Subject: hurricane

Hi all.  Hope you're well.

Below is the first communication we've had from a dear family friend who
lives in New Orleans.  When the threat of Katrina was realized, he sent
his wife and two young girls to Jackson, MS where his parents live.. but
he stayed behind.
He is a pathologist and had checked into the Ritz for a medical
convention -- which presumably would be safe.  That's where he remains.

Thought you'd find his reports from the front line interesting.





Subject: Re: hurricane

Thanks to all of you who have sent your notes of concern and your
prayers.  I am writing this note on Tuesday at 2PM .  I wanted to update
all of you as to the situation here.  I don't know how much information
you are getting but I am certain it is more than we are getting.  Be
advised that almost everything I am telling you is from direct
observation or rumor from reasonable sources.  They are allowing limited
internet access, so I hope to send this dispatch today.  

Personally, my family and I are fine.  My family is safe in Jackson, MS,
and I am now a temporary resident of the Ritz Carleton Hotel in New
Orleans.  I figured if it was my time to go, I wanted to go in a place
with a good wine list.  In addition, this hotel is in a very old
building on Canal Street that could and did sustain little damage.  Many
of the other hotels sustained significant loss of windows, and we expect
that many of the guests may be evacuated here.

Things were obviously bad yesterday, but they are much worse today.
Overnight the water arrived.  Now Canal Street (true to its origins) is
indeed a canal.  The first floor of all downtown buildings are
underwater.  I have heard that Charity Hospital and Tulane are limited
in their ability to care for patients because of water.  Ochsner is the
only hospital that remains fully functional. However, I spoke with them
today and they too are on generator and losing food and water fast.  The
city now has no clean water, no sewerage system, no electricity, and no
real communications.  Bodies are still being recovered floating in the
floods.  We are worried about a cholera epidemic.  Even the police are
without effective communications  We have a group of armed police here
with us at the hotel that are admirably trying to exert some local law
enforcement.  This is tough because looting is now rampant.  Most of it
is not malicious looting.  These are poor and desperate people with no
housing and no medical care and no food or water trying to take care of
themselves and their families.  Unfortunately, the people are armed and
dangerous  We hear gunshots frequently.  Most of Canal street is
occupied by armed looters who have a low threshold for discharging their
weapons.  We hear gunshots frequently.  The looters are using makeshift
boats made of pieces of  styrofoam to access.  We are still waiting for
a significant national guard presence.

The health care situation here has dramatically worsened overnight.
Many people in the hotel are elderly and small children.  Many other
guests have unusual diseases.  There are ID physicians at this hotel
attending an HiV convention.  We have commandered the world famous
French Quarter Bar to turn into an makeshift clinic.  There is a team of
about 7 doctors, PA and pharmacists.  We anticipate that this will be
the major medical facility in the central business district and French
Quarter.

Our biggest adventure today was raiding the Walgreens on Canal  under
police escort.  The pharmacy was dark and full  of water.  We basically
scooped the entire drug sets into garbage bags and removed them.  All
under police excort.  The looters had to be held back at gunpoint.  
After a dose of prophylactic Cipro,  I hope to be fine.  

In all we are faring well.  With the setup  of  a hospital in the French
Qarter bar in the hotel, we will start admitting patients today.  Many
will  be from the hotel, but many will  not.  We anticipate dealing with
multiple medical problems, medications and acute injuries.  Infection
and perhaps even cholera are anticipated major problems.   Food and
water shortages are iminent.

The biggest question to all of us is where is the national guard?   We
hear jet fighters and helicopters, but no real armed presence, and hence
the rampant looting.   There is no Red Cross and no salvation army.

In a sort of cliché way, this is an edifying experience.  One  is
rapidly focused away from the transient and material to the bare
necessities of life  It has been challenging to me to learn how to be a
primary care phyisican.  We are under martial law so returning  to our
homes is impossible.   I don't know how long it will be and this is my
greatest fear. Despite it all, this is a soul edify experience.  The
greatest pain is to think about the loss.  And how long the rebuid
will.   And the horror of so many dead people .

PLEASE SEND THIS DISPATCH TO ALL YOU THINK  MAY BE INTERSTED IN A
DISPATCH  from the front.  I will send more according to your interest.
Hopefully their collective prayers will be answered.  By the way suture
packs, sterile gloves and stethoscopes will be needed as the Ritz turns
into a MASH.

Greg  Henderson, MD