( continues...) Crescent City Connection. The state police had detained a couple of buses. We got to the Napoleon facility, where RTA repairs and shelters streetcars; the ground there was not flooded, and a backup generator was operating. We got there about 10 or 11 p.m., and waited until 2 a.m. for the buses to show up. We got to Baton Rouge by 5 a.m. Thursday [Sept. 1] and went straight to the central shelter, which was extremely crowded. We finally found a spot on the second floor, but conditions were difficult, and we began wondering how we were going to survive this. Later on Thursday we found another shelter, a church that was better, and we've been there ever since.
I have a brother in Alexandria, La., who was worried about my medicine and health, and he picked me up. I was able to get my medication. People who had friends or relatives to stay with were not required to stay at shelters. Several of our people were able to find their way out, going to Memphis; Lake Charles, La.; Alexandria, La.; Texas; all over the place.
The critical thing that hurt us in New Orleans was that we couldn't communicate, since the phones didn't work. We'd put everyone's cell phone together and wait for one to ring, then we'd try to use that one to call the mayor's office. Now that we were out, I started communicating, gave APTA my private e-mail address, etc.
I also gave my name to federal officials to help coordinate further evacuations. The Federal Railroad Administration called about bringing an Amtrak train to the Avondale shipyard in New Orleans, and the need for buses to transport people from the Superdome to the train. They could take 600 people immediately to Lafayette, La., pick up more people there, then travel on to Dallas. We were able to make that happen successfully. Dwight Brashear, chief executive officer of the Capital Area Transit System in Baton Rouge, was in charge of the bus part of the trip.
Back in New Orleans, we had put about 180 RTA buses on the wharf, which was the highest part of the city. When we went to retrieve them to continue evacuation efforts, we discovered that many had been vandalized. Later we saw one of our buses parked in a Wal-Mart lot; it had been broken into and used to evacuate people to Opelousas, La. No one reported it stolen, the person who took it used it to take people to a shelter, then left it in the parking lot. People commandeered the buses because they did what they had to do to get out of town. We had one of our mechanics go out to bring it back.
Because we couldn't communicate by phone and RTA employees were scattered about, our employees missed payday, and everybody was frantic. We knew the RTA administration building was underwater, but we got a helicopter, along with a rifleman for protection, went to the roof of the building, got inside through a hatch in the roof, and took out data files and a small server, enough to get a satellite office started in Baton Rouge. Now we're trying to spread the word that we're setting up a web page that includes a chat room for employees
Louisiana legislators gave us two trailers for our temporary RTA office, and Dwight Brashear (general manager in Baton Rouge) is sharing part of his office. We'll begin service immediately in New Orleans where there are dry roads, providing transportation for police, fire, emergency personnel. I think we can take people back and forth
We're also going to meet later this week with officials from Baton Rouge and Jefferson and Orleans parishes [counties]. The population of the city of Baton Rouge has doubled with all the evacuees, supplies are low, and transportation is difficult. RTA has resources, and can't use them all in the city. We want to offer our services
Regarding the streetcars: the Canal Streetcars are submerged up to the bottom of their windows, with the trucks completely underwater. We're trying to get hold of our streetcar experts to see if we'll be able to use any of them, and when. That depends on power, and what kind of damage we have. Right now it's (continued...)