LSU'S MASSIVE TRIAGE FOR NEW ORLEANS

I reported earlier this afternoon that the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC) is currently being used as a morgue for New Orleans' dead: that's only partially true; the PMAC is actually a massive triage, and only part of that is about storing bodies. The pictures I've taken just can't do justice to how big this event is. Probably the best way to describe it is that this triage operation is as big as what one would expect to be needed for a hurricane like Katrina. Along those same lines, the enormous human effort I've seen today has been, at times, as uplifting as the images of the hurricane's devastation I've seen on television have been depressing. At times. At other times, it was hard not to just stop and say "Oh my god; this is so terrible."

I've got more pictures, but before I get to them I want to mention the picture I didn't get. The stadium where the LSU Tigers play football is just across the street from the PMAC. It's nickname is "Death Valley." One of the greatest visual ironies I've ever encountered was seeing a huge sign in the stadium that says "Welcome to Death Valley" while I was walking toward the PMAC. Don't get me wrong: it's not like everybody running around the triage area was having to look at such an ominous phrase--really, you had to be at just the right angle to see it, which is why I was unable to get a shot of it. Still, the irony is incredible. You can't write stuff like this.

Now, onto the pictures.

This is where I park my car, right off campus.



The sign says "Special Needs Shelter." This next pic is of yet another of the scores of ambulances surrounding the PMAC.



A couple of tired medical technicians take a smoke break.



Volunteers organize donations coming in from Salvation Army trucks.



More donations.



Strapped to a gurney.



Wheelchair bound.



All of the above pictures I took on the way to our evening rehearsal, around 5:45 or so. The stuff below I took on the way home from around 9:30 to 10:30 or so. As I neared the PMAC, I encountered a media van and took a picture--you know, I felt clever to be photographing the real news people. As soon as I took it, one of the producer guys said, "hey, come on over here and take a look inside," which I did. They were really friendly, fellow Texans from WOAI TV in San Antonio.

Here's that first shot.



Inside the van.



Another shot inside the van.



WOAI sends in a live report.



Then I moved on.

A National Guard medic makes a call on his cell phone.



No matter where you go, cops love to hang out.



At this point I need to observe that, despite my continual cop-bashing here at Real Art, I am thankful that we have police, and as far as I can tell, Louisiana's finest are performing their jobs remarkably well. They have my utmost respect. Here are a few more cop shots:

Traffic chaos.



A mobile command unit for the Federal Witness Protection Program in Atlanta.



A police chopper comes in for a landing.



Police chopper on the makeshift landing pad at the track and field stadium adjacent to the PMAC, which is in the background.



Well, that's all for now. Tomorrow I'm going to try to write my own personal Book of Exodus, detailing my and Becky's flight from the hurricane zone. Tonight, I'm going to get some sleep.

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