Katrina

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The clean-up and evac procedure of regions devastated by Hurricane Katrina is taking a toll on rescue workers. 

  New Orleans has began rotating police officers, firefighters and emergency-medical workers on five-day rest periods, as officials estimated there are still thousands of people left in the city that need rescue. Many do not wanat to leave their homes- making it a frustrating scene for those sent to save them. 
 
Approximately 250 so-called critical city workers were sent to Baton Rouge for five days of rest and assistance, Police Captain Michael Pfeiffer said. They will be given psychological assistance, medical treatment and help reuniting with their families, he said.

Many have been working since Hurricane Katrina roared through the area Aug. 29, sleeping when and where they can. Now that assistance has arrived from the federal government and order has been restored to the city, officials are able to give the workers rest, he said.
``People are starting to crash,'' Pfeiffer said in an interview today. ``You've got to get them out of stage. They need to get with their families and see that there is still a world out there.'' 

 There have been two suicides by police officers, one of whom lost his family in the storm and its aftermath, Pfeiffer said. There are approximately 800 police offers left on the force, and about 4,500 critical city workers overall. There were about 1,600 police before the storm hit, he said.

``We are trying to get the people out first that have been hardest hit psychologically,'' Pfeiffer said. 

 Sgt. Paul Accardo, 36, was one of two city police officers who committed suicide  as New Orleans descended into death and destruction after Hurricane Katrina swept through. He was found in an unmarked patrol car in a downtown parking lot.
 
Back when life was normal and structured, Accardo served as one of the police department's chief spokesmen. He reported murders, hostage situations and rapes in measured words, his bespectacled face benign and familiar on the nightly news.
 “Paul was a stellar guy. A perfectionist. Everything had to be just right," recalled Sgt. Joe Narcisse, who went to police academy with Accardo and worked with him in the public affairs office.

Don't Want to Leave

Volunteer New Orleans police officer Kevin Himel, 33, said the city is now under control from the crime and lawlessness that broke out in the days following the storm. He said he doesn't have an idea of how much crime is still going on.

``Once we got the convention center and the Superdome cleared out, we could really get to work,'' he said. ``There are still shootings everyday and there are still a few looters out there, but it's nothing like it was.''
Himel, who said his family has lived in New Orleans since 1780, said he helped rescue 14 people while riding with a boat crew in the two days following the storm. Four of the people were medical students from Louisiana State University.

``To be honest, we've left more people than we've taken,'' said Himel, who as a volunteer is working without pay. ``They just don't want to leave.''

Canada answers the call

WINNIPEG -- Manitoba is set to sign a deal with some American states that will offer more protection to emergency workers. 

 The agreement will ensure that workers are covered by workers' compensation and insurance when they cross the border to help out in disasters.
  Scott Smith, Manitoba's minister for emergency measures, says the deal will also ensure that workers won't be held liable for their actions in the line of duty. 

 The deal will cover firefighters, medical workers, environmental crews and others.
 North Dakota and Minnesota are among the states that have agreed to the deal.  Smith says the agreement is based on a similar deal between provinces and states on the East Coast.