HURRICANE KATRINA UPDATE

Jackson – Officials continue to urge Mississippi Gulf Coast evacuees not to attempt to return
home. Evacuees or residents attempting to get to the Gulf Coast could be impeding rescue
missions. Several search and rescue teams, task forces, incident management teams and
emergency commodities from Florida are now in position on the Gulf Coast aiding other federal,
state and local authorities.
Non-emergency vehicles should remain off the highways south of Jackson. Non-emergency
traffic is making it extremely difficult for emergency response vehicles to travel. Generally,
highways north of and including Interstate 20 are open. Interstate 55 is open, and Interstate 10
will be closed for the foreseeable future. Highway information is listed for the public by calling
601-359-7017.
Patients accounted for in Gulf Coast hospitals and special needs shelters:
• Singing River Hospital: 160 patients.
• Ocean Springs Hospital: No patient numbers, but operational.
• Biloxi special-needs shelter: 80 patients with an additional 500 people walk-in and
receive treatment.
• Keesler Medical Center: No patient numbers, but operational.
• VA Hospital in Biloxi: hospital full except for two beds.
• Biloxi Regional: 160 patients.
• Garden Park: 65 patients.
• Hancock County Medical Center: treated 125 patients in last 24 hours.
• Hancock special-needs shelter: 125 patients.
• Gulfport Memorial Hospital: 270 patients.
MEMA is only reporting confirmed deaths from county coroners’ offices. There are still no
confirmed deaths from the Gulf Coast area, but a total of 13 deaths are now confirmed from
other counties throughout the state. Adams County reports two deaths, Jones County reports six
deaths and one death is being reported from each of the following counties: Hinds, Lauderdale,
Leake, Simpson & Warren.
Power outages will be released from MEMA at noon and 9 p.m. each day. At 9 p.m. today,
power outage totals were reported from the following power companies:
• Electrical Power Associations of Mississippi reported 426,000 meters without service,
which is approximately 50 percent of the electric meters.
• Entergy reported 268,600 meters without service.
• Mississippi Power reported more than 195,000 meters are without service.
• Tennessee Valley Authority: 100,000 meters are without service.
The Mississippi State Department of Health is issuing boil water notices for several communities
and cities. Those notices and news releases can be found at the department’s Web site at
www.msdh.state.ms.us.
MEMA and Adventist Community Services are working to establish a facility to receive, process
and disburse donations to send to other areas of the state. They are seeking donation of a
50,000-100,000 square foot warehouse facility in Mississippi for this purpose.
A private corporation has begun an online survivor database for citizens at
www.gulfcoastnews.com.
National Guard troops will distribute water and ice, beginning Wednesday in the following
locations:
County Location City
Amite Amite County Court House Liberty
Attala Attala County Court House Kosciusko
Claiborne Claiborne County Parks & Recreation Port Gibson
Clarke Quitman National Guard Quitman
Copiah North Fire Station Hazlehurst
Forrest Bobby Chain Airport Hattiesburg
George National Guard 786 Trans. Co. Lucedale
Hancock Hancock County Livestock Arena Kiln
Harrison County Farm Gulfport
Hinds To be announced
Jackson Jackson County Fairgrounds Pascagoula
Jasper John R. Sims Livestock Facility Bay Springs
Jones Magnolia Center Laurel
Lauderdale Lauderdale County Agri Center Meridian
Lawrence Super Value Parking Lot Monticello
Leake Carthage Coliseum Carthage
Lincoln Brookhaven Recreation Dept. Brookhaven
Madison Madison County Road Dept. Canton
Neshoba Neshoba County Coliseum Philadelphia
Newton Civic Center/Show Barn Newton
Pearl River McNeill Elementary School Carriere
Pike Pike County Fair Grounds McComb
Rankin Rankin County Multi-Purpose Building Brandon
Stone Stone County Fair Ground Wiggins
Walthall Southwest Event Center Tylertown
Wayne Mississippi National Guard Waynesboro
Yazoo National Guard Armory Yazoo City