Category: New Orleans

Jack left this morning to head back to New Orleans. We assume his house is still underwater, but Waterford has set up temporary housing for employees on the site of the plant. They said that trailers go to families with children first, and there was a brief mention of tents, as well.

I told him that if they set him up in a tent, to come back to Altanta. You don’t want to sleep in a tent in Taft, LA in September.

He’s loaded up with a generator, de-humidifier, and a new set of cordless power tools that he purchased here in Atlanta as well. We don’t know when he’s going to be able to get to his house, but he’s prepared for when they let him back in.

Here’s an interesting read on Blackwater USA, the private “security” force used in Iraq, which is now being used in New Orleans.

http://www.kathryncramer.com/kathryn_cramer/2005/09/blackwater_blac.html

Here’s a neat little map that shows water levels in the city overlayed on a Google Map. Unfortunately, the water depth hasn’t been updated since Tuesday, 6 September.

Barbara Bush: Things Working Out “Very Well” for Poor Evacuees from New Orleans NEW YORK Accompanying her husband, former President George H.W.Bush, on a tour of hurricane relief centers in Houston, Barbara Bush said today, referring to the poor who had lost everything back home and evacuated, “This is working very well for them.”

The former First Lady’s remarks were aired this evening on National Public Radio’s “Marketplace” program.

Then she added: “What I’m hearing is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality.

“And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this–this [she chuckles slightly]is working very well for them.”

http://www.discourse.net/archives/2005/09/the_modern_let_them_eat_cake_moment.html

Here’s the mp3: barbarabush.mp3.

Here’s what my mom relayed to me from Bob, who is with the Terrytown Volunteer Fire Department:

80% of Terrytown is damaged. He was unable to even get near Christ the King to see what it looks like.

The firemen have been bathing in a swimming pool full of soapy water.

Looting is out of control in Gretna and Terrytown. The Walgreens and A&P on Carol Sue and Terry Parkway are completely gutted. The fire department has been armed. Looters commandeered a mail truck and were driving it around firing at police and firemen. The firemen are not allowed to go anywhere without a police officer.

They are too far undermanned to stay. Word is that today they will be leaving the city.

Oschner is the only hospital in the city that is operational. Charity is completely shut down. Last night, looters surrounded the hospital waving guns and banging on the doors. A nurse inside called it the most terrifying experience she could imagine. They called in the National Guard and they are now surrounding the hospital.

From Susan’s nephew, a National Guardsman:

Looters have been firing on the evacuation helicopters at the Superdome. This has made the national news.

A ten-year-old girl was raped in the Superdome. More rapes have been reported.

Guardsmen stopped a man from trying to sodomize a boy in the Dome. They “beat the hell out of him.”

Bob has not heard from his son or daughter. He knows they evacuated, but he hasn’t heard if they made it to their destintation. My mom was saying he is exhausted. They are working non-stop. There is simply not enough firemen and police to be effective.

Reports on neighborhoods:
Mandeville: suffered some wind damage, but it is not very bad.
Metairie: mostly dry, but that’s all they know.
WestBank: mostly dry, lots of damage. Looting is out of control.

Its a bad bad situation there.

I sent a text message to Kevin Kelly last night, but I haven’t heard anything yet from him. Neither Dave nor I know if he evacuated or not.

Here is what I know about the whereabouts of our friends and family in New Orleans.

Jack is here with Leslie and me in Atlanta. He’ll be staying here as long as necessary, until he can make it back to New Orleans. His house in Lakeview is near the levee break on the 17th Street Canal, and we assume his house is underwater. We’ve been stocking up on supplies; he’s now the proud owner of a very heavy gasoline-powered generator. To give you an idea of how long he may be staying, today we went to Ikea to look at foldaway beds. His cell phone doesn’t work: he can dial out, but can’t receive calls. Text messages will go through, though. We don’t have a land phone line in the house, but we are calling BellSouth tomorrow to get one installed. His cats are also with us.

Marnie is now in Ft. Worth, staying at her mother’s house, with Susan, Mike, and their children. Sybil is also with them. Both their houses are ok, they just suffered some wind damage to the roof. Bob is in Terrytown now with the fire department, which is how we got the report on the houses. He says Terrytown looks like a war zone, and has spent most of his time trying to get the old people out of the Timberlane subdivision. I gave him a list of neighborhoods to check on, but communication is difficult within the city. Marnie doesn’t have a plan to return yet. You can reach her at her mother’s phone number. She is having the same cell phone problems.

Grant was never in harm’s way in Houston. Marnie and Susan stayed with him for a little while before they headed to Ft. Worth.

Dave is on his way to Enid, OK to stay with his folks. I talked to him tonight from his hotel room in Denton, Texas. He will be looking for work in Omaha and Atlanta. He lives Uptown, and it seems his house is right on the edge of the flooding.

Brent Joseph is with his parents and the Laboises in Hammond. His house in Mid-City is most likely flooded, but it is pretty high. The last time I talked to him, he was up in the air about what to do. He is thinking of trying to get a construction job, and filming the cleanup in the city.

Paul left for New York before the storm, and is heading to Oakdale/Lake Charles to stay with his parents.

Jamie is heading for St. Louis to stay with his parents.

Ashley evacuated with Jamie and Dave to Dr. Joe‘s house in Oakdale, and is now with her mom in Houston. She left me a message last night that said “Dave, Jamie, and Dr. Soileau saved my life.”

I know Claire evacuated, but I’m not sure where she is.

That’s what I know so far. I’ll keep updating as I find things out.

WWL has some pictures up of the flooding and damage in New Orleans.

It’s mind blowing.

http://www.wwltv.com/sharedcontent/breakingnews/slideshow/083005_dmnkatrina/1.html

WDSU is up now at: http://mfile.akamai.com/12912/live/reflector:38843.asx

WWL was reporting that the levee was breached on the Industrial Canal on the Chalmette side near Tennessee Street. They were saying 3-8 feet of water will fill those neighborhoods.

The Superdome’s roof has suffered some damage, but nothing structural.

Then WWL went off the air.