Disasters

John Roberts' Senate confirmation hearings have commanded a great deal of news coverage this week, but there are a number of other important stories developing as well. Locally, Minneapolis and St. Paul narrowed their field of mayoral candidates in a primary election Tuesday and Northwest Airlines said it started hiring permanent replacements for its striking mechanics amid reports that it is preparing to declare bankruptcy. In Washington, Senate hearings begin Wednesday on the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina.
George and Sheila Augustin didn't expect to wind up in Minnesota when they left New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Katrina. But when they learned their home was underwater, they came to Minnetonka, where George's company has an office. They're safe and -- for now -- George has a job.
People who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina are now scattered across the country, many in evacuee camps. Since shortly after the disaster, there's been discussion about how the should be described. President Bush joined a number of black leaders when he came out against the use of the word "refugee." Commentator T. Mychael Rambo, an actor and singer in the Twin Cities, also raises questions about the term.
Authorities said Friday that their first systematic sweep of the city found far fewer bodies than expected. And the head of the Department of Homeland Security removed the head of FEMA in direct relief operations.
Hurricane Katrina survivors who made it through the deadly storm have already arrived here. They've come to Minnesota on their own, rather than through the official relocation effort, drawn in many cases by family connections.
Members of Minnesota's emergency response team, formed after the floods of '97, headed to the region affected by Hurricane Katrina. Mary Harbeck, a nurse with the team, normally works at St. Francis Hospital in Shakopee. She talked to MPR's Tom Crann from Biloxi, Miss.
Politicians and American citizens alike have called for an investigation into the way the government dealt with Hurricane Katrina. Midmorning discusses alleged lapses in the disaster response system.
Evacuation camps are springing up across the nation for people who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina. Now the president of the Minneapolis-based American Refugee Committee has been tapped to help with the relief operations. Hugh Parmer is in Washington, where he'll serve as a temporary senior advisor for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He spoke with Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer.
Katy Lovell, who watched the storm on TV from the safety of her parent's Lake Minnetonka home, already knows that her house in New Orleans is still standing and all her family members who stayed behind are alive. Lovell is relieved, of course. But her relief is mixed with guilt.