New Orleans Police Dodge Bullets to Save Stranded Residents

Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Ned Tolliver, an assistant pastor and reserve New Orleans police officer, has seen more than he imagined since he and a partner began personally rescuing almost 1,000 people trapped by the waters of Hurricane Katrina.

There was the volunteer who steered his boat through five miles of wreckage to help with rescues. There are those managing to stay alive on their roofs waiting patiently for rescue.

``People did some stuff I doubt they thought they could do,'' he said.

And there are those losing patience. Those are probably the people shooting at his boat. Tolliver, 58, assumes they're mad at being passed by during what may be their last chance.

Speaking softly with a thick Louisiana accent, the clergyman from Faith Church describes spending the past four days -- armed - - in a boat with his partner, navigating parts of the city where the water's so deep they have to avoid hitting submerged cars.

They have rescued as many as 900 people so far on a boat that holds 8 to 10 people, he said, dodging floating corpses along the way.

Tolliver's shower last night was his first since Sunday, when he took refuge in an abandoned building on the Chef Menteur Highway without electricity and running water, eating canned food opened with knives and taking baths with alcohol wipes.

He's been dropping his evacuees on the highway, the closest high ground.

Hundreds are waiting there without food or water.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Clothier in Baton Rouge, Louisiana mclothier@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Glenn Holdcraft at gholdcraft@bloomberg.net.