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Thursday, September 1st, 2005
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12:11a - You Want News?
New Orleans Police Department Status: The situation for the NOPD is critical. This is firsthand information I have from an NOPD officer we're giving shelter to. Their command and control infrastructure is shot. They have limited to no communication whatsoever. He didn't even know the city was under martial law until we told him! His precinct (5th Precinct) is under water! UNDER WATER -- every vehicle under water. They had to commandeer moving trucks like Ryder and UHaul to get around. The coroner's office is shut down so bodies are being covered in leaves at best or left where they lie at worst.
They don't even know their own rules of engagement. He says the force is impotent right now. They have no idea what's going on, no coordination, virtually no comms, etc. the National Guard is gonna air drop a radio system for them with 200 radios? They are getting very little direction.
The 3rd District bugged out to Baton Rouge because they flooded out.
His quote: "It's a zoo."
More first hand information direct from him shortly. He's trying to recover.
I am not trying to be an alarmist, but until we get a military presence of signicance in the city, the roving gangs of thugs own the streets.
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12:35a - Outpost Crystal's Police Officer
More from the Police Officer. I'm typing as fast as i can while he talks to us:He's only hearing bits and pieces. The people in the city are shooting at the police. They're upset that they're not getting help quickly enough. The firemen keep calling because they're under fire. He doesn't understand why the people are shooting at the rescuers. Here it is 5 days ago the Mayor said get out of town and nobody went and now they're pissed.
The National Guard was at the Hilton, but now the Hilton is evacuated. When they said the CBD was gonna get 6 feet of water, it seems like everyone evacuated.
He turned the corner onto Canal Street and it looked like a flea market. People breaking into every store, going to the neutral gound (median) and trading and selling everything.
They broke into Winn Dixie Monday Night. Do they steal food? No. Cigarettes and liquor. Store was a mess. All the meats were going to waste so the districts went over there to salvage food for officers. Many cops have been eating MREs.
The Iberville Housing Projects got pissed off because the police started to "shop" after they kicked out looters. Then they started shooting at cops. When the cops left, the looters looted everything. There's probably not a grocery left in this city.
Over 30 officers have quit over the last 3 days. Out of 160 officers in his district maybe 55 or 60 are working. He hasn't seen several since Sunday. HQ is closed, evacuated. No phones to contact them.
"HQ, be advised, we're going 10 7."
"Ok, y'all coming back on???"
"We don't know."
More in a few.
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1:43a - New Pictures Up
http://sigmund.biz/kat/index.html
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2:15a - Getting Some Rest
It's been a very long day. I'm going to crash for a bit and try to get 5 hours or so of sleep. I apologize again that I cannot respond to each IM. I am trying. We've got that IRC channel going and I'll try to get in there for a while later in the day.
I am going to debrief the police officer completely in the morning. He was utterly fatigued, thirsty, and wanted to find out what the hell was really going on.
Security has become a major concern now, because the NOPD is ineffective and the looters terrorists are roaming the streets. Word is now that they're lighting buildings on fire, but I can't confirm that. Anyway, we have to run guard shifts and patrol and it limits our downtime.
It is a zoo out there though, make no mistake. It's the wild kingdom. It's Lord of the Flies. That doesn't mean there's murder on every street corner. But what it does mean is that the rule of law has collapsed, that there is no order, and that property rights cannot and are not being enforced. Anyone who is on the streets is in immediate danger of being robbed and killed. It's that bad.
I will be back on around 0700 or so I think.
Team SOTI signing off. Will leave the cam on.
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8:26a - I'm Awake
Best night sleep I've had so far. Woke up without back pain for the first time since before this thing started. I've been sleeping on the carpet, and that's a very thin layer covering the hard concrete. It takes about 3 days to get accustomed to sleeping on concrete -- I know that from my my days of sleeping on asphalt when the army couldn't provide better. I need to perform personal hygiene in a little bit, but I wanted to check in first and let everyone know that Outpost Crystal is still a viable and functioning camp of civilization in the face of the lawless barbarian hordes who threaten at all times to turn what's left of New Orleans into the war of all against all. It's like Mogadishu out there, but we're in a fixed defensive position and prepared.
I've got some office maintenance stuff to do here before I clean up.
Back in a few.
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9:36a - Diesel Situation
We have permission from the City and from FEMA to truck in diesel. We have the ability to take on 1300-1500 more gallons of diesel fuel. If you or anyone you know is capable of bringing us fuel, we will pay for it. It would be best if the delivery truck could navigate a parking garage, otherwise the unloading will be hours -- no idea how long it could take.
Thanks in advance,
Michael
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10:12a - Update and Thanks
1. There is a mass exodus for the Mississippi River Bridges (Crescent City Connection) from the CBD. We are not sure what's going on, but we are assuming until we hear differently that people are fleeing the city. So if you're watching the feeds, that's what you're seeing -- throngs of people moving toward the bridges.
2. Cannot confirm any of the following: Superdome fire, 2 shot police officers this morning. We hear all kinds of stuff, but no way to verify those.
3. Can confirm: The National Guard, FEMA, the NOPD, and City authorities DO NOT have the city under control. There are live radio feeds for the National Guard comms and NOPD comms which have been circulating the web, and you can listen to the chaos and disarray for yourselves. I am not going to post the links, but I'm sure others have and will. I doubt the government's ability to reestablish order without a full active duty military presence to crush the mob mentality. This of course will mean no civil rights and everyone being treated equally -- as a criminal. Rock | Hard Place.
4. I'm happy to report that my parents are accounted for. My mother made it out to Jackson, Mississippi, and my father, the only person more strong-willed than myself, is still in Harahan, healthy but refusing to leave. Mounting a rescue operation to bring him into the Outpost Crystal is a very low priority mission at this point. He's gonna have to tough it out for the time being. For him to read later, when this is all over: "Dad, I love you. I have to say it -- I told you so." Stubborn guy, my dad.
5. More pics coming soon.
More later.
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10:27a
We've got fuel coming in NOW. Going down stairs now.
back soon
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11:50a - Update
My first tactical mistake. We were unprepared to accept the fuel when it arrived. The fuel arrived way too soon for us and we did not have all the empty drums down on the ground floor when they got here. The driver had other deliveries to make, so rather than waste his time, I told him we'd recoordinate and be ready for him later today or tomorrow.
That's the bad news. Here's the worse news:
All of our providers are dropping. We're down to one. We have enough fuel to keep us powered for a long time, but we could lose internet access soon if our last provider drops.
So I guess what I'm saying is that any moment could be my last moment online. If we do lose internet, Outpost Crystal might have to be abandoned by all but Sig and Myself. I've got to get Crystal out of here safely and relocated to someplace out of this state. I'm working on escape routes now.
Calling any and all Intercosmos and Directnic employees. We need you to contact Donnie in email and on ICQ ASAP.
Situtation is critical.
I'm not leaving, so stop asking. I'm staying. I am staying until this shitstorm has blown itself out. Period. End of discussion.
Now for some updates:
1. Been too busy to debrief the police officer, so that will come later. Low priority now.
2. Buses loading people up on Camp Street to take refugees to Dallas, or so the word on the street (literally) is.
3. Dead bodies everywhere: convention center, down camp street, all over.
4. National Guard shoving water off the backs of trucks. They're just pushing it off without stopping, people don't even know it's there at first -- they drop it on the side in debris, there's no sign or distribution point -- people are scared to go near it at first, because the drop points are guarded by troops or federal agents with assault rifles who don't let people come near them, which scares people off. It is a mess. When people actually get to the water, they are in such a rush to get it that one family left their small child behind and forget about him until Sig carried him back to the family.
5. Lots of pics coming soon when Sig has time to update.
It's raining now and I guess that's a relief from the heat. It's hot as hell down there in the sun. Crime is absolutely rampant: rapes, murders, rape-murder combinations.
I have really cut back answering IMs. Not enough time. I apologize people.
In case anyone in national security is reading this, get the word to President Bush that we need the military in here NOW. The Active Duty Armed Forces. Mr. President, we are losing this city. I don't care what you're hearing on the news. The city is being lost. It is the law of the jungle down here. The command and control structure here is barely functioning. I'm not sure it's anyone's fault -- I'm not sure it could be any other way at this point. We need the kind of logistical support and infrastructure only the Active Duty military can provide. The hospitals are in dire straights. The police barely have any capabilities at this point. The National Guard is doing their best, but the situation is not being contained. I'm here to help in anyway I can, but my capabilities are limited and dropping. Please get the military here to maintain order before this city is lost.
Doing what we can, this is Outpost Crystal getting back to work.
We've got a prayer!
Huge convoy of fuel and generator engineer types affiliated with Bell South just moved down the street toward their building. That's where 2 of our OC3s that went down are at Bell's main.
Finally, this is important:
Message for Tenants of 650 Poydras - Poydras Center
We recieved the below email from building management. We are asking for help from tenants in our building. We need bottled water, hand sanitizer, general cleaning supplies, self cleaning stuff, germx, baby wipes, etc.. Big diesel gloves. underwear. (34, 36, 38's whatever), socks (white), razors/deodorant men's and womens, a portable chemical toilet, .45 ACP ammo if possible
If you have any of the above supplies at the office and you are willing to let us borrow them then please send us: 1) your suite number; 2) the supplies that you are willing to let us borrow; 3) the exact location of where the supplies are located; 4) your contact information; and 5) some form of laundry detergent.
If you do the above we will: 1) be able to get into your suite to obtain the supplies; 2) While getting the supplies we will also check your suite for damage and perform a little work to help you mitigate damage; 3) we will track what we borrow; 4) we will pay you back; and 5) we will eventually send you a status update.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Maurice Faucheux [mailto:denmaur@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 7:04 AM
To: mfaucheux@hertzgroup.com
Subject: Hertz New Orleans Properties
Dear Tenants,
We at Hertz Investment Group sincerely hope that you and your loved ones survived Hurricane Katrina safely and with a minimum of loss. We also hope that the coming period of recovery goes smoothly for you.
I would like to pass on to you Hertz Investment Group's plan for the immediate future.
Members of the Hertz Management Team remained at each of our New Orleans properties throughout Hurricane Katrina, in order to mitigate damage and to survey the effect of the storm on the properties.
We have now retained the services of a specialist in commercial disaster recovery to assist us with repairing and restoring our properties as quickly as possible. The company will deploy a Catastrophic Action Team (CAT), that will being working to return our properties to Class A condition as soon as state and city officials allow access to the city.
In the interim, Hertz Investment Group has created a website www.HertzNewOrleansResponds.Com which will provide our tenants and the community with status reports on our progress.
The website will also offer each tenant the option of creating a password protected bulletin board, which can be used for communicating confidentially with staff and employees directly on the website.
Tenants will also be able to submit questions to Hertz Group management via the website.
Our website is expected to be on line and fully functional tomorrow, (Thursday).
We encourage you to utilize the services that the website offers during this difficult time, to follow our progress and to communicate with your friends, co-workers, staff and employees.
Sincerely,
Maurice A Faucheux
General Manager
Hertz Investment Group
Something Awful, bad news. We have to take you offline for now. We have to get more
OC3s back online and that's down the street. Doing what we can, people.
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1:05p
If anyone who works for or has connections with Bell South or Telcove is reading this, tell us what it's going to take to get those OC3s back up and running. We will try to coordinate and make it happen.
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1:28p
The word is that in Jefferson Parish and Orleans, FEMA has "bugged out." They haven't brought supplies in.
THE REAL MILITARY IS NOW FLOWING IN. National Guard is being replaced before our eyes. Watch the feed.
Word is that the Marines are at 1515 Poydras where our OC4s are. I think we're coming back online in force shortly.
On another note: I've just been told that we're being monitored in Iraq! To all the troops there, from one soldier to another, we're hanging tough here and you hang tough too. No matter what you're hearing, we love you guys and want you to know that we know how hard you've got it. Stay strong!
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1:41p - Calling for A Volunteer
Until the OC3s come back, we need to lower our load. We're looking to transfer the Katrina pictures offsite. If someone is willing to give us FTP access and can host them for us, we'd appreciate it. No idea how much it is... probably a lot.
DISREGARD We are just gonna pull the box for now. We're not gonna use bandwith moving them. THANKS FOR ALL THE OFFERS!
Also, at this point, I can only respond to mission critial Instant Messages. I sincerely, SINCERELY apologize. I want you all to know that all your kind words and support and offers for help are GREATLY appreciated. I can not emphasize that enough. Please do not take it personally if your IM does not get a response. PLEASE.
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4:00p - Been Busy.
My screw-up earlier with respect to diesel preparations has been rectified. We've got 18 drums on the floor level awaiting the next truck delivery today or tomorrow. We had to empty all drums into the tanks, move them down there, work on the building's small emergency power generator to get the freight elevator working (this included hand-pumping a couple of drums of fuel into the tank), and a whole lot of other crap.... Not gonna bore you with the mundane.
Then we had to take a router down to city hall to try to get the city rolling on their internet. That included wading through water. God, the city is a mess when you head down Poydras that way. The Superdome looks like the Jenin refugee camp. God help this city. Whether or not it ought to be rebuilt is secondary to the real issue: can it be rebuilt? Looking around, I wouldn't know where or how to start. Good luck with that.
Update: if you're having trouble connecting to the primary or backup feeds, here is a third: http://194.97.144.25/NewOrleans
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5:24p - Jesse Jackson
Dear Sir:
Respectfully, I submit that you should shut the hell up. Looting and lawlessness IS the problem. The National Guard choppers are BEING SHOT AT. The NOPD are BEING SHOT AT. You want to focus on the levee? So do they, but check this out: THEY CAN'T UNTIL THE MOB STOPS ATTACKING THE RESCUE OPERATION.
I know you're looking at this situation with concern for the racial implications of the deterioration of civilization out here, but this is bigger than whether people are going to be racists after this is over. This is about rescuing the masses i.e. life and death.
I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and blame your stupid comments on your lack of knowledge of the situation. Don't prove me a fool for doing so.
Regards,
Michael Barnett
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6:06p - Sig Asked Me To Post This
From: Sigmund Solares
Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 6:09 PM
To: Intercosmos Employees
Subject: Payroll for Employees
Intercosmos Media Group, Inc., (dba directNIC.com) is going to pay all employees hourly and salaried this pay period the same exact amount as last pay period. Unfortunately, we have been unable reach anyone in accounting who has handled payroll in the past and we have not heard anything about them.
So we need to track down Ronald Eldridge, Betty Daigle, and/or Yolondis Gilmore. If you can contact them and pass on this message that would be very helpful. We know that our employees are in need of money and getting money to them will be difficult without that information from accounting. Alternatively, we will find a way to estimate and pay employees. If we can't compute exact payroll and we don’t hear from accounting, then we will direct deposit money into your account if we can obtain bank information.
Information we need from accounting emailed to Sigmund Solares and carbon copied to Noah: 1) A step by step on how to submit the direct deposits? 2) Where is the list of information on payroll? 3) Where are the bank account numbers and routing information for each employee kept? Where is the specific folder where this information is kept?
Information we need from each employee emailed to Sigmund Solares and carbon copied to noah@lieske.com: 1) Your bank account number and routing information; 2) the name of your account; and 3) your last payroll amount; and 4) if you need more money than your last paycheck at this time please give information about what you need and we can see what we can do.
Thanks,
Sigmund Solares
Chief Executive Officer
Intercosmos Media Group, Inc.
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6:25p - Media Post
This blog was never intended to be some kind of springboard to fame. I had no idea it would be... well, be what it is now. It's nothing short of stunning. I am getting thousands of IMs per hour now. I cannot keep up with them all. Same thing with comments -- I try to scan them all, but I am struggling to stay on top of it. All of them are appreciated and all of them are morale boosters and all of them provide focus for us.
I understand that a lot of media want to discuss our situation and the situation in the city. If you are in the media and you want to contact me or any in Team SOTI here at Outpost Crystal, please get with Ezra Hodge -- he can be reached at ICQ: 91-664-906, or ehodge@intercosmos.com
He will be coordinating all that stuff. I'm trying to make myself available, but we have so much physical stuff to do in addition to holding down the internet and pulling security. This will expedite things I think.
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9:15p - Latest from Outpost Crystal
Thanks again to all of you sending us kind words and support via IMs and the blog. The sheer quantity is staggering. It's amazing to think that so many people are aware of my insignificant existence.
Now for the Team SOTI's 9:30 news report.
As has become their nightly routine, police formed up in 2 rows of 4 cars on Poydras at dusk and started driving around city blocks over and over. I saw some one car stop at a group of people camped out on a Camp Street sidewalk and question them, but then the cops drove off and left them alone.
As I reported earlier, a lot of people were bussed out to Dallas or somewhere from Camp Street, and that combined with a US Marshalls presence along Poydras from Loyola Ave to St. Charles really thinned out the pedestrian flow down Poydras. There are definitely a lot fewer people on the streets tonight.
Apparently the Marines coming in are Reservists not Active Duty. As far as I'm concerned, Marines are Marines are Marines, and they're always welcomed by Outpost Crystal.
Outpost Crystal is still secured and still kicking. We've got people begging us to leave, but that's not going to happen. We might lose Charlie Squad depending on internect connectivity, but Alpha Squad and Bravo Squad are going nowhere until New Orleans' infrastructure is rebuilt or declared permanently and irrevocably destroyed. As far as I'm concerned, this building is my post, and it will not be abandoned until I'm properly relieved.
I have some downtime for a bit tonight, so I'll be hanging out.
What's up, world?
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