Stranded Spain MP describes Katrina chaos (Convention Center) [View All]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/01/katrina.spain.mp/index.html

A Spanish member of parliament stranded in New Orleans has described a dire situation at the city's Convention Center, including dead bodies inside the building.

Lourdes Muñoz Santamaria, her husband and his 10-year-old son were on vacation in New Orleans and were unable to get a flight out of the city before Hurricane Katrina struck.

They ended up at the New Orleans Convention Center, where Muñoz used a pay phone to make several calls to a journalist friend in Madrid to describe the conditions. (See the video report of thousands stranded among filth and corpses -- 2:54)

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"It's everyone for himself. The police and army pass by the center, but here no one is organizing anything," she said.

"There's no food or water, the people are becoming dehydrated.

"It's been more than 24 hours without any help. There's been looting at the shopping center next door and there's been a lot of violence," she said.

"There are people injured because last night (Wednesday) there were stampedes in the dark because the people were waiting for buses and only five came.