Louisiana towns rebound, sick and aged hit hard
Wed Sep 14, 2005 4:20 PM BST
By Kieran Murray
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Three Louisiana towns allowed people to come home on Wednesday for the first time since Hurricane Katrina struck, as officials from a nursing home and a hospital defended their handling of sick and aged patients who died after the storm.
As the Gulf Coast struggled to recover from the August 29 hurricane, the death toll rose to 648 in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti filed criminal charges against the operators of a nursing home where 34 patients died after they were trapped by the storm's floodwaters.
The cities of Gretna, Westwego and Lafitte, all suburbs of New Orleans, told residents they could come back at daybreak.
"Essential services such as electricity, sewerage and water are improving daily but are still not up to standard. Commercial establishments, such as grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies are scarce but are beginning to open. Therefore, if you have the means to stay away for a longer period of time it would be advisable for you to do so," said a notice on the Web site of Jefferson Parish, where the towns are located.
Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish, said the key to reopening areas for habitation and business was restoring sewage services.
Fewer than 400,000 electricity customers still lacked power 16 days after Hurricane Katrina pummeled the U.S. Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Mississippi, according to area utilities and the U.S. Department of Energy.
About 319,000 of the homes and businesses in Louisiana, or 29 percent, remained without power, while Mississippi had about 84,000 customers still with no service.
Foti said on Tuesday that the owners of a nursing home in St. Bernard Parish had been arrested and charged with 34 counts of negligent homicide.
"Thirty-four people drowned in a nursing home when it should have been evacuated. I cannot say it any plainer than that," Foti said.
The owners, Mable and Salvador Mangano, turned down an offer from local officials to take the patients out by bus, and did not bother to call in an ambulance service with which they had a contract, he said. They were each released on $50,000 bonds on Wednesday.
continued.....................
today.reuters.co.uk |
