Uptown Re-Entry Delay?: Mayor Ray Nagin and the federal head of Katrina recovery, Thad Allen, will meet this afternoon to reconsider re-entry into the 70115 and 70118 zip codes. Too late, people are already going in. It comes down to the quality of tap water and Tropical Storm Rita’s plans.
“We will reassess how we have done in reopening so far and the status of our water, sewerage, electricity and hospitals” across parts of the city left relatively unscathed by Hurricane Katrina, [the city’s director of homeland security, Col. Terry] Ebbert said, adding that the projected direction of Tropical Storm Rita, presently in the Atlantic Ocean, also would be a factor in determining whether to reopen Uptown.
[Thad Allen] on Saturday questioned Nagin’s proposed timeline, calling it “extremely ambitious” and “extremely problematic.” Tap water remains unfit for drinking and bathing in most parts of the city, and Rita posed another potential threat, he said.
City officials continued to recommend that residents visit the city during daytime hours only and not stay overnight, Ebbert said. An 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew remains in effect.
The city presently is populated with government and relief workers, journalists and some residents. “They obviously had vehicles to get in here,” [Ebbert] said. “We will continue to institute a mandatory evacuation.
Unless Rita makes a hard right towards our part of the Gulf Coast in the wee hours of Thursday, she’s projected to head for Mexico Galveston. Meanwhile, officials, get your stories straight and realize that residents are returning to stay regardless of your momentary optimism.
Hope this doesn’t delay going back home to 70130 for a little while.
After a long hiatus, I watched CNN again yesterday, this time on mute (aah, the simple pleasure of following the teletype and not the affectations of the newsdesk). Their “Focus On 70114” mentioned that not many people are taking advantage of being able to return to Algiers. Of course, the reporter was standing right in front of the Crescent City Connection as cars whizzed by back and forth across the bridge.
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Vaccination Overload: Contrary to popular belief, it is not required that you have yourself protected from hepatitis to cholera before going back into NO. Unless you are immune-compromised, suffer from other health problems, or are to undertake a very involved clean-up effort, officials ask you to avoid getting the shots at all. Do get a tetanus shot, if you haven’t received one within the last ten years or can’t remember.
[State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry] said that concerns that outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and typhus could occur are completely unfounded since none of those diseases existed in large numbers in the Greater New Orleans area before the storm. Guidry blamed the fear of outbreaks on rumors and erroneous reports from some media sources, and said many residents are straining the health care system by requesting unnecessary vaccinations for Hepatitis A and B and tetanus … Those requests are taxing the supply of vaccinations needed for first responders and others at-risk individuals.
…there is little to no danger of residents contracting those disease in the course of normal clean-up activities.
