Land lines live!
Talked with Bill again. He got his main phone line back up at about 8:30 or 9 p.m. He's gone down Hwy. 90 a few times. The Sav-A-Center on 90 is open, as well as the La-La Land off Exit 57 and some stores in Gautier. The Wal-Mart in O.S. should be opening again tomorrow, if the power situation keeps improving at this pace. The Singing River Mall lives (irony), although the Lowe's next door does not. The Blockbuster in O.S. got totaled (and looted, natch), and the Dollar General in the strip mall nearby is gone too. At least one filling station in town is open (sorry, forgot to write down which one, argh), and it isn't gouging on prices. He hasn't gotten to go south of 90 yet, where most of the damage seems to be located. Unprompted, he's going out to St. Andrews to see what's what. He seems to think that O.S. and Gautier will be up and running first
As far as images, the NOAA has some very detailed satelite images. It's mainly Hwy. 90 footage of Biloxi (labeled Ocean Springs), Gulfport, Pascagoula, and Bay St. Louis, and the files are huge (Biloxi is 97.5 mb, most photos are 1.5 - 2 mb apiece) but it's strung together well and the resolution is high quality. The graphics card on this computer isn't great (eMachines), but the zoom is refined enough to tell a truck apart from a car or a van.
Talked with the folks as well. The old man says I'm not leaving without him. I need to get some gas containers, or empty hydraulic fluid buckets from the Physical Plant to haul fuel in. That big sun roof in the van is going to come in handy for ventilation. Also need to get ahold of someone at Ole Miss and bring down whatever supplies/people that are headed for the Coast in the next few days. Bill's wife has people in Chalmette, just across the river from N.O., so I'm trying to find out what's going on there.
If anyone else has any questions, feel free to ask, especially about specific stores/businesses/whatever along 90 in O.S. or Gautier. Still not sure if I'm leaving tomorrow, the next day, or what, but I'm anxious as anyone to know what's going on and help out where it's needed.
As far as images, the NOAA has some very detailed satelite images. It's mainly Hwy. 90 footage of Biloxi (labeled Ocean Springs), Gulfport, Pascagoula, and Bay St. Louis, and the files are huge (Biloxi is 97.5 mb, most photos are 1.5 - 2 mb apiece) but it's strung together well and the resolution is high quality. The graphics card on this computer isn't great (eMachines), but the zoom is refined enough to tell a truck apart from a car or a van.
Talked with the folks as well. The old man says I'm not leaving without him. I need to get some gas containers, or empty hydraulic fluid buckets from the Physical Plant to haul fuel in. That big sun roof in the van is going to come in handy for ventilation. Also need to get ahold of someone at Ole Miss and bring down whatever supplies/people that are headed for the Coast in the next few days. Bill's wife has people in Chalmette, just across the river from N.O., so I'm trying to find out what's going on there.
If anyone else has any questions, feel free to ask, especially about specific stores/businesses/whatever along 90 in O.S. or Gautier. Still not sure if I'm leaving tomorrow, the next day, or what, but I'm anxious as anyone to know what's going on and help out where it's needed.