Katrina Chronicles

Reality Check

2006-07-18T22:45:00.000-05:00

OK, so I can't expect good news to last. The front page headline in today's paper is that one of my Good News items a couple of days ago, Greg Meffert, is leaving city government. Meffert is the last of the wunderkids from Nagin's first administration to leave.

Sometimes it's all just so damned depressing.

Time for some Good News

2006-07-16T14:32:00.000-05:00

There's been ample opportunity for depression around my town lately.

Since winning reelection our mayor has been jetting around the country while ignoring the drifting, directionless reconstruction efforts of the city.
Every day more For Sale signs pop up, as people give up on New Orleans and move somewhere that works.
The drug dealers & disaffected youth have moved back, with or without their families, and are busy settling their arguments with guns.

So it's hard to stay cheerful and optimistic. But this week a couple of things happened that bring cheer.

Tuesday afternoon I was flying to Atlanta on business & happened to sit next to the manager in charge of the Earthlink project to bring wireless internet to the entire occupied city. He is also working with the city governments of Oakland and Philidelphia. He told me that our project is going faster, and with more city cooperation than anywhere he has worked. It's nice to hear that somewhere in city government things are working. Greg Meffert, the city technology manager, is to be commended.

And Saturday evening Bunny & I went to see a performance of Midsummer's Night Dream at the Shakespeare Festival Theater on Tulane's campus. It was a typically great performance.

By chance I happened to be sitting next to the wife of Trey Burvant, who plays Theseus & Oberon. Their 5 year-old daughter, Evelyn, is the changling child. Evelyn, of course, stole the show, and her father performed competently, as well.

But the real news is that the family has just moved to New Orleans from Boston, where Trey had a successful acting carrer, because they had to be part of the rebuilding.

Thank you. Thank you. Right now I need all the encouragement I can get.

The Long Black Line

2006-05-24T18:15:00.000-05:00

At Jazzfest last month Spencer Bohren intro'ed his new song, The Long Black Line. It was one of those transendent moments when a crowd becomes one. We sat there in the Fairgrounds Paddock, utterly silent, as the music rolled over us. When the music stopped we sat there, stunned. Applause? Tears? How to respond?

Last night, as I was walking past Spencer's house, he & Marilyn were sitting in their car listening to the CD player. I guess if you have 8 visiting homeschoolers staying in your house while they work on their Katrina documentry & you want a little privacy, you move to the car.

But it's what was coming out of the speakers that brought me to a stop. The Long Black Line. The cd arrived yesterday from Germany.

Spencer is freely sharing this with those who want to -- who can -- listen. If you're from here, it won't be easy.

I've duped a low fidelity version. Click the image above to listen. If you want to hear it right, check http://www.spencerbohren.com/ often and order the CD when it comes out.

Enjoy, if that's the word.

A Disaster Timeline

2006-05-18T18:27:00.000-05:00

Sunday the Times-Picayaune released a marvelous animated map of the flood sequence during Katrina. Going through the display, it's obvious our city and region could not have emerged from Katrina unscathed. Even without the MRGO "Hurricane Highway", the water would have been high enough to overtop the Plaquemines Parish levees, and probably those in New Orleans East. But the levee failures and poor design (Why was the embankment at the foot of the Orleans Avenue Canal 6 feet lower than the floodwalls on either side?) added immeasurably to the extent of the disaster.

This story would have been so much different if we had the protection we thought we did.

The Corps Dodges Again

2006-05-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

"We will all be surprised," Dan Hitchings recently told a congressional committee, "when it is soon shown how much water poured into New Orleans before certain floodwalls collapsed."

It is no longer news when a Corps spokesman evades or denys responsibility for the Post-Katrina flooding disaster in New Orleans. But after Lt. General Carl Strock, Corps of Engineers Director, admitted that design errors caused at least some of the flooding, there was reason to hope they were moving on.

No such luck. Dan Hitchings is head of the Corps' civilian Task Force Guardian. He made the statement above at a Congressional hearing last week -- a statement immediately contradicted by two of the independant agencies investigating the disaster.

When we were children our parents taught us to admit our transgressions, accept our punishment and never do it again. Those in FEMA and the Corps could use some remedial training.

A Great Week

2006-04-30T13:45:00.000-05:00

What a Week!

Wednesday we went to Act of Sale on the Zachary house. We are no longer property-owners in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Our Hurricane Hole is no more. We'll have to rely on the weather gods and the Corps to get us through this next hurricane season. I hope they're up to it.

Then Friday Jazzfest finally arrived. I've been looking forward to this even more than Mardi Gras. The success or failure of Jazzfest this year is more valid indication of our city's future. Mardi Gras is mainly a local party, where tourists can come watch. There was no question in my mind whether New Orleanians would celebrate Mardi Gras.

But are the musicians here to make Jazzfest a success? Will tourists come? This is a local party, sure. But it's more than that. It's New Orleans' annual cultural statement. Quint Davis and the NOJHF board had talked up a good story about how this would be the best biggest Fest ever. But could they pull it off. In short, Yes!

Who's playing? Everybody. Who's there to enjoy? Everybody, again. We went Friday, and the food, the music, the crafts, the people...they were all there.

We started with some Jonathan Batiste
What a phenom! 19 years old. Sophomore at Julliard. NOCCA graduate. Incredible stage presence. A happy, happy musician. Ultimate pleasure. Here's a link to a recording of his composition, Sumayra. It's a low- bitrate version with poor fidelity but is a hint of what this young man can do. Highly recommended.

Then, of course, what is Jazzfest without parades?
The Big Nine Second Line danced through the grounds, showing that though the neighborhood may be decimated, the spirit of the Lower Nine is well.

Friday was a big day for the Bohren Family. Andre Bohren is drummer for Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes, a band made up entirely of Loyola University music students who took no prisoners during their eclectic rock-jazz-whatever mid-afternoon set. Then his dad, Spencer, closed out the Lagniappe stage with his classic blues and unbelievable guitar skills.

Spencer intro'ed his new song, The Long Black Line. I wish I could attach a clip, but it's not released. The title refers to the long black line of residue left on every flooded building and object in New Orleans, and our compulsion to look for it as we drive around the city. The Long Black Line. Indeed.

We couldn't leave without stopping by the Acura stage to see Dr. John.
The crowd was huge. Dr. John was himself, and the music was good.

A great day. New Orleans music is definately back.

A Lot has Happened

2006-04-30T12:36:00.000-05:00

It's been 6 weeks since I've posted anything here. I've started to several times, but each time I've been unable to force myself to actually sit down at the computer and write. I've wondered at it and finally feel that I have a grasp on why:

During this interval I read Chris Rose's chronicle of his flame-out, spiral-in, burn-up, personal trip to Hell , 1 Dead in Attic . By the end I couldn't read another word about "The Thing", let alone write one.

On April 5, Lt. General Carl Strock, director of the Corps of Engineers, finally admitted the Corps' culpability in at least one of the levee breaches, the one that destroyed Lakeview and Mid-City.

“We have now concluded we had problems with the design of the structure,” Strock told members of the subcommittee that finances Corps operations. “We had hoped that wasn’t the case, but we recognize it is the reality.”

We went to EHCT Easter weekend, as we have every year for the past 21 years but one -- 2005. (Hmm, could there be a connection?) There, in the midst of our friends who are more than friends, we talked and explained and blathered and probably bored them all to tears. But, being the wonderful people they are, they freely let us carry on. Sitting under the Mesquite trees, in the best weather we've had in all those 20 years, 600 miles from the nearest pile of Katrina-trash, I felt mysef recovering.

I just wasn't ready to go back to this blog & scratch my Katrina-scabs yet again.

Unforeseen? Of course it was Foreseen!

2006-03-14T21:22:00.000-06:00

News Flash: According to the National Science Foundation, the Corps of Engineers, in 1986, did a test which produced the exact results described as "unforeseen" last week by the Corps-sponsered panel investigating the 17th Street Canal levee breach.

Referring to the government report which said the levee failure mechanism was not predictible, "...two University of California-Berkeley professors leading a 34-member National Science Foundation investigation into the levee failures said the 1986 corps research make those claims "unfortunate" and "inaccurate.", according to the Times Picayune story.

"Ray Seed and Bob Bea said the 20-year-old test, which included constructing floodwalls on existing levees and raising water levels to determine what pressures the walls could withstand, resulted in the same kind of collapse that toppled the 17th Street structures and flooded much of the city."

So just maybe it was their fault, after all.

Surprise: "It's Not Their Fault"

2006-03-13T17:49:00.000-06:00

So, it's not their fault. The interim government report on the 17th Street levee failure finds that was not caused by failings by the Corps of Engineers. Instead, it was the result of "A unique combination of stresses that engineers could not have predicted" and "a mechanism that we didn't envision" according to Walter Baumy, the deputy director of the Corps task force rebuilding the levee system.

"I would say it's certainly going to come as a surprise to many people, if not most people," said Ed Link, University of Maryland professor and task force project director.

Well it's certainly a surprise to me! And what exactly is this unforeseen mechanism that doomed the 17th Street canal? According to the
Times Picayune story the report states:

"-- As water in the canal rose to 10 feet -- an
unprecedented but not unplanned height -- the pressure from
the water and wind-driven waves in the canal began to push, or
deflect, the concrete floodwall and its subsurface supporting
steel sheet piling away from the canal and toward
Lakeview.

"-- The deflection created space between the wall and
the levee on the canal side.

"-- Such flexing is expected by designers, as is a small
opening between the wall and the levee. But what happened in
this case, and was not expected, was the separation extended
the entire length of the sheetpile wall to 17.5 feet below sea
level. Water rushed into this opening quickly, creating a
channel separating the floodwall from the levee on the inside
of the canal and allowing high water pressure to travel
directly down to the soil layers beneath the wall.

"-- The final blow came when a layer of clay about 15
feet below sea level that extended beyond the toe of the levee
began slipping toward Lakeview, causing the levee to collapse
and the wall with it."

The levee was built on weak soil. The floodwall was not built to
the level of the bottom of the canal as is common engineering
practice. The floodwall tilted back from the pressure because it
wasn't deep enough & was not properly supported. The water
rushing in the opening washed out the clay behind the levee. The floodwall failed, inundating the city.

And it wasn't their fault.

Hurricane season starts in less than 3 months. I am so comforted
by this report.

So, how was it?

2006-03-01T22:30:00.000-06:00

I've been asked about 50 times today, "Was if fun?", "So, how was it?", "Will you do it again?". The answers? "Absolutely!", "Unbelievable!", "Positively!"

This was, of course, an unusual year. Due to the circumstances, Zulu didn't do all of it's normal route, though it did start on Jackson, rather than Napoleon like all the other parades. Zulu ran down Jackson to St. Charles, then picked up the same route as all the other parades, ending downtown, rather than at the Home on Broad Street, as it usually does. That was more than compensated, though, by the second line we did from Loyola & Poydras, down Basin Street to Orleans, Broad, and to the Zulu Home around the corner.

What an experience! The Power of the Coconut can not be overstated -- and as you can see from the delighted swagger with which I taunted the crowd on Jackson Avenue, it took me no time at all to let it go to my head.

It was a wonderful tonic. Seeing the crowds -- and there were huge crowds -- and the enthusiasm, and the FEMA costumes -- blue roofs and high water lines were everywhere -- reassured me that our sense of humor is still alive. With all the challanges, with all the frustrations, with all the dissapointments, New Orleans is still the place I want to be.

Mardi Gras time in New Orleans

2006-02-19T16:28:00.000-06:00

Everyone knows what Mardi Gras is in New Orleans, right? Mardi Gras is drunk college coeds baring their breasts in the French Quarter while their male friends throw up in the gutter. Right? Wrong! Well yes, those things happen, but they constitute only a small part of Mardi Gras, and they have nothing to do with why our city is so determined to celebrate this year in spite of the destruction around us.

This city is full of Mardi Gras traditions and practices. Dad on the neutral ground cooking burgers on the barbecue while the kids beg float riders for beads & trinkets... Society types dressing up and showing off to each other at balls & parties...Mardi Gras Indians spending every free minute for the entire year working on the costume they'll wear for one day... Auto Mechanics and Policemen getting to be King-for-a-Day, riding down the street as the monarch of the Krewe of Mid City or Zulu while the members throw thousands of dollars worth of trinkets & baubles purchased with their own money to the crowds. All of this, and so much more, is Mardi Gras.

Those who think it's frivolous to parade and party in the midst of the Katrina catastrophe don't understand New Orleans. Mardi Gras defines New Orleans, and New Orleans without Mardi Gras isn't New Orleans at all. Mardi Gras isn't just parades and parties. It's a feeling of Community. I think my favorite year ever was the year of the infamous police strike, when all the parades were cancelled. The tourists didn't come; the college students didn't come, and New Orleanians had a great time in the French Quarter walking around in our costumes admiring each other.

So I took time from work & reconstruction today to decorate Zulu Coconuts, and I'll be out there Fat Tuesday in my grass skirt throwing beads and celebrating what it is that makes us New Orleans.

We need a break from the eternal chore of trying to reconstruct our lives. And we need to remind ourselves what New Orleans is and why we're here. We need Mardi Gras. I hope you can understand...but if you can't, it just means you don't live here.

C'est Levee

2006-02-11T21:55:00.000-06:00

So Mardi Gras is here! Krewe de Vieux, hands down winner of the grossest, least polite parade of the season, rolled tonight through the French Quarter. The theme, of course, was Katrina, Governor Blanco, Mayor Nagin, FEMA director Brownie, and of course, the Chocolate City.

Unfortunately, in a family-level blog such as this, I can't show photos, or even describe, most of tonight's floats. To give an example of one of the least tasteless examples, what do you think was behind the Governor Blanco freezer door. (Hint: Think ice chest.)

In a general feeling of frustration and disillusionment, one float implored the Frence to buy us back! Perhaps that isn't such a bad idea. We really don't seem to belong in the US sometimes.

Happy Mardi Gras. I can't wait til Zulu!

It's a Beautiful Morning!

2006-01-26T19:07:00.000-06:00

As I walked into the front room/library/temporary home office Thursday morning I saw a big Entergy truck driving slowly in front of the house. So what? Who cares? We need power in the back building, not the front. But wait! The billing address for the back building is on Grand Route! I ran out and asked him if he was looking for Apartment C -- and he was! Shortly he was stringing the long-awaited drop from the pole and we had enough electricity to power the refrigerator, microwave, and all the toys of modern civilization.

Satisfied that Thursday was going to be a good day, I went back into the house for breakfast. Sitting at the counter, I looked out of the back windows & saw -- Roofers! You don't realize how good roofers look until you've been waiting weeks to replace sheetrock, but afraid to start because a heavy rain might wash the temporary roof patch, and with it all the new sheetrock.

Apparently my several early-morning trips to the roofing company to ask when, oh when, would they start on the office roof finally took. All right!

Guerrilla Home Improvement

2006-01-25T17:01:00.000-06:00

Early one morning two weeks ago I was driving from Baton Rouge to Lafayette on business. As Iurned onto Interstate 10 from Hwy 415 I saw a hitchhicker standing on the entrance ramp, looking pretty forlon. Not unusual. There are lots of older men trying to get across the country to a better opportunity. The grass is always greener...

I've got a soft spot for these guys, and if I've got the time and they don't look too dirty or dangerous, I'm likely to offer them a lift. Who knows, maybe this time they'll make it. Anyway, their stories are usually interesting.

So I pulled over & asked him where he was going. "Dallas."

"I'm only going to Lafayette, but you can catch I-49 from there." He threw his bag in the back seat & slid in. A tall thin man , he didn't look drunk or dangerous.

As I drove, he told me his story. His name was Michael Crook, on his way back home to Dallas from Bay St. Louis. A master painter who'd been lured to Mississippi with the promise of a $20/hour job, when he got there the guy said he'd hired a bunch of "wetbacks" and didn't need him, but if he wanted to hang around he'd pay him $8 or $10/hour. That wasn't what Michael had signed up for, so having spent all his money on a bus ticket down, he was hitchhiking back to Dallas.

We talked on. He told me he did plastering and sheet rock. He expounded on all sorts of technical minutie about different brands of paint and plaster. He really sounded like he knew his business. By the time we got to Lafayette I was trying to figure out how to hire this guy.

He gave me his sister's phone number & a few days later I called. It seems she's been helping Michael and his wife for some time when things get bad. I told her that I had some work for him and I'd pay his way back down here, but if he wasn't really skilled, then she would be doing nobody a favor by telling me he was, cause he'd just end up stranded in New Orleans with no way home. She assured me he was good at his craft.

So I sent the money; Michael caught the bus with his trunk full of tools and dropcloths; and here he is. He moved into the guest room in the cabana, the one room which is not a total wreck after the pecan tree fell through the roof, and started work last Friday. And yes, he does know his craft.

Where there were huge holes in our bedroom and hall ceiling, all is smooth and beautiful. Where there was mold, the surfaces were treated with bleach, sealed and painted. The attic was treated. The ceilings and walls are being painted, and we'll soon be on to start working on the office.

Things are looking up.

And Happy New Year

2006-01-01T16:19:00.000-06:00

It's a warm New Year's Day in New Orleans. About 83 degrees F (28 C) and humid. And in case the Katrina debris still lining the streets weren't enough evidence of global warming, tropical storm Zeta, the last named storm of 2005, is still spinning around the Atlantic as the new year rolls in. Happy New Year, everyone. Let's hope 2006 is less eventful, eh?

The Times Picayune was loaded with interesting items today. It seems that the city is repopulating faster than expected, with 30% of New Orleans population returned already, and overall the greater New Orleans population is about 70% of the preKatrina total. That's a loss of almost 400,000 people, but it bodes well for the rebuilding, with so many people staying in the area, if not in the city proper.

Another article from the newspaper will be of particular interest to our German friends. (Our "German families"? That's how I think of them, connected as we are through Moritz & Philipp.) The Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag newspaper chain in northern Germany, through an appeal to it readership, has raised over $150,000 in donations for New Orleans. This money will be spent to help Kingsley House, The Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief Fund, City Park, and needy individuals. It is yet another example of the help and kindness being extended to us by people from all over and in all situations.

Wherever we go, when we meet our neighbors and friends now returned home after the diaspora, we hear story after story of the kindness of strangers. People who knew nothing about us except that we were from New Orleans were quick to give or do anything they could to help.

There was a story in the paper several weeks ago about a group of African women who pooled their meager earnings to send a donation to the city to help the rebuilding. It is humbling to see how people have come to our assistance so many times and in so many ways.

Merry Christmas, Everyone

2005-12-24T17:26:00.000-06:00

May everyone have a Merry New Orleans Christmas.

Happy Blueroof

2005-12-19T18:31:00.000-06:00

So Lakeside Shopping Center, like shopping centers all over the country, if not the world, puts up a Christmas village in the atrium every year.

But this year the designer decided to localize it. FEMA blue roofs, piles of trash in front, front end loaders and dump trucks to haul away the debris. And even signs advertising housegutting services.

Home sweet home.

The Joads return

2005-12-19T18:20:00.000-06:00

Well, the traveling minstrals are back in New Orleans. This is the second of many loads to haul back to the Crescent City from our country estate in Zachary. I'll still be commuting for a month or so until the office is ready to move back into, but the family is officially home!

They're Baaack!

2005-12-17T16:50:00.000-06:00

Jake, Jessie, Jerome and Josh cleaning out another flooded house

Four of the magnificent 31 just couldn't stay away from New Orleans. After heading home for a few days they've come back for more. They, and Laura when she's not at work, are taking up where they left off, working at Ben Franklin High School and gutting houses, and they're finding no shortage of opportunities to help.

Maybe next month we'll invite another letter back.

Roofers!

2005-12-12T09:53:00.000-06:00

It just keeps getting better. This morning the roofers showed up! We might even be able to keep the rain out, now.

Life is good.

The Magnificent 31

2005-12-11T08:11:00.000-06:00

Times-Union Photo Gallery

Click Here to read the Albany Times-Union story on this great group of Union College students.

Wow! What a group!

2005-12-08T09:43:00.000-06:00

30 Union College students just left New Orleans after spending a week of their winter break gutting houses, cleaning out a flooded church, painting Lusher School classrooms, painting the Audubon School cafeteria, relocating the library at Franklin High School, and touching many New Orleans hearts.

When the idea first developed of a group of Laura’s college classmates coming to N.O. for a week volunteer work, it was natural to offer our house to stay in. We’re still living in Zachary, so it’d be available. Jay, our neighbor, is still living in Vermont and he immediately offered to let them use his house, as well.

Our family was in N.O. all Thanksgiving week working on the house & generally cleaning up. We left for Zachary on Sunday and the group arrived Tuesday. Since we weren’t planning to go back in the following weekend we didn’t expect to see them though Laura told us several times they wanted to meet us.

I had business in town Monday, and had to fly out the next day, so I drove in Sunday and got to spend Sunday & Monday evenings with them. How I wish Bunny & the kids had the opportunity to meet the group. These young people were a joy.

The focus of the trip was to help at the three schools but they spontaneously offered to help people gut out their flooded homes and joined the group working at the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church. Their humor, energy and eagerness to help was an inspiration and a joy to all they met. At the evening group meetings they spoke less about their work than how grateful they were for the opportunity to help and their admiration for the pluck and optimism of those they helped. Through it all they kept up their good humor and cheerful demeanor. Right up to the moment they crashed.

I’ll have more on these wonderful people but I wanted post my appreciation as soon as possible.

If any of U read this, I get to say Thank You last -- So There!

Random Art?

2005-11-29T09:43:00.000-06:00

That's the only explanation I can think of. I backed out of the driveway yesterday & this was on the front walk.

I've decided to leave it for a while.

This is Important

2005-11-28T09:33:00.000-06:00

This blog is just my personal log of post-Katrina experiences with no political axe to grind. It is intended to keep my friends up-to-date with how we're doing. But I've got to step out of character to call attention to the apparent failure of will shown by the federal government to protect our city from the next storm.

The top two pictures at the right were taken at the breach in the 17th Street Canal levee. Review of the levee shows that the Corps of Engineers did not do their job. The levee was not build according to their own plans, and the plans themselves were flawed. Among other things, where the sheet piles were specified to be 17 ft deep, they were only 10.

The third picture shows the storm surge coming up the Intracoastal waterway and breeching the levee in New Orleans East. The flooding in the 9th Ward of New Orleans and in Chalmette was largely caused by levees failing due to the storm surge accelerating up the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), a pending disaster that people have been trying to close for years.

This disaster should not have happened.

This editorial appeared in the Washington Post last week. It is written by the editor of the Times Picayune. After reading it, please write to your representatives & senators and tell them the country cannot write off New Orleans. And if you'd be kind enough to add a comment to this post, I'd appreciate it. (You don't have to sign in to comment, though there is a system to prevent automated spam.)

GAS!

2005-11-25T16:10:00.000-06:00

OK now, we're really getting close. When we got in Sunday night there was still no gas at the house, but they had it 5 houses up the street in one direction, 1 block down the street in the other direction, on the street behind our house, and 1 block over in front of our house.

So close!! Then Monday afternoon an Entergy service truck pulled up across the street with a front-end loader, dug a hole in the pavement, and started pumping water out of the line! By nightfall we had Gas!

Though the workers still had to come back the next morning to finish up, that first night with gas heat was delightful. I promise never to complain about the cost of gas ever again...well, not really. BTW, for those blog visitors from more northern climes, the night before the temperature had plummeted from a daytime high of 71 degrees during the day to 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 C for our European family) for a brief moment during the night. By the next morning it was back to 60 degrees F. We survived by running small electric heaters & bundling up. (Yeah, I know -- we're wimps.)

Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-24T23:17:00.000-06:00

We're in town for the week, doing some demolition & cleanup, but we took time to share dinner with family this evening.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

A visit to the Lakefront

2005-11-14T21:08:00.000-06:00

A couple of weekends ago I took Christopher & Jacob out to the lakefront to see how it had survived. I knew the news would be bad, but even after all the evidence it's hard to believe how much power this storm packed.

Even before you get to the marina, you see the first signs of destruction. I guess it'll be a while before tours are available on this craft again.

As soon as you cross the levee to you see the destruction. The beach volleyball park , just on the north side of the levee, collected much of the debris from the buildings closer to the lake.

Then, walking to the pedestrian bridge that crosses to Bucktown, all that can be seen of Brunning's, Sidmar's, & all the other homes & restaurants along the water is pilings. The force of the water was so strong that it pushed over the steel handrails on the bridge.

But it really gets interesting over by Southern Yacht Club. The cost of the pile of fiberglass in the loop road & the parking lot is incalcuable.

Of course in the midst of this chaos there were some strange sights. For instance, the Tulane class boats, still tied to their dock, had been moved several hundred yards and deposited in the midst of the destroyed behemouths, seemingly undamaged.

And one small cruiser found a new mooring in the decorative pond not much bigger than she, in which she was floating peacefully. Though I imagine her trip there was anything but peaceful.

Through all this, though, it was good to know that our city inspectors were still at work, warning us to avoid dangerous buildings.

Satsumas!!

2005-11-10T17:21:00.000-06:00

Plaquemines Parish lies due south of New Orleans and extends all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. It was hit hard by Katrina, and one sure casualty of the storm had to be the citrus crop. Plaquemines satsumas are an annual delight that everyone in New Orleans anticipates, but I sure didn't expect to find any this year.

Imagine my delight, while driving back from a visit to an Plaquemine oil refinery (still trying to get back online after the storm) to see that Becnel's fruit stand was open and had all the satsumas you could want!

I got 6 bags & next time I go down I'll probably get 10.

Another Step Forward

2005-11-04T17:42:00.000-06:00

As I was pulling out of the driveway heading out of town today I saw another sign that things are getting back to normal...but a new normal.

They've restarted mail delivery, but it doesn't quite look like it used to....

One More Refrigerator Picture

2005-11-04T06:03:00.000-06:00

Those who have frequented Liuzza's by the Track, down the street from the house, know that it is the source of a truly Platonic bowl of gumbo. Platonic in the Underground Gourmet sense of being the best example of it's type.

Liuzza's gumbo type is an unthickened stock, chicken and andouille sausage gumbo with oysters and shrimp added in the last few minutes before serving. The seafood is still tender and maintains its separate flavor in the midst of the spicy broth and firmer meat. My mouth waters just thinking of it.

Every time I come into the city I walk by, hoping against hope that they are back in business. So yesterday I walked by, and once again there is no sign of activity and the refrigerators are still all lined up on the curb, and the smell is, if anything, stronger than the last time I was here.

But someone added something to the refrigerator display:

Schools & Refrigerators

2005-10-30T18:35:00.000-06:00

Schools...

Friday was a big day for public schools in New Orleans. Immediately after the storm NOPS announced there would be no classes til next fall, meanwhile the private schools were rushing back into action as fast as ever they could. Then, when it was obvious you couldn't have New Orleans without kids, and you couldn't have kids without schools, they announced they'd open a few West Bank schools & let anyone attend them.

Ben Franklin High School is not an open admission school, and cannot be one. There were no plans to open this year and in fact, the school board forbade anyone from the school to even enter the building. Like many administration orders, it was ignored at Franklin, for the good of the students. For weeks people have been cleaning and salvaging and preparing for the work yet to be done.

Among the biggest jobs has been writing the Charter School application so the school can open independent of whatever happens in the rest of the system. Friday night was presentation to the New Orleans School Board, about which none of us were comfortable.

I knew lots of Franklin kids planned to be at the meeting, but until I arrived I had no idea how many. It was huge. Parents, teachers & kids occupied half of the meeting room.

Link to TV Report

This is just the beginning. And it comes lots of challenges. It will be challenging to just open the school on January 17. And the returning kids will come from all levels of schools. Some, like Christopher, have been in an excellent academic setting, with no disruption at all. Many have been bored and unchallenged. This is truly a scheduler's nightmare. But I'm confident they will get through this year and continue to provide a top-notch public high school for all of our city's brightest children.

And Refrigerators...

So what do refrigerators have to do with education? Well, nothing, really. It's just that I've noticed some changes lately.

When refrigerators first started appearing on public sidewalds several weeks ago, they just were. Standing up or laying down, they were just refrigerators.

Of course, while some looked like they could be plugged in and used today, many had suffered greatly in their move to the street

As later groups of returnees have arrived and found their food older and nastier and even more disgusting, people started taping them up without ever opening them. Most people wouldn't even consider cracking that door open without full Haz-Mat gear, down to the self-contained-air-supply.

Then, people started writing and painting on their boxes. "Levee Board Victim" is always a popular saying.

Although some people vent their anger at Katrina. There's certainly plenty of that to go around.

And some people are able rise above their personal frustration to express kinder and gentler emotions.

And some people just let their artistic expression run wild.

But for all our diversity in New Orleans, theres always the Saints to pull us together.

Home for the Weekend

2005-10-24T22:07:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the first trip in for Bunny & Trisha, so after school Friday we all headed straight into New Orleans, arriving about 5:30.

We hadn't even gotten the car unpacked before Olga "Yoo Hoo"ed across the fence, welcoming us back. We should have known that no hurricane could keep her away for long. A little later I saw AJ & Yoko, our neighbors across the street, getting out of the car. Shortly, we were in the middle of an impromptu dinner party. As we were showing our guests out the front door a couple walking their dog walked by, & we stood on the sidewalk chatting with them for a while. It's good to be home.

Saturday morning was a trip to the Quarter before starting our industrial-strength cleanup day. We went looking for breakfast, but Coissant d'Or & Le Madeline were both closed, so Trisha got her wish & it was Cafe du Monde for coffee & beignets. Sure, it's hokey. But it was sooo nice. Sitting there reading the Times Picayune, drinking coffee and spilling powdered sugar all over myself. As we were leaving an artist was setting up his umbrella & hanging paintings on the fence of Jackson Square. Things are definately comming back.

In between the parties & visiting and walking around the quarter we managed to rig up a temporary power line to the back, so I could turn on the pool filter & try to clean out the algae & mosquito larvae. In the process I got power to the electric water heater in the back building, so now we're very popular people in the 'hood. Estimates for restoring gas service range from weeks to months, so anyone with an electric water heater is either a close friend or an entrepreneur, selling showers for $5 each.

The contractor had closed in the office roof, so at least it will stay dry. Still a lot of work to be done, but it's a lot better than it was a week ago. It still needs a window, shingles and some wall repairs on the outside, and of course it's a horrible mess inside, though even that is better with the ceiling torn down.

Bunny and Trisha vacuumed & dusted and swept and mopped and by Saturday afternoon things were beginning to look and smell more normal. Another impromptu dinner party, when Bunny's mother, sisters & their husbands came by. We sat out in the back yard well into the night

While I disassembled and cleaned the refrigerator in the back (How could I have missed that quart container of chocolate ice cream while emptying the freezer?) Bunny emptied her closet. Some of the clothes had been lying right against the mold on the walls and were pretty badly stained. We loaded them up & took them back to Zachary. Maybe they'll come clean.

The pool is cleaning up nicely. By Sunday afternoon you could clearly see the bottom step, and it was almost possible to see the bottom in the shallow end. By weekend it should be easy to clean the debris off the bottom.

After removing 2 trashcans full of gunk, Bunny got the pond looking quite presentable, and there was even had time to water the grass before heading back to our country estate.

Sunday evening, as we were sitting at the kitchen table in Zachary, Trisha said, "This doesn't feel like home any more, after being back to New Orleans." I agreed, but of course to me it never did.

Meeting the adjuster

2005-10-18T20:40:00.000-05:00

The adjuster finally called. He'd meet me Monday at 10 am so I drove in Sunday to do some more clean-up and spend the night, being there to meet him Monday.

On the way in I stopped at Dorignac's Supermarket in Metairie. It was pretty much the same as always, except the deli was all self-service and the guy who bagged my groceries was older than I am. There's just no one around to do the minimum wage service jobs.

It isn't long before you notice that there are no kids in town. We need the kids back.

The air conditioners were both working when I got home & the house was 68 degrees. Probably never been that cold. Ever. Yeah, the smell in the kitched & in the bedroom areas were both better, but definately not gone. Off with the ac's; on with the attic fan. Lets try to pull this stuff right out of the house.

I pulled the schefflera (so that's how you spell it) out of the dark, boarded corner of the kitchen with the intention of throwing it out. Bunny was pretty sure that was the cause of the odor I'd reported in the kitchen. Amazingly the thing was still alive with a few green leaves. I brought it out in the light & poured some water on it. Can't kill that think, I guess.

Eventually the attic fan pulled most of the odor out of the house. I didn't smell the mold at all in the bedroom that night. And the kitchen got better every time I walked in there. I sprayed more Microban all over everything, so hopefully I killed the culprits. Still, when we go back we'll have to clean out the closet, because mold has started attacking the leather in the shoes.

The adjuster showed up Monday morning and stayed for 4 hours, going though everything in the house & office in great detail. Now it's just a waiting time. How much will they offer? How much more will it cost to make the repairs? How difficult will they be to deal with?

You hear such varied stories. One person got a phone call from the adjuster followed by a huge check. The next person was told they claimed too many clothes for people living in a condo, even though they had flooded & everything was ruined, and all the clothes were there in bags to be viewed by the adjuster.

I guess I'll just wait & see.

Coming Home -- at least for a night

2005-10-12T00:31:00.000-05:00

Went back to town yesterday & rescued the boat from the interstate.

I brought a mower with me so I could mow at least the front yard. Got to keep up appearances, you know. And the grass was getting REALLY long.

About halfway through mowing the contractor came by to give me an estimate I can use to argue with the insurance adjuster whenever I can get him to meet me -- and no, I won't tell you the contractor's name, so you can't try to steal him -- so by the time I finished cutting grass it was dark. Bagging up can wait til morning.

It was delightful spending a night at the house. Yeah, the mold smell was pretty strong in the bedroom, and the MRE I had for dinner didn't really measure up to Bunny's cooking. But still. I like that house.

Sitting in the living room listening to The Planets on WWNO. Chatting on IM with Laura, using a GPRS edge card in my laptop. Going to sleep listening to the aquarium filter & the grandfather clock chiming off the quarter hours. Very nice.

So this morning I started cleaning up the front yard. The cell rang & while I was taking the call a van pulled into the driveway, turned around & parked in front of the neighbors house. Out climbed Mathew Ponnseti, my regular yard man. He & his helper pulled out mowers, edgers & blowers & started to work. Just amazing.

They'd both been flooded. Mathew lived in a charming area between Navarre and the RR tracks, and got 7 feet of water in his house. It'll have to be torn down & replaced.

But there they were mowing & cleaning. By the time they left the place looked almost presentable. The sidewalk was pristine & the junk was in a neat pile.

Very nice.

On the way out of town a friend gave me some Microban to spray on the mold. I detoured back to the house & sprayed it all over the place. She assures me it will eliminate the mold & the odor. We'll see next trip.

Still more progress in the neighborhood. People were cleaning out Liuzza's, so there'll be gumbo one day soon. And a woman was in Fairgrinds mopping the ceiling. (Yeah, the ceiling. I didn't ask.) The tree was gone from Cafe Degas & someone was at work cleaning up. The doors were open at Gabrielle, so there was activity there, too. A sign on the window at Lola's said they'll be open soon or later. (I don't know what that means exactly, but at least someone has been there.)

I stopped at the 3rd District Police Station to look for my shell. Hoping against hope that it'd just been out of sight when I drove by last time. Nope. There is no sign of the boat, the stand, the oars, nothing! I know the oak tree fell & there'd been heavy equipment in there picking up. Perhaps it was all crushed & they picked it up with the tree parts. I guess I'll never know. A real shame. I enjoyed rowing that thing.

I can't wait to get back. Take me home.

2005-10-09T22:04:00.000-05:00

I was driving into town Saturday morning approaching the St. Bernard Ave. exit, and there in the grass was my boat! When it was missing from its trailer on my first trip back I looked around the 'hood, but didn't see it.

Someone needed it enough to take it all the way to the interstate. There were some clothes & water bottles under it when I flipped it over. I hope whoever took it used it to get their family out.

Watt's Up!!!

2005-10-08T20:51:00.000-05:00

That's about the best sight you could have walking up to the front door. Hanging there on the handle was a tag from Entergy telling me that our power was on.

So I rushed in, flipped the breakers, and the house started coming to life. Turn on the fridge and close the doors; turn both AC units on & set them to frigid to try to suck all the moisture out of the house; turn on the washer & drain the rest of the water out; and of course -- turn on the aquarium & feed the fish.

On the street, things are coming to life. The folks who own the house across the street on the corner have their lawn cut -- I gotta work on that. Ben & Gene were enjoying a cup of coffee on their front porch. They said the power came on Friday afternoon. There was considerably more traffic on the street

Down on Esplanade, the chef was at work cleaning up Cafe Degas, and they have a big "Open Nov 1" sign on the door. In fact, he said there's a block party planned for that day with Degas, Asian Pacific Cafe, Fairgrinds, and maybe even Lola's & Gabrielle all up & running.

And even more good news: Mr. Ciaccio, who bought the old Whole Foods building when they moved, was there yesterday & said he's putting all his efforts into the building, to be renamed "The Esplanade Market" with plans to be open by Thanksgiving. Lakeview Fine Foods, his other store, was destroyed, and there won't be people living in that area for a while anyway, so he's concentrating on "our" store.

I wanna go home!

I HATE Pecan Trees

2005-10-01T14:16:00.000-05:00

Enough with the pecan trees, already! A month ago it was a pecan tree that crashed through the office roof. Then last week Rita knocked 2 pecan trees from my neighbor's yard in Zachary, into my yard. Of course, no one else in the neighborhood lost any trees. Of course not.

That attractive hedge across the front yard at the top of this post is the smaller branches we dragged to the street. The largest pieces will have to wait for someone with a truck.

Fortunately the big tree was the one that fell in the yard, and

it was the smaller one that fell on the house.

As I said, I hate pecan trees.

No trip to New Orleans this week, but there is good news there. The contractor should be able to start on the office soon, and the roofer should be ready in 3 or 4 weeks. Things are looking up.

2005-09-25T22:58:00.000-05:00

So sore; so tired. 4 hours on the roof wrestling 400 sq foot tarpaulins. A slippery,powdery, crumbling asbestos tile roof.

Rita had to have torn up my pathetic temporary patches. Of course, no word from the roofer, so no chance that he had replaced them with real patches. & of course, the city is officially closed, so you can't apply for "Blue Roof" from FEMA, since the only way to apply is to appear in person at one of the 2 locations, both of which are inside New Orleans, which is officially closed. (Isn't that so FEMA?)

So, back to New Orleans, with Christopher & Bertrand this time, so they could provide support while I worked on the roof and clean out some of the tiles & tree limbs cluttering up the yard.

Fortunately, it didn't seem as bad as expected. The only area inside the house that took additional water was Christopher's room, where I hadn't been able to patch last time, anyway.

I added a tarp to cover the center of the house on the bedroom side, and covered the mismash of tarps on the other side with a single large tarp. In the process ripping off the damaged ridge vent and several vent pipes, allowing the tarps to lie flat. Although the south edge of the largest tarp over our closet & bathroom had pulled loose, I was able to nail it back down. Hopefully we are through with hurricanes in the New Orleans for the season & this time the tarps will last.

We also dumped some chlorine in the pool, which changed the water from black to a lighter shade of green. Still not swimmable, but an improvement.

The office is really in much worse shape than the house, thanks to the pecan tree. The trunk is now gone, allowing me to see what a total destruction job it did to my fence -- that is what a job the tree company did to the fence when they placed the trunk on top, after removing it from my office. The fence was undamaged two weeks ago while the tree was still in the building. And of course, laying it on the fence meant that they also crushed the hedge & the tree next to the fence, so they kindly removed them, too.

The trash visible right at the bottom of the picture is the gutter and downspout knocked off the side of the building when they dropped the tree trunk. Thanks, guys.

After getting the remaining tree limbs out of the yard & off the roof of the office we patched a 2 ft square hole in the office roof, and then replaced the patchwork tarp in the photo below with a single 20ft x 20ft tarp, which should keep any more water from entering the office. Sorry, no picture of the final product. Just too tired to even think of taking one.

I think I might take next weekend off & not go into the city. After all, I've got a lot more Rita cleanup to do in Zachary.

Zulu will roll

2005-09-24T19:02:00.000-05:00

So I'm talking to Tyrone Mathieu last Monday. Tyrone, of course, is Mr. Big Stuff in the Krewe of Zulu, and on whose float I fully plan to ride next Mardi Gras. I told him that I was very upset that he missed the regular monthly meeting Friday night at the Zulu den. (Of course, I wasn't there either, but I didn't mention that.)

Well, it turns out he is in Houston. His house, being in the East, is a total loss, and he is living in an apartment. He said that many of the people in the krewe are of limited income, and losing their jobs will make it hard for them to ride next year.

No Way! If you're on the Zulu route Mardi Gras next year watch for us. We'll be there, with coconuts.

2005-09-20T01:54:00.000-05:00

So here comes Tropical Storm Rita. Nagin has stopped the influx & warned all those already on the East Bank they may have to turn around & head back out. I sure hope Rita does what it’s forecast to do & head west to Texas. My roof patches won’t take much wind.

2005-09-19T00:58:00.000-05:00

I’ve written so many emails to so many people since August 29^th that I can never remember what I’ve said to whom. So I’ve decided to start a blog. I’ll try to go back & fill in the entries I would have made if I’d thought of this earlier, but if I wait to get up-to-date before I start I’ll never get going. So here goes…

I went back into New Orleans today. My objectives were to clean out the fridge (scary thought), get another car-load of stuff from both the office and house, see if the temporary patches to the house roof were holding (after all, it was after curfew when we left last Sunday with visions of being shot by some 20-year-old National Guard kid from Michigan), see if the pecan tree that fell into my office had been removed from blocking the street, and if so, kludge together some temporary tarps to slow the ingress of rainwater to the building.

Overall, it was a successful day. I had no trouble getting into town. Funny, I came prepared to have to justify my presence to multiple people and agencies, but I didn’t meet a checkpoint all the way in. The station in Laplace was gone, so traffic on I-10 on the 13-mile bridge was much heavier that last week. I was a little surprised that there were no controls coming through Jefferson Parish, and really surprised when I drove unobstructed into Orleans on I-10. I took the Esplanade exit & just drove down Esplanade to N. Dupre, then 2 blocks to my house. Both sides of Esplanade were clear, with tree parts lining both sides of the street and the neutral ground. I could see several roofs covered with tarps, but no signs of anyone.

I went to the office first. I wanted to collect the business folders I needed first, in case someone came along and chased me out, and I wanted to see if the pecan tree was still in the roof. I walked upstairs and, Great! the tree is gone. Unfortunately I can now see the sky, but at least there’s no tree in the way. I walked back into the yard, then around the side of the building and got the bad news. After taking the tree out of the roof they dumped it on my fence, which had suffered no damage up to then. It’ll be fun trying to replace it. The fence posts, buried in concrete, are bent over right at the ground; they’ll have to be cut out of the ground. How do I replace them? The fence itself is a wreck. . Oh well, one more thing to do.

Entering the house, it was pleasant to see that the tropical fish were still alive. I think Bunny worries more about those silly fish than the mold marching across the closet ceiling. They were a little hungry, but didn’t seem any more so than they would be after not being fed for a day, rather than a week. I drained out a few gallons of water from the aquarium & refilled it with pure Kentwood Spring water. These critters better not get used to it, cause it won’t last once we get back.

After puttering around collecting most of the things on my list ( Damn! I forgot to get the showerhead. The one in our Zachary bathroom dribbles instead of flows.) I drained the water from the washing machine, and then finally worked up the courage to tackle the fridge.

I’d read emails about the horrors of opening the refrigerator door. I collected the trashcan, double-lined with heavy duty plastic bags, put on my gloves, took a deep breath, and jerked open the door. Anticlimax. It didn’t even smell that bad. The only mold I found was on the open dog food can. Even the cheese drawer wasn’t bad.

Having filled one trashcan I got the other, and encouraged by the fridge, pulled open the freezer. This was a little worse, but still not a problem. The only Yechh was that Bunny had bought some individual serving ice cream cups, and they had largely lost their contents to the bottom of the freezer.

Still, it cleaned up, and after washing it down with vinegar & water it was almost fresh. I left the doors open & headed to the last challenge – trying to cover the hole in the office roof.

The larger tree limbs left on the roof are going to have to wait for a chain saw.

After throwing the smaller branches to the ground. I was able to cobble 2 tarps together to more-or-less cover the opening. It won’t really keep all the rain out, and if the wind blows too hard it may all come apart, but it was the best I could do with what I had. I don’t really know why I’m that concerned, since the damage inside is pretty-well complete, anyway.

I chatted with Ben & Gene, the two old oddballs who live down the street & never left. I’m sorry to say that I didn’t think to bring them any ice. I promised to bring some next time, and as I was leaving I saw someone drive up & give them what was left from their ice chest.

On the way out I went to a friend’s apartment to recover some pictures she wanted. It was near Carrolton & Bienville, where the water was about 5 feet deep at the worst. Her apartment was fine – it was on the second floor – but her car was a total loss. The water line was above the bottom of the windows.

Driving out of town, I passed a major checkpoint set up inbound between Causeway & Bonnabel. I wonder why that wasn’t there earlier. I guess it was just one more case of missed communications.

I’d settled down to the boring drive back to Zachary when I climbed on the elevated 13 mile bridge in Kenner and traffic suddenly stopped. 2 lanes. Bumper to bumper. 5 to10 mph for 8 miles, til we finally passed the accident which was at last pulled over to the side. It felt like evacuation all over again.

2005-09-16T19:51:00.000-05:00

I was instant messaging with Laura this morning before she went to class & she seemed pretty glum. I realized that emotionally she is still where I was back almost 2 weeks ago. I think it really helps to be here & see the changes day-by-day. When she left for college the news coming out of New Orleans couldn't have been much worse. Day-by-day things are getting better.

I’m optimistic at the moment that we can pull this thing off. That we can make New Orleans a better city than it was, with more opportunity for it’s citizens, without turning it into Atlanta.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if no one were allowed to build a slab house in the city ever again? Raised houses would ensure us against the next flood, and even provide that offstreet parking everyone lusts after in our crowded city with its narrow streets, as well as being a more authentic New Orleans design.

Good things can come out of this sadness and loss. We have to take advantage of this opportunity.

2005-09-15T23:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess we’re in the big time now. We have our city house & our country house. We went to act of sale today to buy Bob & Karen’s house. They’ve moved to their place in Clinton and are busy building an addition to add a couple of bedrooms.

Bob insists that it worked out best for all concerned, since they didn’t have to do the little fix-up jobs they had planned to do before selling and they didn’t have to store any of their furniture that doesn’t fit in the Clinton house, but I must exclaim over our incredible good fortune and their kindness. We’re using a whole houseful of furniture we didn't have to buy or rent.

2005-09-12T00:48:00.000-05:00

Back to New Orleans.

We've been very lucky that there's been no rain since Katrina, but that can't last. I had to get the roof of the house closed up to stop the damage from getting worse. Yesterday I didn't dare work on the roof alone, but today I brought a friend in to help. I figured if I fell to the ground he could pick me up & drive me to the hospital, some hospital, somewhere.

Obviously the worst wind was from the north. That damn pecan tree fell SouthEast to crush my office roof, and the shingles were ripped from the north end of the house.

Before setting to work on the roof we filled the car with another load, then got out the ladders. Of course, it took longer than we thought in would, but finally, about 6:40 pm, we were finished. It doesn't look great, and if there's any significant wind it might come right off, but it should keep normal rain out of the house for the time being.

Back down Esplanade to Claiborne. This time it looked like we might be able to go down to Orleans & get on the correct side of I-10, but it was getting dark, and it was already past curfew, and I wasn't at all happy about being out.

Back up the downramp, westbound on the eastbound lanes, off the onramp from Claiborne, on the offramp from the CCC, and over the bridge going the wrong way. I may never be able to drive legally again.

2005-09-10T23:54:00.000-05:00

I've seen New Orleans.

Armed with a pass to collect equipment needed for service work at one of our industrial clients I went into New Orleans Saturday morning to check out the scene and recover as much as I could from the office.

I came down I-10, across the Crescent City Connection to I-10 eastbound & took the Esplanade exit. Only the riverbound lanes had been cleared of trees, so I drove the wrong way down the street to N.White, then the wrong way up N. White to Grand Rte St John, then into the driveway.

No water visible anywhere. There had been some little street flooding, and the water got partway up the driveway, but nowhere near the house or office. There's an advantage to living on the Esplanade Ridge.

Wherever the water got onto the grass it is brown & lifeless. That stuff must have been nasty. Now there is just sun-dried mud in the street. It doesn't even smell bad. The water must have gone down as fast as it came up.

Iwas in front of the house taking some pictures when I heard someone call out, asking who was there. Ben & Gene, two old guys from down the street walked up and asked if I had any food. They never left. I gave them all the canned goods from the cupboard in the kitchen and 2 cases of 12 oz water bottles the Kentwood guy had delivered with our order the week before Katrina hit.

When I walked into the house I saw some signs of water damage to the kitchen ceiling. Several small stains in the other rooms had become larger, and more plaster had fallen from the hole in our bedroom. Then I heard water running. The washer was overflowing and sending a slow trickle of water onto the wooden floor in the back hall. Interesting, since the power and the water were both off. I stopped the flow by turning off the faucets, but left the tub full.

There had been significant water in the closet ceiling, and mold was growing there. I didn't have any way to deal with that, so I left it for another day.

Bunny's fish were happy to see me. They all looked fine, and hungry. The automatic feeder hadn't worked, so I changed out some water, replacing it with Kenwood from one of the 5 gallon bottles.

All things considered, it didn't look too bad.

Then I walked around to see if the pecan tree had done as much damage to the office as it looked from the satellite photos. Well, it was worse. When I entered the building & walked upstairs I couldn't walk toward the back street at all, because the room was full of tree. Downstairs there was fallen ceiling and soaking carpet. I grabbed what I could from the main office, but everything was still wet. When I picked up the calculator from the receptionist's desk water poured out all over me.

By the time I filled up the car with the most important items from my lists and fetched the 2 cats from my neighbor's house I was whipped.

Down Esplanade, on the right side now, and back to Claiborne. There was no way onto the elevated I-10 except to drive up the Esplanade downramp and go West on the Eastbound lane. Over the Crescent City Connection the wrong way, and out of town homeward bound.

2005-09-03T22:48:00.000-05:00

Well, we're definately digging in for a while. It doesn't look like we'll be living in New Orleans any time soon, so we're making arrangements to stay in Zachary.

Bob & Karen were already planning to sell their Zachary house & move to Clinton while building a new house. Their Clinton house was already furnished and they had been splitting their time, spending most of the the week in Clinton where their kids attend school, and the weekends in Zachary. They offered to sell us the Zachary house, even letting us use most of the furniture that is still in it while they build the new house. Meanwhile, real estate agents have been ringing the phone off the hook asking for permission to list it. I've heard that people are buying houses just from what they can see through the windows.

We went into Baton Rouge to look at houses there for comparison sake, and quickly called Bob back & accepted his offer. Though I'm definately a city boy at heart, the city is not Baton Rouge. It was all suburb. The house we looked at was circa 1960. Small rooms, low ceilings.

We enrolled Christopher & Trisha in Runnels School in Baton Rouge. It is a small (though somewhat larger now!) private academic & fine arts school. We were quite impressed with everyone we met there and are relieved to have found such a good situation for them both. Christopher will be with some classmates from Ben Franklin High, including his closest friend, Bertrand. Bertrand & Nancy, his mom, are living with us in Zachary while she works trying to reconstruct Kirschman Furniture's IT system.

Trisha met one of her classmates during registration at Runnels, so she will have at least one person she knows in her classes.

The only down side is that it is about 25 miles away, on the opposite side of Baton Rouge from Zachary. And did I mention the traffic? News reports have said that there are 250,000 new residents of Baton Rouge, and though I don't think it can be that many, there are probably at least half that, and it seems like we are all driving our cars all the time.

At least Bertrand has his drivers license, so if his dad, working in New Orleans, can get their other car out of the city Bertrand can drive them all to school.

2005-09-02T00:30:00.000-05:00

So many kind people have been sending emails asking how we've fared that I'm writing this. I hope to have time to compose individual replies later, but now we are very busy trying to reorganize our lives.

We made preparations for evacuation Saturday and left New Orleans Sunday morning. The company has an office in Zachary, and our VP lives here. Bob and his wonderful wife, Karen, as they had done 2 years ago when we fled Hurricane Ivan, kindly invited us stay with them instead of camping in the office as I had planned. Laura had already taken one of the cars Saturday night, loaded with the stuff she needed to go to college with Sept 5 in case she couldn't get back to the city, and gone to Baton Rouge to stay with a friend at her apartment near LSU.

Our departure was delayed until 10:30 am because we finally convinced my mother-in-law to come with us and had to drive across town to pick her up. We left in 2 loaded cars, one pulling a trailer loaded with more stuff -- including a 5500 watt generator -- and headed East towards Slidell, then planning to loop around and go North, then West to get to Zachary, which is just south of St. Francisville. The news said that I-10 West was at a standstill, but it was easy to go East. To make a very long story much shorter -- everyone else must have heard that report, too. It took us 7 hours to make a 1.5 hour trip.

We moved in on Bob & Karen Sunday and have no idea when we will be able to move out. Housing in or near Baton Rouge is impossible to find now, with the influx of refugees. We are looking into schools for the kids, and plan to settle in this area until it becomes clear what will happen to New Orleans. Certainly it will be several months, at least. As I write this it
is impossible to know if we will ever "Call New Orleans home" again.

Laura has been volunteering at a refugee screening center in Baton Rouge, partly, she said, to tear herself away from obsessively watching the news from New Orleans on tv. She met us for dinner and told stories of woe that brought tears to all our eyes. One woman had burns all over her body. She had tried to get out of a flooding house and grabbed the only thing she could to keep from sinking. It was a live downed power line. She was taken to the hospital and treated, then sent on to the shelter, since the hospital didn't have space for her. This was just one story of many.

After dinner, when she went back to the apartment with her friend and we came back to Zachary, I had to give Trisha a major hug before I could go to bed.

We are so much luckier than hundreds of thousands of others! Our whole family is safe. We have a place to live. We will continue to have an income. Don't worry about us, but please do what you can to help the Red Cross and other aid organizations.