buttercup

The Times-Picayune "breaking news" blog.

Now there are fires:

State environmental officials confirmed that two fires were burning out of control Friday morning in the New Orleans area.

Rodney Mallett, communications director for the Department of Environmental Quality, said a warehouse that is used to store discarded oil products was on fire in the 3500 block of Chartres Street.

The second fire was located on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish, but he could not give a location or details about the blaze.

Also, if you can rassle control of a bus (or can manage to talk a school system into letting their buses be used to save people's lives):

"If you want to save a life get a bus down here," said Carter, whose district includes the French Quarter. "I'm asking the American people to help save a wonderful American city." Her voice cracking with emotion and her eyes bloodshot from fatigue and distress, Carter said pledges of money and other assistance are of secondary importance right now to the urgent need for transportation.

"Don't give me your money. Don't send me $10 million today. Give me buses and gas. Buses and gas. Buses and gas," she said. "If you have to commandeer Greyhound, commandeer Greyhound. … If you don't get a bus, if we don't get them out of there, they will die."

Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, who is coordinating federal relief efforts on behalf of the National Guard, could not say when people can expect to be rescued.