Another Update

A press conference recently concluded with the two US Sens., a Corps of Engineers official, and (I think) someone from OEP. Supposedly they've got the material ready to try patching the 17th St. Canal (no word on the Industrial Canal as of yet). The plan is to start dropping a mix of massive sand bags and concrete barriers on the levee breach starting this afternoon. Another claim is that Lake Ponchartrain is receding--no word on whether or not that's the tide, I'll assume it unless someone tells me otherwise.

Cell phones don't work, but I heard a report that text messages ARE working, which might be one way to contact people who have 504 phones (regardless of where they are at present).

If you haven't already heard, those folks in the Superdome will be moved...to the Astrodome, which will be quite a massive undertaking. Don't know how they'll coordinate all the vehicles needed to move people to places where the roads are passable--although I just saw an interview with Nagin outside the Superdome and it looked like he was on dry ground...um, I take that back--Nagin must've been in the elevated parking lot. There's thigh to waist deep water at ground level there. Still, they need to get folks out of there.

Note: Nagin also mentioned the prison riot--he seemed a bit evasive--said things were "under control but tenuous," which makes me wonder if the prison situation is simply on hold until further notice. Saw this morning that some inmates were being held on a freeway on-ramp.

Bottled water is being trucked in from a Miller Brewery bottling plant in Georgia. There's also a troop carrier heading up the Mississippi River that might be able to house some folks. Finally, New Orleans Metroblog has some recent posts, and graphical data courtesy of the Washington Post, which will give you an idea of NOLA topology.