Mayhem on the outskirts of New Orleans

[ollie]

My sister JUST sent me this email. She's down there as an RN.

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Well here we are, living the life of Hawkeye, Radar and Trapper John. Our Base of Operation (it's called a BOO, I'm not kidding) is literally a MASH tent city set up on the grounds of a major medical center in a little town called Marrero, just south of the Mississippi River. This is one of the few functioning hospitals in the area, but all patients have to go through our DMAT first. About 80 percent of the people who go through our unit are treated by DMAT personnel and then released. We are seeing an incredible 1,500 patients a day. Helicopters are flying overhead all day, national guard is everywhere, cops are wearing flak jackets and carrying machine guns. It feels like someone else's country.

We are seeing all sorts of patients, dehydration, wounds, horrible infections. Lots of folks are coming in with rashes and burns from the crap (literally) in the water, many are infected with drug resistent bacteria. People have absolutely nothing. No medications, no money, nowhere to stay, no proof even of who they are. We had one guy come in looking for dialysis for his mom. She had already missed two weeks of treatment and was failing fast. We had nowhere to send her - all dialysis units in the area are nonfunctioning. We've had one guy who's been hanging around the BOO for two days. His wife and child were killed, he has nowhere to go and no money to get a bus back to where his home used to be. All area shelters are filled. We're feeding him MREs. We're seeing a lot of injuries from people who are trying to clear rubble by themselves and we're running a massive vaccination clinic for people who need HEP A, B and tetanus. We dealing with psych patients who've been off their medications for days or weeks and are decompensating rapidly. (But who am I do talk, it probably won't be long before we are all decompensating!)

Our introduction was memorable. We rode down here in a convoy with an armed federal protective services agent (who, by the way, got us lost and took us another 45 minutes out of the way) and arrived at 4 pm, having no idea of course what the hell to do or how anything functioned. Two hours after we arrived, the DMAT team that had been manning (personing?) the BOO left us and we were essentially on our own. We had a fraction of the staff they did and put in a frenetic 17-hour shift, grabbed a few hours of sleep and started all over again. The weather here is cruel, broiling hot and humid. All we do is sweat and drink bottled water. We smell like goats and look like convicts. The mosquitoes are voracious. We are all exhausted.

I do not know how long we are going to be here - the deployments by necessity are fairly short - anything more would probably kill us. We certainly hope to be home by next weekend, maybe even the middle of the week if we're lucky. There's a line for the computer so I've got to go. (We're sleeping, by the way on cots in a fitness center, all of us together. What is it with the feds and gymnasiums anyway?)

Thanks and love to all
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ollie

[conlor]

Thanks, Ollie. The medical personal are going to have to be a tough crew. We have a 3 people from our VA hospital going down to help. I'm sure they have no idea what they'll be getting into. We're in MI, so I know the heat is going to be bad for them. They're needed though, and volunteered.

[odannyboy]

Wow, sounds like quite a challenge for everyone down there, especially thosed tasked with helping.

It is good to hear these first hand reports from people out there, glad to hear your sister is making a difference in the recovery, if you can call any of this "recovery", maybe "survival" is the better choice.

[SherryGrace]

What a wonderful thing your sister is doing. Thank you for sharing her email. You know, I imagined the conditions were horrible, but to hear about them from someone who is there...like a MASH unit. <shudder>

We are seeing an incredible 1,500 patients a day. Helicopters are flying overhead all day, national guard is everywhere, cops are wearing flak jackets and carrying machine guns. It feels like someone else's country.

God bless them all. Angels during dark times...

But I have to say, I'm so glad that she (and all of them) is there to help. Tell her thank you...

[Woodmonkey]

Thanks for this news, Ollie. It is very interesting to hear what the rescuers are going through.

[sfga6970]

Thanks for sharing the e-mail Ollie. She is among the people the press should be focusing on. Those who are working long, hard hours and helping the victims.

[TheCleaner]

Hello there, a Britt here - a friendly one! Over the last week or so only the very worst photos and invaribly anti-USA reports on the catastrophe that has befallen the New Orleans area have been given regular airtime here and in Europe.

In todays major London papers there is a report - again very negative in its stance this time given at a large gathering of the 'Great and the Good' at a Weather Convention in Berlin Germany.......this particular report is by our very own Deputy Prime-minister (the arch-fool and buffoon) Mr John Prescott ...the most inept man in British Politics ....that in itself requires some form of ability for the list is almost endless...do you recall the fat old politician throwing a punch at a heckler once because he allegedly threw an egg at him ....well, thats the same man that is blaming your government for not signing some hair-brained scheme (Kyoto Agreement) he thought up - probably whilst drunk - for he is a well known dypso.......unfortunately, the country is caught up in a 'Mad Malaise' with every section angry and ready to revolt at the slightest percieved excuse......Mainland Europe is even worse.......what is happening (in a nutshell) is the old French guard which never forgave the USA for saving them ...to the Germans that now despise and denounce the American way of life at every opportunity ....conveniently forgetting that their vibrant economy was built with and by the mighty $ ....and the millions of USA personel who lived and worked there for over 50 years...

Didn't mean to rant-on but it really gets me when I hear the USA being dissed - usually by some of the most miserable regimes immaginable...... talking about miserable regimes it was reported here today that up to 500 Mullahs can stay here with no action being taken against them despite their anti-western rhetoric....in fact they are now in a position to sue for compensaion.....its their human rights ...they were infringed .....and who says so? The PM's wife ...the human rights lawyer Cherie Blair.....I tell you this .....with this woman and the left wing so-called Law Lords whom really are a disgrace we have no chance of surviving in our present form....we also have no chance of winning any military victory for they will not allow it....

If I lived there I would start a new party ....largess and goodwill would have to be earnt ...just saying '...It's my human right' should count for zilch....

(Again) unfortunately, if you knew what was happening here in this once glorious isle it would bring tears to your eyes ...so I will sign off here.

Nice to speak with you people.


keep the faith...
TheCleaner London N7