This is a message I've received from one of the Aussie Groups, with permission to cross-post:-

From the "Katrina Front", this person is on the ground there, and while it sounds crazy and hectic and hairy, at least it's a window into knowing that things *are* being done

>From:    gloria geringer

Subject: LSU Animal Shelter-2

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>Second day, as the song says, much like the first. People turning in animals slowed down a bit and people still reuniting. Today I redirected a delivery truck with pallet of dog and cat food. Got him to go around the coliseum to a barn area and got some LSU Ag people to drive a forklift to unload the food. Another deliver came with boxes of things(don't know what) from addresses across the country. Found places for that, along with some small crates. Then got detailed into the Command Post working under the head of the computer section. As you may well know, all the data has to be entered and cross referenced and charts filed. The head of this section has been there daysssss....he kept telling me he had to go home then got called for another problem to fix.There was a mattress propped up against the wall. I paid no heed. Later  when I was looking for some records and was on that side of the room, some poor worker had crashed on a pallet on the floor, behind this mattress and was dead to the world. She didn't get up all the time I was there. One person from Animal Control was taking calls from people reporting there were animals stranded still in New Orleans. The military people were tossing food to them, anything they could get including their own rations. We wanted to get food down to them for the animals.  People came in reporting other animals stranded. The military and Coast Guard are doing great jobs rescuing them. Some people called fast food places to donate lunches for the workers, more logistics plans had to be made as additional fencing was going to be put up, purchase the fencing and gates at a next to nothing price. Check with the University and the Fire Marshall...I chuckled. Lightheartedly, it looks like a show that is  going to be held but it was all impromptu and the show chairman was the last one to find out...everyone arrived, needed crating space, wanted to register, trying to categorize the entries (only no money) food for the workers, ID's for everyone and everything. Maybe I am just tired and this is not making sense...and maybe time for a smile or laugh. A worker asked about the paperwork for the Min Pin puppies from yesterday. I told her where I saw the big wire crate of four of them yesterday before I left. I expect the little one was still in triage. I never did go to check on her but she sure had a much better chance at life after she arrived that she had before. Don't know if I told you that all the dogs have neck bands with ID number matching their paperwork and their location and name. So each of these puppies had an ID and #1, #2 etc. I would imagine cats do also although I haven't worked with any cats.
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>I had talked with AKC, New York and was told pans, dog food, wire crates, wire ex-pens and crates were all on the way. They have been so responsive. Had another call from them to return this afternoon but got home too late to call. Altho when I returned a call last Thursday at 5:45 EST, I thought I would just leave a message, Daphna Strauss from Communications in NY answered the phone. Bless her.
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>Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, LA , 30 miles south of Baton Rouge is taking just strays and horses. They are in desperate need of people with experience in handling stray dogs that of course are traumatized. Being it is farther from Baton Rouge and off the campus away from Vet School, they do not have as many volunteers.  I do not know how many animals they have housed along with refugees.
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>Thanks to everyone who has contacted me and to all those helping in these times. LSU has a few animals that were given for adoption but not processing many of these. They have peoples pets that have been separated from them. We have animals that reboarded in four vet hospitals in New Orleans area that had to be evacuated. All those records have to be contained separately. The will be sheltering most of these animals for a good while how long is not even being considered at this time. Rescue and care is foremost. We had a new vet on duty today, he was from Kansas. Our bird vet is from Hammond, LA and seems to be on duty all the time. He takes care of the birds

That brought tears to my eyes. It just goes to show that there are people out there trying to help.