KIW kiwinslow@yahoo.com>

Subject: Help for friend in New Orleans

Sent: Thursday, September 1, 2005 10:57 AM

Dear friends,



I do not normally write letters like this but these are not ordinary times. I am praying that the six degrees of separation might be able my friend my friend Kim Keene, who is in charge of the oldest hospital in New Orleans- Trouro Infirmary.



Yesterday they had 4 hours of generator time left, were stranded on the 2nd floor and above, and had 1200 people (patients and staff). Looters were banging at the door and they only had a handful of security guards. She is trying to find a way to get the people out as they had no water, limited supplies and with no electricity there is no life support and people will start dying.



Trouro, an independent Jewish hospital in the garden district, has been completely ignored- it has not been put on the emergency evacuation plan and no news stations or papers have covered what is happening there.



She called desperate to get someone to notice them.



I am appealing to you if you know anyone who might be able to get them noticed (media or governmental) and taken care of, please forward this information.





Thanks

Karin



Touro Infirmary

(504) 897-7000



3525 Prytania St

Kim got out of New Orleans. She and the staff were able to evacuate all the patients with no time to spare. They got the last of the out with the help of firemen, a swat team and hovering blackhawk helicopters.



The stories she was telling me were chilling. No running water, 1200 people on the second floor and above, no electricity. Horrible heat. People dying, staff walking out. They had to siphon gas from cars in the parking lot to keep the helicopter pad lights going.



She said leaving the city was like the fall of Saigon, as they drove away people were reaching for her door handles, trying to get in the car, not for violence, just to get out of there.



She thanked everyone who helped pass info about her situation. Up until the media coverage they only had one independent ambulance company helping them (as reported on CNN) afterwards they had help from a variety of sources. I don't know if it is connected but perhaps.





So thanks again for passing this message on. I am proud of my friends for coming to bat and really proud of Kim for handling the crisis as bravely and successfully as she did. It is such a horrible situation, but reminds me of how important we are to one another.





Karin