Mayor hits out at Bush over delay in relief operation

THE mayor of New Orleans lashed out at US President George W Bush yesterday, demanding to know why he has failed to co-ordinate a successful relief operation.

Law and order have completely evaporated in the city, which now resembles a Third World country.

Ray Nagin, who put out a "desperate SOS" appealing for help, angrily expressed disbelief that the situation continued to deteriorate.

"I need reinforcements, I need troops, I need 500 buses," he told local radio station WWL. "This is a national disaster - get every bus in the country and get the f**k to New Orleans.

"We authorised $8 billion to go to Iraq, after 9/11 we gave the President unprecedented powers to take care of New York.

"You mean to tell me in a place that is so unique, a place that when it is mentioned eyes light up around the world, a place where there are thousands dying every day, we cannot figure out a way to authorise how to sort this out?"

Fours days after Hurricane Katrina struck, the city was in a state of anarchy.

There were reports of rapes, beatings and car-jackings. Evacuation attempts were disrupted by gunfire and armed looters ruled the streets.

A series of explosions rocked the riverfront, sending flames shooting into the night sky. Early reports suggested it was caused by a chemical spill.

The Houston Astrodome in Texas was forced to close its doors temporarily as it reached full capacity with 11,000 evacuees.

Up to 30,000 more waited to escape the squalid conditions at the New Orleans Superdome.

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco announced the arrival of 300 soldiers recently returned from Iraq, and warned that they would "shoot and kill".

Asked about reports that 100 people had died while waiting to be evacuated outside New Orleans, she said: "Nothing would surprise me at this time. When the whole network of civilisation falls apart, anything can happen, and it is."

Reporters expressed frustration at the parade of politicians and state officials giving press conferences and congratulating each other on their work. Anderson Cooper told CNN: "Where are they? There are corpses on the street being eaten by rats ... I mean, this is the United States of America."

Relief workers painted crosses on doors to mark places of death.

Quotes

"In two days at the Superdome, I saw four white people among the estimated 23,000 there." - Los Angeles Times writer, Scott Gold

"It was like something out of Lord of the Flies - one minute everything is calm and civil, the next it descends into chaos. A man has been arrested for raping a seven-year-old in the toilet, this place is hell. I feel sick." - Jamie Trout, 22, a Sunderland economics student

"Where are they? There are corpses on the street being eaten by rats... I mean, this is the United States of America." - Anderson Cooper

"I need reinforcements, I need troops, I need 500 buses. This is a national disaster - get every bus in the country and get the f**k to New Orleans." - Mayor Ray Nagin

"They don't have a clue what's going on down there. They flew down here one time two days after the doggone event was over with TV cameras, AP reporters, all kind of goddamn - excuse my French everybody in America, but I am pissed." - Mayor Nagin

"Nothing would surprise me at this time. When the whole network of civilisation falls apart, anything can happen, and it is." - Governor Kathleen Blanco on reports 100 died waiting to be evacuated from a slipway.

"At every one of them (hospitals), there are reports that as the helicopters come in people are shooting at them. There are people just taking potshots at police and at helicopters, telling them, 'You better come get my family'." - Ben-Iesan

"These individuals will not take control of the city of New Orleans." - Col Henry Whitehorn, head of state police

"This is a national emergency. This is a national disgrace. FEMA has been here three days, yet there is no command and control. We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami victims, but we can't bail out the city of New Orleans." - Terry Ebbert, head of emergency operations

"They indicated that they had lost everything and didn't feel that it was worth them going back to take fire from looters and losing their lives." - Police Colonel Henry Whitehorn on officers turning in their badges

"Go to hell - it's every man for himself." - Police officer to tourist Debbie Durso

"We have individuals who are getting raped, we have individuals who are getting beaten." - Police Chief Eddie Compass

"I'm not sure I'm going to get out of here alive. I'm scared of riots. I'm scared of the locals." - Canadian tourist Larry Mitzel

"They have M-16s and they're locked and loaded. These troops know how to shoot and kill, and they are more than willing to do so, and I expect they will." - Governor Kathleen Blanco

"It is full of people off the street, people of the night, homeless people and alcoholics so on like that, drug addicts who are not getting their drugs and they are not getting their alcohol. You can only just think of what they could be getting up to you know." - Irishman Jim Lally, whose son Conor was caught up in the evacuation chaos