OK, so this isnt 'international health' exactly, but it does appear that
the New Orleans population isn't much better off than Mozambicans were in
the floods a few years ago. This is a fascinating account from a
physician currently in the French Quarter in New Orleans.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 02 Sep 2005 13:44:11 -0700
From: Amy Hagopian <hagopian@...>
To: ihp@..., hservl@...
Subject: [Hservl] Letter from New Orleans-1st. Hand Physician Account

authored by Sean Hart, physician in New Orleans
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>> Letter from New Orleans
8/30/05
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>> Thanks to all of you who have sent your notes of concern and your
>> prayers. I am writing this note on Tuesday at 2 p.m.. 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,
>> Miss., 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 is
>> 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 is 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 (Infectious Disease)
>> physicians in at this hotel attending an HIV confection. We have
>> commandered the world famous French Quarter Bar to turn into an
>> makeshift clinic. There is a team of about seven doctors and PAs 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. We have set up a hospital in the the French
>> Qarter bar in the hotel, and will start admitting patients today. Many
>> will be from the hotel, but many will not. We are anticipating dealing
>> with multiple medical problems, medications and and acute injuries.
>> Infection and perhaps even cholera are anticipated major problems.
>> Food and water shortages are imminent.
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>> The biggest question to all of us is where is the National Guard. We
>> hear jet fignters 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 return 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-edifying experience. The
>> greatest pain is to think about the loss. And how long the rebuid will
>> take. And the horror of so many dead people . PLEASE SEND THIS
>> DISPATCH TO ALL YOU THING 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.
>>
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