World's one of the worst catastrophe in New Orleans - the world must come together to stand with America to fight this tragedy
Sonia Joshi
Sep. 1, 2005

New Orleans is abandoned as law and order has broken down.The situation is grim in New Orleans. Silently one of the world’s worst tragedy has happened in New Orleans, Biloxi, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the vicinity. No one really knows the number of dead people. Thousands are displaced and the tragedy may measure one of the worst in the last 100 years.

As America helped the world at the time of Tsunami, the world – every one in every parts of the world must come together to stand together with America in this massive tragedy.

Fears of an international energy crisis mounted as the scale of human and economic devastation caused in the southern US by Hurricane Katrina became fully apparent. Officials warned the official death toll of more than 100 so far was likely to run into thousands.

According to media sources, the US government began dispatching federal aid to Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and other areas along the Gulf Coast as fears of an international energy crisis mounted on Thursday in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The scale of human and economic devastation in the southern US is quickly becoming apparent as an estimated 30,000 military personnel, as well as ships and aircraft, begin evacuating people from the region.

Between 50,000 to 100,000 are estimated to still be in the city including many of those that took shelter in the city’s Superdome stadium, prison inmates and healthcare workers. Efforts were underway to move them to Houston, Texas. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, local authorities were preparing to take up to 500,000 refugees from the hurricane-hit region.

The White House said on Thursday President George W. Bush would meet Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve, at lunchtime to discuss the wider economic impact of the hurricane, and would then meet his economic team.

Mr Bush, who cut short his vacation to return to Washington, called the hurricane “one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history.” He said: “This recovery will take a long time. This recovery will take years.” He is set to ask Congress for emergency spending to help pay for hurricane relief efforts.

The death toll of more than 100 in official tallies was expected to rise much higher, with the mayor of New Orleans warning that the number of dead in his city would be “minimum hundreds, most likely thousands”. A massive operation was under way to rescue people stranded by floodwater and to care for the many thousands made homeless.

As the human tragedy unfolded, there were fears that the economic impact of the storm, which has paralysed the Gulf of Mexico oil industry, could be felt around the world.

In the markets, crude oil prices moved a little higher on Thursday after ending weaker in the previous session as the US government offered to lend to refiners from its strategic reserve.

Nymex November delivery was up $69.68 a barrel midday on Thursday, off its Tuesday high of $70.85. Brent crude’s October contract was also up slightly at $67.36.

Some analysts cut US growth forecasts, saying soaring petrol prices would hurt consumer spending. “US [petrol] prices are now in the process of the most dramatic spike ever seen,” said Kevin Norrish, an analyst at Barclays Capital. “It is now appropriate to talk of a major energy crisis.”

MORE ARTICLES >>