NGS Satellite Footage of New Orleans

There also appears to be a renegade alligator on the loose!

To much of a pain in the a*s to navigate.

Ishmael wrote:

To much of a pain in the a*s to navigate.

Not if you've been to New Orleans before and know where you're looking =p

JACKSON, Miss. - Scientists are trying to rescue eight dolphins that were swept out of their aquarium tanks by Hurricane Katrina and have been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico.

The dolphins were spotted while swimming near the Port of Gulfport on Saturday by scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducting an aerial survey to assess hurricane damages to natural resources, the agency said.

Dolphin trainers planned to join the scientists on a rescue mission in the gulf Thursday.

Because the dolphins have spent much of their lives in captivity, they may not have developed the survival skills necessary to avoid predators and boat traffic, the scientists said.

The dolphins' home had been a 30-foot high tank at Gulfport's nearly 50-year-old Marine Life Oceanarium, which had survived Hurricane Camille but was destroyed by Katrina.

Three of eight dolphins were born at the aquarium, said Moby Solangi, the aquarium's owner.

"Once we realized the dolphins had been swept out to sea during the hurricane, we feared that they had died," Solangi said. "We are just thrilled that they have stayed together during the past couple of weeks."

They have already been feeding the dolphins several times a day but the mammals appear to be significantly underweight and have severe to minor wounds, said Teri Rowles, lead veterinarian for NOAA's Fisheries Service.

NOAA spokeswoman Kim Amendola said two methods can be used to catch the dolphins.

"Some of the dolphins are trained so they're trying to get those dolphins to swim up onto mats," she said. "If that is not successful, they may have to use a net."

Once rescued, the dolphins will be taken to nearby saltwater pools provided by the Navy for medical evaluation and treatment, Rowles said.

Before Katrina struck, some of the younger dolphins from the aquarium were moved inland to hotel swimming pools and were not threatened by the storm. They have since been moved to aquariums in Florida.

Nineteen sea lions also were missing from the Oceanarium.

One of those, Andre, a 250-pound sea lion, has found a temporary home at the Memphis Zoo.

The storm washed him from his pen and he wandered for 11 days before he was discovered behind a casino and shipped to Memphis.

Andre lost about 100 pounds but specialists said he's in good shape.