HURRICANE KATRINA: NORTHCOM Deploys Helicopters for FEMA Disaster Assessment Needs

The U.S. Northern Command is arranging for military helicopter crews to fly Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hurricane Katrina assessment teams over affected areas to determine the full extent of the damage and how disaster resources should be distributed, NORTHCOM officials said today.

The command established Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., as a federal operational staging area to expedite the movement of relief supplies and emergency personnel into the affected areas.

In addition, NORTHCOM liaisons are on the ground throughout the area to coordinate efforts between the command, and other elements of DoD, as well as FEMA, the American Forces Press Service reports.

HURRICANE KATRINA: National Guard on Duty Throughout Devastated Areas

An estimated 7,500 National Guard troops from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi are on duty today supporting civil authorities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the American Forces Press Service reports.

The troops are helping distribute generators, providing medical care, and setting up shelters for displaced residents.

In addition, National Guard units and members in 17 more states were on standby, ready to provide assistance as required, Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a DoD spokeswoman, said.

The Army Corps of Engineers is also preparing to support debris removal and laying plans to survey and begin emergency repairs on the levee system around New Orleans that partially gave way during the storm, Gene Pawlik, a Corps of Engineers spokesman, said.

As of 8 a.m. today, almost 3,800 Louisiana Army and Air Guard members were on duty. The Louisiana Guard was coordinating with Florida, Georgia and Texas to secure two UH-60 Black Hawk and five CH-47 Chinook helicopters to support their operations, officials said.

In Mississippi, more than 1,900 Guard troops were providing similar support, basing their operations at Camp Shelby.

The Mississippi Guard coordinated with the National Guards in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Arkansas to add four UH-60s and three CH-47s to the relief effort. In addition, the Alabama National Guard is contributing an engineer battalion and military police battalion to Mississippi's hurricane response.

In addition to the 300 military police and 500 engineers it is sending to Mississippi, the Alabama National Guard had another 800-plus troops on duty to support that state's Emergency Management Agency, Army Lt. Col. Bob Horton, an Alabama Guard spokesman, told the American Forces Press Service. These troops are staging support equipment around flood-struck areas, and 450 of them will head to Mobile today to support law enforcement officials and enforce security, he said.

The Arkansas National Guard also mobilized 350 members to assist with hurricane relief efforts in Mississippi. The Arkansas troops include an engineer battalion, transportation company and military police company, officials said. In addition, two UH-60s plan to leave Camp Robinson, Ark., to support search-and-rescue operations.

The deploying troops will also contribute Humvees, dump trucks, 5-ton trucks, tractor-trailers, generators and lights to the effort, officials said.

In Florida, more than 700 Florida Guard members were on active duty, working out of logistical support sites in Miami and Homestead to provide ice and water distribution support, the American Forces Press Service said.

The Guard was preparing to ship 1,000 cots to Louisiana to support relief operations there, officials said.

HURRICANE KATRINA: NASA Stennis Space Center, Michoud Assembly Facility Hit by Storm

NASA today said Monday's storm hit NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, which is operated by Lockheed Martin. Both facilities are closed during recovery efforts.

NASA also said today that it is marshaling agency resources to assist Gulf Coast-area facilities that suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina and will help NASA employees and contractors whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

During the storm, hundreds of people, including employees, family members and others, took shelter at Stennis. A small contingency of NASA employees and contractors rode out the storm at Michoud. There are no reports of any injuries at NASA facilities.

"My heart goes out to all the people affected by this hurricane," said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. "I will be visiting Stennis and the Michoud Assembly Facility soon to talk with our people."

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., sustained minor damage and is providing support to Stennis and Michoud. Two helicopter flights from Marshall were delivering communication equipment and other supplies to the facilities today. Initial damage assessments indicate some buildings at Stennis sustained water and roof damage, but the exact extent has not been determined, NASA said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is using the center as a staging area for local recovery efforts. The center's Space Shuttle main engine test stands do not appear to be damaged.

At Michoud, which makes the Space Shuttle's external fuel tanks, several buildings suffered window and roof damage. It appears that space flight hardware was not damaged, but a preliminary assessment has not been completed, the agency said.

The facility has no electrical power and communication is limited. Debris on roadways is restricting transportation around the facility.

NASA will provide new information as it becomes available. For updates, visit www.nasa.gov/hurricane.

HURRICANE KATRINA: Russia Offers Aid, Sends Condolences

Russian President Vladimir Putin today said his country is ready to assist the U.S. in its hurricane-relief efforts.

In a message to President Bush, Putin said "Russia deeply sympathizes with Americans, who faced a disaster of such a colossal scale, and is ready to offer necessary assistance," according to RIA Novosti.

Putin asked Bush to extend his condolences to families and relatives of those killed in the disaster.

"Accept my sincere words of regret in connection with the natural calamity in the USA. I know that hurricane Katrina, which swept the southeast coast of the country, resulted in deaths, left tens of thousands of Americans without roofs over their heads, and caused substantial damage to the region's economy," Putin said.

HURRICANE KATRINA: Noble Corp. Rig Broke Away from Mooring Lines During Storm, Moved 17 Miles from Original Location

Noble Corporation today reported that its semisubmersible drilling rig, Noble Jim Thompson, contracted to Shell Exploration & Production Company and working offshore Louisiana at Mississippi Canyon Block 935, was in the main path of Hurricane Katrina.

The unit had been secured and all personnel safely evacuated prior to the storm's arrival. The unit broke away from its mooring lines and has moved approximately 17 miles north-northeast from its original location, Noble said.

A Noble assessment team conducted an airplane flyover of the unit and of the other Noble rigs operating in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in the general pathway of Hurricane Katrina.

Currently, an anchor handling vessel and a tug boat are at the location of the Noble Jim Thompson preparing to assist in securing it. A Noble assessment crew is scheduled to travel to and board the unit this afternoon, subject to safety considerations.

Based on the visual observations from the airplane flyover, Noble said in a release that the unit does not appear to have sustained damage "of a material nature."

The company will provide updated information on the Noble Jim Thompson after personnel are able to board the unit and conduct a survey of its condition. The company has not yet projected when the unit can return to operations.

In addition, Noble reported that its other moored semisubmersibles observed in the airplane flyover remain on location in the aftermath of the storm, and that the company's submersible and jackup rigs also appear to have not sustained damage of a material nature.

Noble Corporation provides diversified services for the oil and gas industry. Contract drilling services are performed with the company's fleet of 60 mobile offshore drilling units located in key markets worldwide and consisting of of 13 semisubmersibles, three dynamically positioned drillships, 41 jackups and three submersibles.

Approximately 80 percent of the fleet is currently deployed in international markets, including the Middle East, Mexico, the North Sea, Brazil, West Africa, India and the Mediterranean Sea.

HURRICANE KATRINA: All Mississippi Power Customers Down, 'Worst Catastrophe' in Company's History

Mississippi Power will begin the rebuilding process today to restore service to its customers. All of the company's 195,000 customers are without power.

"Along with Southern Mississippi and surrounding areas, Mississippi Power has suffered the worst catastrophe in our company's history," said Anthony Topazi, president and CEO of Mississippi Power. "We mourn the loss of life and pray for the families who have suffered from this tragedy."

Topazi said the utility will know by this afternoon how long it will take to restore power. Initial assessments to determine the extent of destruction began at daybreak today.

"To support our employees in the restoration effort, more than 2,000 additional workers from outside the company will begin arriving today," said Kurt Brautigam, Mississippi Power spokesman. "They will be able to help us begin restoring service to essential customers such as hospitals and public safety agencies. We'll also have tree-trimming crews arriving to begin making way for the main rebuilding process."

HURRICANE KATRINA: ENSCO Confirms that Towline Parted on Rig Sunday, Located 120 Miles South of La. Coast

ENSCO International Inc. today confirmed reports that the towline parted on its deepwater semisubmersible rig, ENSCO 7500, while the rig was under tow away from the path of Hurricane Katrina early Sunday morning.

Due to deteriorating weather conditions, the towline could not be reconnected and the rig was evacuated prior to suspension of helicopter service in advance of the storm. All personnel on board were safely transported to shore, ENSCO said.

ENSCO 7500 had been engaged in drilling activity in Green Canyon 652 and secured the well prior to initiation of hurricane response procedures.

ENSCO 7500 has been located approximately 120 miles south of the Louisiana coast and initial reports did not disclose any apparent rig damage. The rig is accompanied by the service vessel Warhorse, and preparations are being made to re-man the unit later this morning, the company said.

No information on the status of ENSCO's Gulf of Mexico jackup and platform rigs is available at this time. Both rigs also were safely evacuated prior to the onset of Hurricane Katrina.

HURRICANE KATRINA: Citing Potential Loss of 90 Percent of Gulf Natural Gas Production, FPL Urges Conservation

Florida Power & Light Company said it is carefully monitoring fuel supply needed to generate electricity and is urging customers to use electricity wisely due to the uncertainty of fuel availability caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Although FPL says it has enough power to meet the needs of its customers presently, the company is encouraging wide use of energy conservation while the full impact of Hurricane Katrina on Gulf of Mexico fuel production is assessed.

It has been reported that 90 percent of the Gulf's production of natural gas is unavailable. FPL relies on natural gas for 38 percent of its fuel to produce electricity.

Although FPL has the flexibility to switch fuels at some of its power plants, the uncertainty of the length of time that natural gas production may be interrupted is causing the company to urge customers to conserve, FPL said.

The voluntary appeal to conserve energy follows a declared state-wide Generating Capacity Advisory from the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council (FRCC) today. The Advisory was issued as a public, state-wide appeal for conservation of electricity due to the shutting down of the natural gas production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.

"As a precautionary measure, we are asking our customers to take voluntary energy conservation measures now, not only as a way to lower electric use and the bill, but to lower the impact of what may become a fuel shortage as a result of Hurricane Katrina's impact to fuel production in the Gulf of Mexico," said Armando Olivera, president of FPL.