Gustav Response

Sept. 2, 2008, 4:51 p.m. EDT

New Orleans: On the Brink of Hurricane Gustav

When residents of New Orleans began drowning three years ago, the cityâs director of Emergency Medical Services, Jullette Saussy, faced a devastating crisis. Radios failed. Ambulances were trapped. She needed boats and high water vehicles to respond to the increasingly frantic 911 calls from people threatened by the rising waters.

Saussy and other city, state and federal officials vowed the next time would be different. So as Hurricane Gustav bore down on New Orleans this weekend, ProPublica's Sheri Fink went with Saussy to the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal, the cityâs designated evacuation point, to get a first-hand look at how much progress had been made.

Reporter: Sheri Fink
Producer: Krista Kjellman

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Gustav Response

New Orleans: On the Brink of Hurricane Gustav

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