New Orleans police to force survivors out

Mayor Ray Nagin said floodwaters threatened those still clinging to the life they knew before Katrina hit the US Gulf Coast last week, with garbage, oil and waste floating in stagnant pools inundating the historic city that is now largely abandoned.

The city buzzed with helicopters landing on overpasses to drop off rescued people to lines of waiting ambulances. The skies were thick with helicopters and transport planes of every stripe. ‘‘The sounds of New Orleans were jazz, people laughing, people eating a good meal,’’ Nagin said. ‘‘And now the sounds of New Orleans are helicopters and Army vehicles. This is almost surreal.’’

As the scope of the disaster that has driven more than a million people from their homes became clearer, financial estimates of its cost grew—Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid put the cost of recovery and relief at over $150 billion. The White House is preparing a new emergency budget request likely to total $40 billion to $50 billion for the recovery, in addition to $10.5 billion approved by Congress last week.

US President George W. Bush said he would lead an investigation into the emergency operation which has been criticised for not being prepared for the long-predicted storm, but he resisted demands for an immediate probe.

Bush’s response to the crisis was rated ‘‘bad’’ or ‘‘terrible’’ by 42 per cent of Americans surveyed for a CNN/USA Today Gallup poll released on Wednesday, compared with 35 per cent who said it was ‘‘good’’ or ‘‘great’’.

Out on New Orleans’ streets, which look like a war zone with thousands of soldiers and police on patrol, die-hard inhabitants of what is now a disaster area of Third-World proportions say they fear evacuation to parts of the country where they have no family or means of support.

‘‘If I’m gonna be miserable, I’d better be miserable right here,’’ said Robert Johnson.

Martha Smith-Aguillard (72) refused to board a government helicopter, even though she said she needed a tetanus shot.

‘I ain’t never been in no helicopter in my life, or no airplane, and I’m 72, I ain’t starting now,’’ she said. ‘‘I’m not going to get that tetanus shot, so I guess I’ll just have to die,’’ she went on. ‘‘We’re all going to die and if I’m going to die, it’s gonna be right here in New Orleans.’’ —Reuters