Even though Hurricane Katrina literally stopped the newspaper's presses, the Times-Picayune still delivered the news.Hurricane Katrina may have literally stopped the presses of New Orleans' newspaper The Times-Picayune, but it couldn't stop the paper from publishing an electronic PDF edition.
A slight shift in Katrina's course as the hurricane made landfall spared the New Orleans metropolitan area the brunt of a direct hit. But the damage done by the 135 mph winds and subsequent flooding disrupted electricity to the Times-Picayune's presses, making it impossible for residents to, among other things, get timely and accurate news of the storm's aftermath.
The staff rose to the challenge by publishing a special, 20-page PDF "Hurricane Edition" Tuesday, which is available for download from its affiliated Web site "Everything New Orleans" at www.nola.com.
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In the meantime, the Times-Picayune editorial offices have relocated to the Bonne Carre Business Park in Baton Rouge, Lousiana.
"I'm not even sure how many of us are here," said Lee Saunier, the only newspaper staff member in the new office building on Wednesday morning. "It's all been done very much in haste."
Saunier said the Internet edition of the newspaper was being published out of Jersey City, New Jersey, by Advance Internet Inc. Advance Internet is the Web-publishing arm of Newhouse Newspapers, which owns the Times-Picayune.
"Most of our readers are not here," Dan Shea, the Times-Picayune's
managing editor, told USA Today. "They're somewhere else where
there's power and they can get to the Web. They're very anxious about
what's happened to their homes, and we're doing our best to get the
information to them."
An article on nola.com reads:
"We are setting up bureaus in Houma and in Baton Rouge to continue to provide coverage of this disaster. We will continue to publish the newspaper each day without interruption. We will make it available in PDF form on nola.com each morning around midnight."
Wednesday morning's special PDF edition provides readers with more information on the storm.
The Wednesday edition ran the headline "Underwater: Levee Breach Swamps City from Lake to River," and provides detailed coverage—including damage estimates, recovery timelines and even a pair of full-page advertisements from insurance companies offering guidance and support. Large color photographs chronicle rescue efforts, devastated neighborhoods and damaged landmarks.
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Among the latter casualties was the renowned Louisiana Superdome, which served as makeshift storm bunker for some 30,000 residents who were unable to flee the city in time. The wrath of Katrina stripped off part of the facility's Teflon-membrane-covered dome and part of the building's roof was torn away, causing leaks.
The newspaper also editorializes in today's edition about some New Orleans police officers and firefighters who refused to stop, and even joined, sporadic looting throughout the city:
"As some police officers were carting off flat screen TVs, their co-workers stood by and watched the crowd plunder the store.
Some fire department employees loaded a utility truck with fishing
gear, and one harbor police officer pointed another toward the sporting goods department."
"The level of shamelessness and lawlessness was almost incomprehensible."
The Times-Picayune expects to return to publishing on paper
by Wednesday. While it could be a week or so before there's power
again for its presses in New Orleans, paper versions apparently will
be printed at a plant in Baton Rouge. The newspaper will continue publishing special Web editions, including a Breaking News
blog. It also publishes a single-page PDF each day showing its Page One coverage.
Editor's Note: This story was updated Wednesday morning, August 31, to include breaking news and information.
