Convoy, troops arrive
A convoy of military vehicles plowed through the flooded streets of New Orleans on Friday bringing food, water and medicine to the thousands of people trapped at a downtown convention center.
"The crowd erupted," said Tishia Walters, a woman in the convention center crowd told CNN by telephone.
"Flags went flying, people shouting and waving. There's like 7,000 people out here in dying conditions," she added.
Walters said she was outside of the center when she saw the National Guard and police arrive.
"It's amazing. They've come in full force," she said.
Lt. Gen. Russel Honore was directing the deployment of National Guard troops -- expected to number 1,000 -- from a New Orleans street corner. (See video of the convoy roll through floodwaters -- 3:33)
Honore said getting food and water to the people at the convention center was difficult. "If you ever have 20,000 people come to supper, you know what I'm talking about," the general said. "If it was easy, it would have been done already."
CNN's Barbara Starr, who is traveling with the three-star general, said Honore is "very determined to keep this looking like a humanitarian relief operation." (See the mayor's order to stop the talking and send soldiers to help -- 1:00)
"A few moments ago, he stopped a truck full of National Guard troops ... and said, 'Point your weapons down, this is not Iraq,' " Starr reported.
Authorities continued working to evacuate the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, trying to help the weakest people first.
Nagin said in a statement that more than 10,000 people had been evacuated from the city Thursday but that more than 50,000 survivors were still on rooftops and in shelters, in urgent need of help.
A convoy of military vehicles plowed through the flooded streets of New Orleans on Friday bringing food, water and medicine to the thousands of people trapped at a downtown convention center.
"The crowd erupted," said Tishia Walters, a woman in the convention center crowd told CNN by telephone.
"Flags went flying, people shouting and waving. There's like 7,000 people out here in dying conditions," she added.
Walters said she was outside of the center when she saw the National Guard and police arrive.
"It's amazing. They've come in full force," she said.
Lt. Gen. Russel Honore was directing the deployment of National Guard troops -- expected to number 1,000 -- from a New Orleans street corner. (See video of the convoy roll through floodwaters -- 3:33)
Honore said getting food and water to the people at the convention center was difficult. "If you ever have 20,000 people come to supper, you know what I'm talking about," the general said. "If it was easy, it would have been done already."
CNN's Barbara Starr, who is traveling with the three-star general, said Honore is "very determined to keep this looking like a humanitarian relief operation." (See the mayor's order to stop the talking and send soldiers to help -- 1:00)
"A few moments ago, he stopped a truck full of National Guard troops ... and said, 'Point your weapons down, this is not Iraq,' " Starr reported.
Authorities continued working to evacuate the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, trying to help the weakest people first.
Nagin said in a statement that more than 10,000 people had been evacuated from the city Thursday but that more than 50,000 survivors were still on rooftops and in shelters, in urgent need of help.