Home>News Center>World
         
 

Police, soldiers work to empty New Orleans
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-08 06:58

NEW ORLEANS - Using the unmistakable threat of force, police and soldiers went house to house Wednesday to try to coax the last 10,000 or so stubborn holdouts to leave storm-shattered New Orleans because of the risk of disease from the putrid, sewage-laden floodwaters. AP reported.

A Dublin (Ohio) police officer speaks into radio during a patrol in the Bywater neighborhood, advising residents of an impending forced evacuation September 7, in New Orleans September 7, 2005.
A Dublin (Ohio) police officer speaks into radio during a patrol in the Bywater neighborhood, advising residents of an impending forced evacuation September 7, in New Orleans September 7, 2005. [Reuters]
"A large group of young armed men armed with M-16s just arrived at my door and told me that I have to leave," said Patrick McCarty, who owns several buildings and lives in one of them in the city's Lower Garden District. "While not saying they would arrest you, the inference is clear."

A frail-looking 86-year-old Anthony Charbonnet grumbled as he locked his front door and walked slowly backward down the steps of the house where he had lived since 1955.

"I haven't left my house in my life," he said as soldiers took him to a helicopter. "I don't want to leave."

Mayor C. Ray Nagin ordered law officers and the military late Tuesday to evacuate all holdouts — by force if necessary. He warned that the combination of fetid water, fires and natural gas leaks after Hurricane Katrina made it too dangerous to stay.

In fact, the first government tests confirmed Wednesday that the amount of sewage-related bacteria in the floodwaters is at least 10 times higher than acceptable safety levels. Dr. Julie Gerberding, chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned stragglers not to even touch the water and pleaded: "If you haven't left the city yet, you must do so."
Page: 123



Rescue continues in New Orleans
Egyptian presidential election campaigns conclude
Bush orders more troops to secure New Orleans
 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

US$3.7 billion loan to help Taiwan-funded firms

 

   
 

EU backs textile deal, Denmark slams quotas

 

   
 

Chinese aid for Katrina victims on its way

 

   
 

Police, soldiers work to empty New Orleans

 

   
 

Strong progress in IPR protection campaign

 

   
 

Rumsfeld to make first China visit next month

 

   
  Mayor may force people out of New Orleans
   
  Talabani says Saddam confessed to crimes
   
  Oil-for-Food probe faults Annan, others
   
  Engine failure suspected in Indonesian air crash
   
  Egyptians vote in presidential election
   
  China to announce date for resuming NK nuke talks
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
Mexico sending storm relief convoy to US
   
China to ship tons of tents, bedding, generators for Katrina victims
   
New Orleans mayor orders forced evacuation
   
New Orleans after Katrina: Back to Stone Age
   
Water receding noticeably in New Orleans
   
Europe readies Katrina aid to send to US
   
Katrina children seeking parents shown on Web
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Advertisement