Aussies 'loot to survive'
September 2, 2005 - 8:08PM

Trapped Australian tourists describe hurricane-raved New Orleans as a war zone, with them and everyone else driven to looting just to survive.

Rockhampton couple Tim and Joanne Miller have linked up with another Australian couple, Gary and Cynthia Jones.

All four are living in an abandoned mall with hundreds of other people.

They told Channel Seven News the streets were lawless with dead bodies everywhere.

Mr Jones said survivors were terrified of the violence.

"It's a battle zone. There's shooting, dead bodies in the street," he said, adding that he and his wife were forced to steal to survive.

"We're looters like everyone else," he said.

Mrs Miller told Channel Seven News: "There's no power, there's no water, we've still got a portable loo we've got three dead bodies, five dead bodies down there ... disease.

"I'm not blaming the police because they are under so much pressure.

"I had an altercation with a police officer and he ended up just crying to me because he was so frustrated and he couldn't do any more. He wanted to help us but he didn't have any resources."

Mr Miller described the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as "horrific".

He said police had broken into shops to feed survivors.

"When we first arrived here the door at the mall was actually smashed by a police officer and he said, 'help yourself ... food and drink, take it, don't take anything else'," he said.