Page 3 - Joint Task Force Katrina News Today

Out new orleans entire power grid. with sustained winds up to 150 miles an hour. across louisiana more than 700,000 people remain without electricity. and after touring the state yesterday, president biden said more help is on the way. >> were going to deploy even more federal resources including hundreds of generators. and there is more to come to restore power as fast as we possibly can. faster than anything that happened during katrina. >> joining me now is the former commander of joint task ...

Have become so dependent on to a point where many of the 911 system depending on cell were not accessible. if you cant communicate you cant coordinate. so same problem, ability to communicate, ability to do search and rescue. all of that disrupted by power poles laying over roads, trees knocking down power. we have to fix the grid, just like we fixed the levee system, the grid to use the current term has to be built back better to recognize the that fact that you are in a hurricane zone. and com...

Least right now. >> joining us now is the former commander of joint task force katrina, russell honore. im sorry for what has befallen new orleans yet again. you hear these live reports, little power, no food, sweltering heat, people dont have access to money, phones cant be recharged. how do first responders even get their arms around a situation like this with these cascading crises? >> yeah. thats the story of fighting a big hurricane. right now with the grid broken and the responders in sear...

The highways. >> a lot of people are scared. im scared. as you go from town to town, the hotels are filled up. so you just riding further and further until you find one. >> reporter: and on this 16th anniversary of hurricane katrina, louisianas governor isnt downplaying how dangerous ida will be. >> we can sum it up by saying this will be one of the strongest hurricanes to hit anywhere in louisiana since at least the 1850s. >> reporter: new orleans is already in a vulnerable position. its been r...

Big comply point in alexandria that fema is putting in with generators and ambulances and tarps in baton rouge. things are moving in the right direction. right now the unknown is where the most damage will happen and what is going to be the impact if the levees hold will determine the number of folks that need rescue. the hotels in new orleans are in a lot better shape than they used to be. most have generators now. the restaurants have generators. so we are a lot more resilient ent than we were...

Stand in the gulf of mexico, a terrifying sight for people waking up this morning, especially if you decided to ride out the storm. now is the time to shelter in place and look after each other because the weather will deteriorate quickly. we all know that. anywhere water touches, whether its from the sky or from the ocean below, will be impacted by this particular storm. a very sobering statement from the governor of louisiana stating that this could potentially be the most powerful hurricane t...

The system was structured around a category 3. so we may see some overtipping of levees and the gates well engineered. the corps of engineers have done a superb job with that. anything built by man can be destroyed by mother nature. so everybody needs to keep their heads up, stay alert, follow the news because there will be some -- there will be flooding. its a function of not much and where. there will be flooding in south louisiana. >> you make the point, there is no predicting exactly whats c...

Alabama, mississippi, louisiana as well, and all this moisture is going to travel north. this will be well inland, places that get heavy tropical rainfall. >> i want to that tap into your expertise. you were part of this award-winning team that made critical repair to new orleans after hurricane katrina. what is your assessment of the levees now looking at whats in front of you? >> yeah, really looking at some of this, its about the levees. i want to go back to the storm surge map, and it really...

Ride out superstorm sandy a couple years ago, they were without power for two weeks. they tried to catch a flight yesterday morning, but everything was booked up. they thought they had more time. so a lot of people coming out to bourbon street, gambled, and they lost. they will be here riding out the storm in their hotel or they may be eventually evacuated to a shelter. christi, phil. >> things just moving so fast right now. nadia romero, thank you so much. 16 years ago today katrina left deva...

Homes. >> katrina, hey, i had to stand in the water and slept on a bridge for two days. >> fema trucks and generators are in the area as well. take a look there. the national guard has also been deployed. earlier this morning we spoke to local leaders who say people who stayed behind may have a long wait if they need help. >> we will have search and rescue immediately, but its one road in, and that road often gets flooded over and is impassable. so its a very difficult search and rescue mission ...