Slow Return To Normalcy
Well I'm writing this from work but suppose I should update from when I last posted...
We left Kenner early Thursday morning and drove up to Tennessee- and stayed in a hotel in Pigeon Forge- along the way we found that FEMA deposited our "relief money" and also managed the impossible task of registering with Red Cross- since not much else to do while driving- my husband, daughter and myself- dialed the numbers to Red Cross repeatedly until we connected- my husband connected first and since by this time we had already made it to Tennessee and were in mountains- we pulled over so as not to lose the connection- we waited for about 1 hour and 45 minutes on hold waiting to speak to a real person but finally got through and got registered and money was sent Western Union to us (a little upset that although I made the call and did the reporting that they felt it necessary to put it in my husbands name -very sexist of them- this however caused problems when we went to pick up money the next day- and discovered that my husbands driver's license expired and they wouldn't let us get it since he didn't have valid id) Anyway- got to Pigeon Forge which has got to be one of the tackiest places lol- but it was friendly and lots cooler than the 100 degrees we'd been having at home- and so it was a relief- it was also nice to have some space- seems every time my husband and I would go somwhere to talk at his mother's house- she would show up and insinuate herself into the conversations- We didn't do much on Thursday evening but use the indoor pool at the hotel- the kids loved it- and now dh wants a hot tub- I'm not arguing lol- it felt great to soak after the long drive- and all the stress. Friday we spent the day in the Smokey Mtn National Park- something we've done frequently but enjoyed it none the less- Saturday we were given free tickets to Dollywood- if you haven't been picture cracker barrel resturant with amusement park rides- it was fun- but not something we'd had done without the free tickets- we then did more of the park and then spent the evening in Gatlinburg "shopping"- Sunday we got up more leisurely and drove home- made much better time going back and also got to see some of the destruction Katrina caused to Mississippi- (we missed it in the dark on the way out a few days before)
While we were gone- my oldest son took advantage of the increased need for employees everywhere in the Kenner area- (btw- if you can find a place to stay- and need work you won't have a problem getting a job there)- and got a job at Cane's the first night he spent 8 hours making toast- lol but had been pulling 8 hour days since with just a few days off for legal reasons- they have been super busy- too
On 10/3 my husband got his license renued and then we went back to Thibodaux- to apply for emergency food stamps- not that we needed them- but they will help when we have to restock our kitchen with all that was lost from the power outages- we also visited my mom at my sister's house- my father's company sent him a camper -a big one- for them and stocked it fully- so mom was passing out food and paper products because it was way more than they'd eat any time soon- we had the kids (except oldest son) and raced back to home (yes home) to do some work- see we had to race because the parish was under 7pm curfew and they were arresting any and all violators no exceptions- we made it back with 15minutes to spare- and got the camper's generator going and got water hooked up by running a hose from across the street- from a generous neighbor who was on the "good" side of the water main rupture-
10/4 dh and I worked many many hours in the heat- we are talking high 90's here cutting and loading a tree to the front of the house- this was one of the neighbor's trees- and it was really frustrating to watch the guys she hired to clean up her yard speadily do the job with heavy machinery- while we did it by hand- one of the tree branches went so far down into the ground when it hit that we couldn't get it out and now have a piece of the trunk suspended from the branch in our yard- sure we could dig it out but we decided not to- lol- we cleaned up in the cold shower in the camper but after the long hot day it was nice- and headed back to Kenner- stopping on the way for supper and ate more than I had in a long long time- lol
On 10/5 we got a call from a neighbor that the power had been restored to our neighborhood- still no water but power was back- we had planned to return 10/5 because a cold front was on the way- and we just needed to go back- when we got the news dh wanted to go that night- but I was exhausted and really needed the rest to drive the long drive home- we had spent the time during the day getting things like a hat for him to hold away the sun exposure and gloves for me to prevent the blisters I was getting from using gloves a little too large for me. It was funny to watch us move around- we were both so sore and tired- but we were looking forwad to going back home... for good this time
ON 10/6 we got up early and headed home- we left my oldest son behind to finish out his work schedule at Canes (which his boss is calling the local store near our home to "highly recommend"him for employment here)- We got home after stopping for lunch at about noon- to find that we had to detour in our neighborhood to get to our home because our street was torn up with the water people repairing the main- by 3pm on Thursday we had water too!!! yeah- My husband jumped right into outdoor clean up= and I put things away inside (well mostly- still haven't unpacked the youngest two kids lol) then joined him- it was still pretty hot though- Also went by to visit my parents who were home- for clean up- mom was funny in how everything was soooo horrible- and she didn't even see most of the bad stuff- most had been cleaned up before she got home.
10/6 cold front came through and dh and I spent the day cutting and loading branches to the front- then cleaned up and decided to drive 1 1/2 hours to the next largest city not majorly affected by Rita to go shopping- DH and I decided to make a night of it and went out to eat too- then did our shopping at Sams and Walmart and returned with two icechests of food- and no milk- because we ran out of ice chest space lol-
On Saturday we did more clean up- and dh found powdered milk at one of the stores open and later had to go to our local walmart and they had just gotten a truck with fresh milk so got that too-
Sunday- we cleaned a little- went to Lowe's after leaving Home Depot without purchasing anything because they wouldn't help us get a door down that we needed- and at Lowe's got lots of help and got a screen door, AC unit for DD's room- (parents had hers and we needed a bigger one for her room anyway), and a ceiling fan for our room- ours had died a few days before the storm and we really needed that- I also got the baby a broom- yes a broom my 1 yo son's favorite thing is to sweep and I found a broom that was half sized so he was using such a large stick to play now- lol-
Today is Monday and I'm back at work= muscles still achey, have cuts and scratches all over my arms and legs, a little sun burn but not bad- and lots of mess to clean up here at work- at least it doesn't stink- lol
Things are slowly returning to normal here- about 40% of our businesses are opening at least with partial services- some of the local private schools start back this week- my oldest dd's private school has a tentative start date of 10/17 but we aren't sure if all damage will be cleaned up- public schools are still out- and will announce a reopening plan on Friday- 10/14- my sister who is a public school teacher- says that the schools are a mess- even the ones without storm damage- are filled with mold, ruined books and sagging ceilings caused from the high humidity and heat following the storm- they showed on the local news trash bags filled with books- and of course many of the cafeterias are uninhabitable after having all the food rot in the refridgerators- and of course there is no food to replace it and little or no fuel available for buses so I'm not sure when the public schools will get back into business- I know private schools have announced that all kids need to pack their own lunches- but because of the "free lunch" programs in public schools I don't think they can do that in those schools- my sister seems to think it may be another week at least after this one before they get back- they are already out more than 2 1/2 weeks- and will be 3 1/2 before we even know a tentative return date- and possibly longer than that. They are planning on modifying the school schedule by adding an hour or so to the day and then cutting vacations short so they won't have to add too much time into the summer- to make up the time-
Our yard in the back is slowly looking better and my oldest will be home today- he is getting a ride with my dh aunt who went into the city to help with clean up of her mom's house...
Well I suppose I should get back to work- I do want to thank everyone who offered supportive words through everything that has happened- I really don't want to ever experience this again- and as rough as it has been I shouldn't whine too much- my thoughts and prayers are now going out with those in Guatamalla (?spelling) and Pakistan- the loss in those places is great...
Julie
We left Kenner early Thursday morning and drove up to Tennessee- and stayed in a hotel in Pigeon Forge- along the way we found that FEMA deposited our "relief money" and also managed the impossible task of registering with Red Cross- since not much else to do while driving- my husband, daughter and myself- dialed the numbers to Red Cross repeatedly until we connected- my husband connected first and since by this time we had already made it to Tennessee and were in mountains- we pulled over so as not to lose the connection- we waited for about 1 hour and 45 minutes on hold waiting to speak to a real person but finally got through and got registered and money was sent Western Union to us (a little upset that although I made the call and did the reporting that they felt it necessary to put it in my husbands name -very sexist of them- this however caused problems when we went to pick up money the next day- and discovered that my husbands driver's license expired and they wouldn't let us get it since he didn't have valid id) Anyway- got to Pigeon Forge which has got to be one of the tackiest places lol- but it was friendly and lots cooler than the 100 degrees we'd been having at home- and so it was a relief- it was also nice to have some space- seems every time my husband and I would go somwhere to talk at his mother's house- she would show up and insinuate herself into the conversations- We didn't do much on Thursday evening but use the indoor pool at the hotel- the kids loved it- and now dh wants a hot tub- I'm not arguing lol- it felt great to soak after the long drive- and all the stress. Friday we spent the day in the Smokey Mtn National Park- something we've done frequently but enjoyed it none the less- Saturday we were given free tickets to Dollywood- if you haven't been picture cracker barrel resturant with amusement park rides- it was fun- but not something we'd had done without the free tickets- we then did more of the park and then spent the evening in Gatlinburg "shopping"- Sunday we got up more leisurely and drove home- made much better time going back and also got to see some of the destruction Katrina caused to Mississippi- (we missed it in the dark on the way out a few days before)
While we were gone- my oldest son took advantage of the increased need for employees everywhere in the Kenner area- (btw- if you can find a place to stay- and need work you won't have a problem getting a job there)- and got a job at Cane's the first night he spent 8 hours making toast- lol but had been pulling 8 hour days since with just a few days off for legal reasons- they have been super busy- too
On 10/3 my husband got his license renued and then we went back to Thibodaux- to apply for emergency food stamps- not that we needed them- but they will help when we have to restock our kitchen with all that was lost from the power outages- we also visited my mom at my sister's house- my father's company sent him a camper -a big one- for them and stocked it fully- so mom was passing out food and paper products because it was way more than they'd eat any time soon- we had the kids (except oldest son) and raced back to home (yes home) to do some work- see we had to race because the parish was under 7pm curfew and they were arresting any and all violators no exceptions- we made it back with 15minutes to spare- and got the camper's generator going and got water hooked up by running a hose from across the street- from a generous neighbor who was on the "good" side of the water main rupture-
10/4 dh and I worked many many hours in the heat- we are talking high 90's here cutting and loading a tree to the front of the house- this was one of the neighbor's trees- and it was really frustrating to watch the guys she hired to clean up her yard speadily do the job with heavy machinery- while we did it by hand- one of the tree branches went so far down into the ground when it hit that we couldn't get it out and now have a piece of the trunk suspended from the branch in our yard- sure we could dig it out but we decided not to- lol- we cleaned up in the cold shower in the camper but after the long hot day it was nice- and headed back to Kenner- stopping on the way for supper and ate more than I had in a long long time- lol
On 10/5 we got a call from a neighbor that the power had been restored to our neighborhood- still no water but power was back- we had planned to return 10/5 because a cold front was on the way- and we just needed to go back- when we got the news dh wanted to go that night- but I was exhausted and really needed the rest to drive the long drive home- we had spent the time during the day getting things like a hat for him to hold away the sun exposure and gloves for me to prevent the blisters I was getting from using gloves a little too large for me. It was funny to watch us move around- we were both so sore and tired- but we were looking forwad to going back home... for good this time
ON 10/6 we got up early and headed home- we left my oldest son behind to finish out his work schedule at Canes (which his boss is calling the local store near our home to "highly recommend"him for employment here)- We got home after stopping for lunch at about noon- to find that we had to detour in our neighborhood to get to our home because our street was torn up with the water people repairing the main- by 3pm on Thursday we had water too!!! yeah- My husband jumped right into outdoor clean up= and I put things away inside (well mostly- still haven't unpacked the youngest two kids lol) then joined him- it was still pretty hot though- Also went by to visit my parents who were home- for clean up- mom was funny in how everything was soooo horrible- and she didn't even see most of the bad stuff- most had been cleaned up before she got home.
10/6 cold front came through and dh and I spent the day cutting and loading branches to the front- then cleaned up and decided to drive 1 1/2 hours to the next largest city not majorly affected by Rita to go shopping- DH and I decided to make a night of it and went out to eat too- then did our shopping at Sams and Walmart and returned with two icechests of food- and no milk- because we ran out of ice chest space lol-
On Saturday we did more clean up- and dh found powdered milk at one of the stores open and later had to go to our local walmart and they had just gotten a truck with fresh milk so got that too-
Sunday- we cleaned a little- went to Lowe's after leaving Home Depot without purchasing anything because they wouldn't help us get a door down that we needed- and at Lowe's got lots of help and got a screen door, AC unit for DD's room- (parents had hers and we needed a bigger one for her room anyway), and a ceiling fan for our room- ours had died a few days before the storm and we really needed that- I also got the baby a broom- yes a broom my 1 yo son's favorite thing is to sweep and I found a broom that was half sized so he was using such a large stick to play now- lol-
Today is Monday and I'm back at work= muscles still achey, have cuts and scratches all over my arms and legs, a little sun burn but not bad- and lots of mess to clean up here at work- at least it doesn't stink- lol
Things are slowly returning to normal here- about 40% of our businesses are opening at least with partial services- some of the local private schools start back this week- my oldest dd's private school has a tentative start date of 10/17 but we aren't sure if all damage will be cleaned up- public schools are still out- and will announce a reopening plan on Friday- 10/14- my sister who is a public school teacher- says that the schools are a mess- even the ones without storm damage- are filled with mold, ruined books and sagging ceilings caused from the high humidity and heat following the storm- they showed on the local news trash bags filled with books- and of course many of the cafeterias are uninhabitable after having all the food rot in the refridgerators- and of course there is no food to replace it and little or no fuel available for buses so I'm not sure when the public schools will get back into business- I know private schools have announced that all kids need to pack their own lunches- but because of the "free lunch" programs in public schools I don't think they can do that in those schools- my sister seems to think it may be another week at least after this one before they get back- they are already out more than 2 1/2 weeks- and will be 3 1/2 before we even know a tentative return date- and possibly longer than that. They are planning on modifying the school schedule by adding an hour or so to the day and then cutting vacations short so they won't have to add too much time into the summer- to make up the time-
Our yard in the back is slowly looking better and my oldest will be home today- he is getting a ride with my dh aunt who went into the city to help with clean up of her mom's house...
Well I suppose I should get back to work- I do want to thank everyone who offered supportive words through everything that has happened- I really don't want to ever experience this again- and as rough as it has been I shouldn't whine too much- my thoughts and prayers are now going out with those in Guatamalla (?spelling) and Pakistan- the loss in those places is great...
Julie