NA011083100 TAMPA TRIBUNE NA011083100 ZALLCALL 00 00:22:14 08/31/05 B
Penn State legend Joe
Paterno may oversee
his program’s revival.
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gallon in Tampa, the state and the nation.
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TAMPA, FLORIDA
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A Last
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AUGUST 31, 2005
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LIFE. PRINTED DAILY.
’OUR WORST FEARS’
MISSISSIPPI: At least 100 people are dead in one county; those who survived have lost everything.
LOUISIANA: Rescuers bypass the dead to reach the living; most of New Orleans is underwater.
ALABAMA: After record flooding, shocked residents of Mobile stagger back to find homes gone.
Knight Ridder/Tribune
The flooding in New Orleans grew worse by the minute Tuesday. Officials planned to use helicopters to drop 3,000-pound sandbags and dozens of giant concrete barriers to close up breached levees.
By BRETT MARTEL
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — The second day
brought more horror, greater despair.
Two levees broke and sent water
coursing into the streets of the Big
Easy a full day after New Orleans appeared to have escaped widespread
destruction from Hurricane Katrina.
An estimated 80 percent of the belowsea-level city was underwater, 20 feet
deep in places, with miles and miles
of homes swamped.
‘‘It’s just heartbreaking,’’ Gov.
Kathleen Blanco said.‘‘At first light,
the devastation is greater than our
worst fears.’’
One Mississippi county alone said
its death toll was at least 100, and officials were ‘‘very, very worried that this
INSIDE
BY THE NUMBERS
1,200
People rescued by
U.S. Coast Guard
40,000
1,000
FEMA trucks with
water and ice
Refugees in Red
Cross shelters
1 million
Customers
without electricity
OUR TURN: Floridians pitch in despite devastation. Page 3
$25 billion
STORM IN PHOTOS: Lives ruined,
water everywhere. Page 4
Estimate of
insured losses
MOSTLY FLOODED: Sand may
clog New Orleans breach. Page 6
Source: The Associated Press
is going to go a lot higher,’’ said Joe
Spraggins, civil defense director for
Harrison County, home to Biloxi and
Gulfport.
Thirty of those victims were from a
beachfront apartment building that
collapsed under a 25-foot wall of water as Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast
with 145 mph winds.
Louisiana officials said many were
feared dead there, too, making Katrina one of the most punishing storms
to hit the United States in decades.
After touring the destruction by air,
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said it
was not a case of homes being severe-
PRICES SURGE: Oil refineries are
out for weeks. Page 7
ly damaged, ‘‘they’re simply not
there. ... I can only imagine that this is
what Hiroshima looked like 60 years
ago.’’
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said
hundreds, if not thousands, of people
MULTIMEDIA
Find the latest news on relief efforts on the Gulf
Coast and photographs
from the area.
See RISING TOLL, Page 6 °
‘‘It was complete chaos,’’ survivor says.
Teacher Pleads Guilty In Hit-And-Run Deaths
PROSECUTORS WILL SEEK
3-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE
By THOMAS W. KRAUSE
tkrause@tampatrib.com
Tribune photo by CLIFF McBRIDE
Jennifer Porter leaves the courthouse in Tampa on
Tuesday with her attorney, Barry Cohen.
TODAY’S
HIGH
90°
TODAY’S
LOW
81°
T A M P A — Less than thr ee
months ago, a former dance
teacher charged with leaving the
Partly cloudy sky brings
a 50 percent chance for
rain, an outlook that runs
through Friday. Chances
decline for weekend.
scene of an accident where two
children died refused an offer
from prosecutors that would have
imprisoned her for three years.
On Tuesday, Jennifer Porter
pleaded guilty to the charge, accepting a deal that might include
the same sentence.
Her attorney, Barry Cohen,
once adamantly and boisterously
refused to discuss any possible in-
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Operations Inc., 111th Year, No. 208
carceration, deeming a prison
term ‘‘unacceptable.’’
On Tuesday, a more subdued
Cohen stood outside the courthouse to discuss the plea.
‘‘This is about accepting responsibility,’’ Cohen said quietly.
Porter entered the plea before
Judge Lamar Battles. She spoke little, saying only, ‘‘Yes, sir,’’ or ‘‘Yes,
your honor,’’ to Battles’ questions.
COMICS
EDITORIALS
LOTTERY
MOVIE TIMES
Flavor, Pages 11, 12
This Section, Page 14
This Section, Page 2
Flavor, Page 9
On Oct. 7, the judge will use his
discretion to order a sentence for
Porter that will include no more
See TEACHER PLEADS, Page 10 °
Children’s mom signed off on deal.
Keyword: Hit And Run, to
review background on the
case and hear traffic experts
talk about safety along Tampa’s
North 22nd Street.
OBITUARIES
Metro, Page 6
PUZZLES
Flavor, Pages 11, 12 & Classified
TELEVISION
Flavor, Page 8
WEATHER
Metro, Page 8