Late August 2005

This August was not that different from last except the final weekend. After trying to get a few things done at my little cabin on the North Shore I came to Metairie to help a friend with some plans to ride out the Hurricane. I left my son and daughter to secure our home at Fig Street. The big question at my friend's was what to do about the many large glass windows she had. After looking at prices of plywood and the cost to cover the 8 very large windows we decided the cost to replace may be less than the cost and work to cover them. We packed a few things and were waiting to head back to my cabin on the North Shore to ride out the storm. Later on that morning I was awaken from a short nap to learn the storm was very large and we had to evacuate earlier than we planned. I called my son and they had already packed and were leaving to head east on I-10. My friend Alice and I secured her cats and packed the 2 dogs in my truck supposedly to head to the cabin but the traffic was heavy and all directed west where we entered the Interstate so we were off to places unknown. After driving for a few hours I decided to call my daughter in Jackson. She was there for some temporary assignment from Memorial Hospital on Napoleon Ave. She said we could stop in at her hotel room to make other plans. I thought one night and we would be heading back home. Finally on the third day I saw views of my neighborhood from a helicopter filming a large fire two blocks from Fig House. I could just see the tops of the white picket fence standing inches above the flood water. I could not tell how deep or if the water made it inside the house. I think it was then I realized I needed a good plan to return.
Tag:Katrina, New Orleans

Vent-A-Lation

A good friend decided I needed to vent more yet I felt I did not want to bother my friends with all the vent-a-lation I obviously need to do. Having been through several personal crises during my last 20 years or so I thought I was well prepared to take on one of the worlds worst disasters but things are bogged down and getting murky instead of getting cleared up and moving forward. Thus every little thing seems a lot bigger to me as the days slug along. A few of those things I will discuss here with myself and anyone nuts enough to stop in and read them. This will give me a place to vent and a place to look back next year when, as we all hope, things get better.
Tags: Katrina,New Orleans