Life on the Outer Edges of the Storm
Since a couple of you have e-mailed to ask, I thought I'd post and mention that everything is just fine here in Boggy Bayou. We had tropical storm-force winds, but nothing major...unless you count the rubber raft that blew around our back yard. Good thing I have the raft, 'cause I might need it to get around. Hurricane Ivan wrecked sections of Highway 98 (the major artery for this area), and Hurricane Dennis took out the repairs. Just in time for the new asphalt, Hurricane Katrina's storm surge whacked it again. Hello, re-routed traffic and long delays.
Gas is still in short supply, as this portion of the Gulf Coast gets it's fuel from the barges in Mississippi. Some places have lost power around here, especially the coastal homes. A lot of businesses have lost network/phone connectivity, so everyone has to pay for the gas and groceries with this strange thing called 'cash'. I'm not sure I remember what that looks like; I've been using a debit card since 1993.
I said all of this in order to tell you this: whatever it's like for me here on the outer edges of the storm, magnify that by a thousand for anyone residing between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. I witnessed firsthand how awful it was to live near Ground Zero after Hurricane Ivan, and that bad boy just came in at a Category 3. Katrina was close to a Cat 5 when she sat her broad ass on the coast, so the damage and flooding are unreal.
Several of my neighbors and friends have headed to the disaster-area as part of the recovery effort teams. What they are finding initially is devastating, and they are worried about what they will find once the flood waters recede and they can start entering homes and businesses. Not everyone made it out of their house and onto the roof.
Please keep the recovery workers and the residents of these areas in your thoughts and, if you're so inclined, your prayers. Especially think of them after all of the media coverage has died down - day three of post-hurricane is manageble, but day thirteen with no power, no air-conditioning, no gasoline, and nothing but MREs to eat is when you really start to lose all patience.
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And if you didn't catch numisma's post, Del is okay. I'm was very glad to hear that.
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Also, will somebody please tell the national news anchors that 'Mobile' is pronounced 'Mow-Bee-Yawl,' not 'Mo-bul'.
Gas is still in short supply, as this portion of the Gulf Coast gets it's fuel from the barges in Mississippi. Some places have lost power around here, especially the coastal homes. A lot of businesses have lost network/phone connectivity, so everyone has to pay for the gas and groceries with this strange thing called 'cash'. I'm not sure I remember what that looks like; I've been using a debit card since 1993.
I said all of this in order to tell you this: whatever it's like for me here on the outer edges of the storm, magnify that by a thousand for anyone residing between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. I witnessed firsthand how awful it was to live near Ground Zero after Hurricane Ivan, and that bad boy just came in at a Category 3. Katrina was close to a Cat 5 when she sat her broad ass on the coast, so the damage and flooding are unreal.
Several of my neighbors and friends have headed to the disaster-area as part of the recovery effort teams. What they are finding initially is devastating, and they are worried about what they will find once the flood waters recede and they can start entering homes and businesses. Not everyone made it out of their house and onto the roof.
Please keep the recovery workers and the residents of these areas in your thoughts and, if you're so inclined, your prayers. Especially think of them after all of the media coverage has died down - day three of post-hurricane is manageble, but day thirteen with no power, no air-conditioning, no gasoline, and nothing but MREs to eat is when you really start to lose all patience.
......
And if you didn't catch numisma's post, Del is okay. I'm was very glad to hear that.
......
Also, will somebody please tell the national news anchors that 'Mobile' is pronounced 'Mow-Bee-Yawl,' not 'Mo-bul'.