. "We don't like looters one bit, but first and foremost is search and rescue," she said.

To repair one of the levees holding back Lake Pontchartrain, officials late Tuesday dropped 3,000-pound sandbags from helicopters and hauled dozens of 15-foot concrete barriers into the breach. Maj. Gen. Don Riley of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said officials also had a more audacious plan: finding a barge to plug the 500-foot hole.

Riley said it could take close to a month to get the water out of the city. If the water rises a few feet higher, it could also wipe out the water system for the whole city, said New Orleans' homeland security chief, Terry Ebbert.

Blanco said she wanted the Superdome - which had become a shelter of last resort for about 20,000 people - evacuated within two days, though was still unclear where the people would go. The air conditioning inside the Superdome was out, the toilets were broken, and tempers were rising in the sweltering heat. "Conditions are degenerating rapidly," she said. "It's a very, very desperate situation."

From the Superdome to the Astrodome...

HOUSTON (AP) -- At least 25,000 of Hurricane Katrina's refugees, a majority of them at the New Orleans Superdome, will travel in a bus convoy to Houston starting Wednesday and will be sheltered at the 40-year-old Astrodome, which hasn't been used for professional sporting events in years.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide 475 buses for the transfer, and the Astrodome's schedule has been cleared through December for housing evacuees, said Kathy Walt, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Rusty Cornelius, administrative coordinator for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, told The Associated Press that initial plans were being made early Wednesday.

"We are planning on being able to do a full shelter operation for 25,000 people," he said.

Cornelius said the refugees would be bused to Houston, but all would not necessarily be on the road at the same time. He said specifics of the transport and housing for the refugees were still being worked out with Red Cross and state government officials.

"We want to accommodate those people as quickly as possible for the simple reason they have been through a horrible ordeal," he said.

Perry talked to Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco early Wednesday and agreed to the plan, Walt said.

Texas also is looking at the possibility of using the Ford Center in Beaumont for some long-term housing for other evacuees from Louisiana who may be staying in hotels, motels and campgrounds.

"Obviously from Governor Perry's standpoint, Texas is going to lend a helping hand and take care of those who have been devastated," Walt said.

The magnitude of this disaster is staggering.

So many have lost everything they own. Some have lost loved ones. The stories are heartbreaking.


These Americans need our help and our prayers.

1-800-HELP-NOW
This catastrophe is so enormous that it seems if you prayed constantly for the rest of your life, it wouldn't be enough.

Pope Benedict XVI offers his prayers for the victims and the aid workers.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI expressed his spiritual closeness and concern for all those affected by Hurricane Katrina in the United States, and he offered special prayers for those engaged in relief efforts.

He assured all those affected by what was considered the most destructive storm to hit the country in decades of "his closeness in prayer" and "divine blessings of strength and consolation."

In a telegram sent by the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the pope said he was "deeply saddened by the tragic consequences of the recent hurricane."

The Vatican released a copy of the telegram Aug. 31.

Here is the text of the telegram:

Deeply saddened by the tragic consequences of the recent hurricane in the United States of America, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI assures all those affected of his closeness in prayer. The Holy Father commends the deceased to the loving mercy of almighty God, and upon their grieving families he invokes divine blessings of strength and consolation. His Holiness likewise prays for the rescue workers and all involved in providing assistance to the victims of this disaster, encouraging them to persevere in their efforts to bring relief and support.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano

Secretary of State

Contributions to aid victims may be sent directly to:

2005 Hurricane Relief Fund, Catholic Charities USA, P.O. Box 25168, Alexandria, VA 22313-9788.

From the Associated Press:
Every branch of the U.S. military is involved in the rescue-and-relief mission following Hurricane Katrina. The U.S. Northern Command is coordinating search and rescue, medical help and supplies. The work will support the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

One of countless heroic rescues


Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott D. Rady, 34, of Tampa, Fla., pulled a pregnant woman from her flooded apartment, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005, in New Orleans. The Coast Guard rescued 11 survivors from the apartment building on Tuesday.

So much misery.

So much love and care.