New Orleans Port in ruins

NEW ORLEANS, La. — A major port in Louisiana has been damaged more severely than first thought, says Port of New Orleans President Gary LaGrange after surveying the devastation from Hurricane Katrina for a second time yesterday.
“The outcome is not good, and it has been aggravated by unexpected flooding conditions following the storm,” LaGrange wrote in an e-mail to transportation and port industry officials. “(Monday), I thought the damage could have been worse, but today, I’m not so sure.”

Since the assessment was taken, a skeleton crew of port senior managers have escaped from the rising waters in New Orleans and are now based at the Port of West St. Mary in Franklin, La.

The Port of New Orleans is one of the Southern US’s busiest ports and a major oil distribution gateway.

Several wharves and container terminals have sustained heavy damage. Others are completely submerged under water. At the Napoleon Container numerous stacked containers were “pancaked” within the yard and beyond.

Another issue now concerns cargo operations procuring labour to work the vessels and commence maintenance. A lot of the labour most likely incurred heavy damage to their homes or evacuated out of town, the letter says.

“It won’t be overnight, but eventually we will bounce back bigger and better than ever,” LaGrange wrote. “Our first priority is to provide peace of mind to the citizens of New Orleans and our employees who have lost so much.”