About this blog

Andrew Locke and Bob Sullivan

From Sept. 22-27, the posts in this blog about Rita's evacuation and devastation were reported and photographed by Bob Sullivan and Andrew Locke. Sullivan, 37, is MSNBC.com's technology and consumer fraud reporter. Locke, 34, in charge of MSNBC.com's editorial strategy, was on his second hurricane blog tour.

David Friedman and Miguel Llanos

From Sept. 18-22, the posts in this blog, examining Katrina's impact on the environment, were reported and photographed by Miguel Llanos and David Friedman. Llanos, 45, is MSNBC.com's environmental reporter. Photojournalist Friedman, 35, is a multimedia producer at MSNBC.com.

Kari Huus and Jim Seida

From Sept. 10-16, the posts in this blog were reported and photographed by Kari Huus and Jim Seida. Huus, 43, has been a journalist for 20 years and a reporter with MSNBC.com since 1996. Seida, 39, has been a media editor with the Web site since 1996.

Mike Brunker and Andrew Locke mugshot

From Sept. 2-9, the posts in this blog were reported and photographed by Mike Brunker, left, and Andrew Locke. A journalist for 25 years, Brunker, 49, is MSNBC.com's West Coast news editor. Locke, 34, has been a journalist for 17 years and is currently in charge of MSNBC.com's editorial media strategy.

How you can help

How to help the victims of Hurricane Rita

How to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina

Reunion and relief

Posted: Friday, September 9 at 05:09 pm CT by msnbc

BATON ROUGE, La. -– Relief.

Not just ours and yours over the anticipated happy ending with Bill Harris and his beloved Miss Kitty, but a new team of reporters who will take over this running account of Katrina’s outcasts and their struggles to set their lives right.

Reporter Kari Huus and media producer Jim Seida, both MSNBC.com veterans, will arrive soon and we will board a red-eye flight for Seattle.

But fear not, we will continue to keep you updated on Harris’ heart-warming tale as it continues to unfold. It is looking as though his reunion with Miss Kitty may occur sooner than expected, so check back later Friday for the latest.

A few final thoughts before we pass the baton to Kari and Jim:

This has been an amazing experience, not just the awesome devastation we’ve seen first-hand, but because so many of the hurricane’s victims have responded to the disaster with determination rather than despair. It’s our hope that you, too, have come away with a fresh appreciation for the resilience of the human spirit.

We also have added to what already was a deep respect for the heroes of this tragedy: the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Southern Baptist Convention and Noah’s Wish volunteers, police officers and firefighters, National Guard troops and state militia members and members of the public who have stepped forward to help in this time when so many are in desperate need, often at great personal sacrifice. Their outpouring of love and concern is making a difference.

And, finally, our heartfelt thanks go out to the readers of Katrinablog who have taken the time to post responses to our reports over the last eight days. Your feedback, words of encouragement and occasional criticisms have made this a very special assignment for both Andrew and me. Never before have we felt so connected to our readers.

Keep the faith!

MAIN PAGE NEXT POST Hello, Miss Kitty!

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COMMENTS

God Bless you, Mike and Andrew, and make your going safe. You done real, real good!!!

Has anyone had an update on "Snowball", the little white poodle that was taken from that little boy who boarded the evacuation bus last week? It was so distressful to see the little boy cry for his dog. I hope someone is pursueing the sad saga of this little boy and his whereabouts and that of a little dog lost and abandoned.

Thanks so much for keeping us in the know. I wish you both lots of R and R. It's people like you and all the ones that you mentioned that make this world still a very good place to be. God bless you both!

Thank you Mike and Andrew for letting us join you on this special journey of bringing rays of sunshine to this tragic hit by mother nature. It is times like this that bring us closer together as human beings with our furry companions (family members)!!

Thanks you guys for giving us eyes on the scene. I especially appreciate you going the extra mile (so to speak!) to find Miss Kitty.... and for reporting on the backwoods shelters and recovery efforts.

Job well done....

Good job guys! Rest and reflect. You've earned time to do both! I will be checking in for reunion details!

God's speed Mike and Andrew. You have restored my faith in reporters.

Thank you & God Bless both of you. I pray you continue on your journey safely. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, I really enjoyed it.

Yes, GOD BLESS YOU Mike and Andrew. A book in the making perhaps? Donate funds to animal care centers or something similar perhaps? You have brought the tragedy-and the triumphs-closer to home for my family and I. Thank you and best to you both in all that you do!

Sincerely,

The Harlow Family

To all the noahs wish volunteers: KEEP UP THE GOOD FIGHT, AND CONTINUE YOUR IMPORTANT WORK! YOUR EFFORTS ARE APPRECIATED MORE THAN YOU CAN EVER KNOW! I feel like most Americans, we must all do something to help and continue to help! I want to encourage everyone to send money if they can to Noahs Wish, the ASPCA, the Red Cross and Salvation Army or any charity providing relief! and vow to adopt a needy pet!

I can't help but wonder, when the tv reportes etc took the pictures of the animals in distress, did they just leave them there? I can't get out of my mind the sight of the poor dog swimming after the boat carrying the tv crew or the dog in the tree watching them so soulfully. If they did not stop to get either dog how in the world could they sleep at night. When the crews took pictures of babies needing water did they give the poor child some? They need to finish these stories and let us know what happened not just use it for shock value. If they crews took the time on each of their runs to rescue just one or two animals or person quick afew could be saved. I know that it is easy to say, harder to do and you can't save everyone but Lordy . . .

I am an avid cat lover and I have read through the story of Bill Harris and his furbaby Miss Kitty. I was put on to this story from a internet cat group I am in. What a heartwarming story amongst all the horror stories coming out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrian. Godbless Donna and Horace and everyone involved in this. Hugs to you all.

God and St Francis are truly with us! I have prayed for Bill and Miss Kitty daily. Hope the reunion is soon, with Mom too. God Bless you all

I've been profoundly moved from tears to joy through this story....Bless you for bringing some rays of light to this devastating event...

thank you so much for the stories you have written about the animals especially. they are the victims that have no voices and you have spoken for them. Thank you so much, fly back up to cool and rainy
Seattle (where I am also!) and take a breather.

It's time some good news came from this horrible catastrophe. Thank you both, and all the others who help find Bill,s "Miss Kitty". May you have nothing but happiness from now on!
I know Bill will think kind thoughts of you for the rest of his days. You went the "extra mile" for a cat when others might say,"Oh, well. It's just a cat!" But they are never "Just a Cat" to their owner(s). My cat is my family and I would be devestated if anything happened to her!

Mike & Andrew, your reporting over the past week or so has been phenominal. You have done a great service to readers across the world by way of your daily stories. Enjoy going home, get some well-deserved rest. God bless you both!

RE: Snowball, I read yesterday they have been reunited. EOM.

RE: Snowball (posted by John Doe) I hope this is true. I've been wanting to hear about Snowball but haven't heard anything since some time ago when they had found a dog that they thought was Snowball!

Good Luck to the both of you. I look forward everyday to some good news to come out of this tragedy in the south and I know I can find it in your stories. Thanks

You guys have done great work! In individualizing this experience and telling the tales of just a few people, you have humanized the situation for many. While most have been kind, in the face of the few that have criticized your "stealing posh hotel rooms" or "not raising enough muscle to help" I would argue that your service is just as valuable ... inspiring others to act when they can see the displaced aren't numbers or statistics... but people.

Good luck!

Mike and Andrew, thank you so much for your great work covering this huge story. Best of luck with your next assignment.

What a wonderful ending - I cried the whole entire time. Mr. Harris, we pray you have a speedy recovery so you can be with Miss Kitty soon and your mom. Thank you MSNBC, the reporters, the rescuers and especially Mr. Harris and Miss Kitty for sharing this with us. There is hope!!! GOD BLESS!!!

Liz O'Brian's post took the words right out of my mouth! What she wrote today about the TV crews and the cameras photographing the distressed animals that were abondoned or lost, well I too have been wondering the very same thing. How can they just leave them there??? Just pass them by to contiunously swim in the toxic water, or stand on rooftops in the 95 degree heat with no water?? I can't get these sad images out of my mind. We owe our furry buddies more than this. It just breaks my heart to see these camera crews capturing these images with no reference to who will be coming back to get them or why they didn't pick them up while they were there. So many were shown on rooftops, stuck continously swimming or standing in the water, with no way to get out, and people in the boats pass them by!?! And they don't mention to the viewers if someone is coming back for them or tell us why they can't pick them up! I wish they would give us follow up news reports to tell about what happened to these (and others) we've seen. It especially broke my heart when I saw the four large dogs on the roof of a car (I believe it was a car) surrounding by the toxic water, in the full sun, with no place to go...and also the large black dog swimming next to a boat, following it with the TV crew inside the boat...you could see that the dog just wanted to get in. But they didn't pick him up! I just can't believe that they show us these images without giving us an update on them. PLEASE, is there anyone who can find out what's happened to these dogs we've seen on the news? These images were shown many times, so I wouldn't think it would be too hard to follow up on these pets. Let's hope that something like this never happens again to our furry family members....if nothing else, maybe this horrible disaster has prepared people and our officials to better plan for emergency situations. Let's hope too, that in the future, our pets can be rescued right along with us, right next to our human famliy members.
Special thanks to all the animal rescue organizations and dedicated people who are out there, making a difference.

Mike and Andrew - Thank you. You made me think. You made me smile. You made me cry. You made me act. Your stories enlightened me. You made me believe that people can make a difference in small ways in an overwhelming situation. Good job. Have a safe journey home. Sleep well.

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