Although they don't live in New Orleans, my family in Meridian, MS was hit by the hurricane. The house has some roof damage, and has not had any power since it was knocked out. There is extensive damage in the yard, and we lost a shed, but no one was hurt, fortunately, b/c no one was home. Unfortunately, no one was home b/c my mother had a stroke the week before and was in the hospital. She has no feeling in the right side of her body, some intermittent swallowing problems, and a lot of cognition problems. She doesn't really recognize my stepfather, and she thinks I'm in college still (I haven't been in college in over a decade). She can't have a conversation for more than five minutes at a time before she zones out.

I know this topic was really supposed to be about the hurricane, but her situation is partly due to the hurricane. They had to relocate her from a different floor b/c the wind damage to the hospital was pretty severe on the upper floors. Some of her treatment was delayed b/c of the power outages in the hospital.

I'm glad that she is still alive, and did not have to face the problems of the people in NO. It's also good to hear that some of our FOFC family members are okay.

Jon,

The good news is that with strokes, much of the damage can be overcome with therapy. Good luck to you and your family; we'll say a few prayers for you.

Not an update, but just a Katrina-related observation I thought I'd pass along...

We flew up to Michigan for a family wedding this weekend and flew back on Sunday morning. On the plane to Cincy (our connection) was a blues/jazz band from New Orleans that had just played the International Jazz Fest in Detroit and was on the way to a gig in Ohio. While on tour, Katrina had hit and left them homeless. They decided to keep touring because they had no homes to go back to. It sounded like they were going to extend their tour if possible, just to delay having to go back and/or trying to find a new home base. Very sad.

I'm officially stressed out now. We have made a verbal committment to those 2 apartments in Shreveport, LA for at least one month. I finally found out where my boss is located. He is in Jackson, LA at a hospital up there with the patients from NOAH. Being the dutiful employee, I called him. He wants me to come up there if he can find housing for me. He isn't guaranteeing that he can. However, if he does, it is unlikely that he would find housing for my in-laws as well.

They would have to squeeze into our place which would cause all kinds of complications if I want to keep us all together. However, I feel since I made a verbal committment to that apartment complex in Shreveport, I should take those apartments for at least the month that I verbally committed. Also, I've contacted my friend at LSU-Shreveport's medical school and she informs me that there is a permeant opening for a professor of psychiatry there and they would love for me to take it. My wife is dead set against even considering relocation to Shreveport as she still will have family and friends in the New Orleans area.

So I have to be careful to be gracious, keep my options open, yet not mislead. I don't want to say "No, I'm not taking that job" to my friend in Shreveport just in case LSU-New Orleans cuts my job for some reason. I also want temporary work if that becomes necessary.

Ultimately, I may have to have my family live in Shreveport and drive back-and-forth to Jackson, LA. It is a 220 mile trip that will likely take in the range of 4 hours due to some of it being on back roads. I assume I'd stay in the place that my boss might offer me for 4 days a week and return to family for a 3 day weekend or something for the next month. I'm waiting to hear from him later today to see if an apartment is even available. I'm hoping there isn't one...

bind (bind)

n. Informal. A difficult, restrictive, or unresolvable situation
ex. "Eaglesfan27 is in something of a bind with his job and family situation."

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Just wanted to give a little levity to the situation. :)

For the psychologically minded, one might even say I'm in a double bind ;)

*groan* ;)

I don't know if this is New Orleans-related, specifically, but I work for Northwestern University, which just announced the following:


Please pass it on to whomever it may be of use.

Brown University is doing the same for Rhode Island residents and siblings of Brown students...

Dola -

Many schools have similar programs/offers in place for displaced students and faculty. I'd scout out school websites to look for the most appropriate offer...

There will be 1500 survivors just 6 blocks up the street from me staying at one of our many vacant schools. Ive been up there the last 2 days helping clean and setup. I setup all the pc's and the network for the computer room today. The first batch of people will be arriving tonight at 7. I went from going down there to down there coming up here.

My GFs mom finally got word on her great aunt, shes alive and made it out just in time. Her 84 year old boyfriend drove from Alabama after she told him she wouldnt leave her house, he literally saved her life and 4 of her friends. Every home in her area was destroyed.

What general area of the country are you in (not to be personal but just because the idea of vacant schools is foriegn to me. All of our school enrollments are growing like a weed)

This is in Portland Oregon. Seems like we're constantly in a school budget crisis, and every year more schools close down.

I just heard that Stephon Marbury is personally given half a million for the relief effort. He was really shook up and during a speech could hardly speak because he crying throughout the whole thing. It was really touching.

Finally talked to my boss who claims he has been trying to call me without luck over the last few days (which is suspicious since my cell phone has generally been working the last few days.) He'd like me to come to Jackson, LA by myself "as soon as possible" but understands that I have family concerns to attend to. This request goes against the general policy that LSU has at this moment of all staff being on special paid leave at least through September. He would like me to come and stay there in a trailer once I get my family settled in Shreveport. I asked him if any of the other faculty are there (naming them all by names.) He told me not one of them is, and none of them are planning on coming there at this time. One of those faculty members is at the same level as me having just started. He told me that none of the faculty are there. However, he does have 3 state MD's that there are there because they get paid extra to be there. Also all of the Child Fellows are there and are getting paid extra to be there (6 child/adolescent psychiatry fellows.) Therefore, I've decided that my wife and family need me, I can volunteer in Shreveport, and I'm not going to rush to go to Jackson, LA at this time.

Just curious, why is your wife not wanting to move to Shreveport permeantly? Will she have a job in New Orleans with her hotel (is it damaged?)?

A close friend's family runs a company that provides maintenance and janitorial services for large office buildings in NO. His father ventured back into the city over the weekend to check on an number of the buildings they service (as well as their own offices and warehouse). He had to use a boat to go from building to building. Though he had attempted to prepare himself, he said he was still amazed at the destruction of the city. He said the desertion was eerie and it was, at times, frightening. Most troubling, though, he said were the bodies. He passed a number while on the boat, and at one point, he said he simply pulled over to the side and broke down in tears. I really can't imagine what that would have been like.

On a positive note, they are all safe and their personal property sustained little damage. Their warehouse is flooded and probably ruined. They're trying to figure out what to do to keep their business and their employees going--though they do have some hope because not all of their business was located in NO (some spread across LA and into Texas).

She goes to school at a college in New Orleans and doesn't want to transfer permeantly. She also doesn't want to leave behind friends/family who will return to the city in the future. They are the main reason we moved to New Orleans from NJ in the first place.

Didn't realize she was still in school? She go to college, or a culinary arts school?

She goes to a college with a culinary arts program. She also has to take things such as French this semester. She is also working on a "hotel and restaurant management degree."

Ahh...Cool. I am a hotel and restaurant management major. Taking a culinary arts course this year, but your wife's program seems more focus on culinary arts and less on management (as it is the reverse here). My one professor last week was worried about one of his colleuges down in the region.

They are actually 2 completely seperate 2 year programs that she is overlapping slightly to be done in 3 1/2 to 4 years (she would have been done in 3 1/2 before the storm hit. The storm will likely mess with her having enough accreditation hours in each field to be done in that time period now. She is a 3rd year now and is almost done her culinary arts degree. She only needed about 120 more hours working in a restaurant to be done that degree.)

Tomorrow morning/early afternoon we'll be leaving Arkansas and driving to a hotel in Bossier City which is next to Shreveport as they finally have rooms available and that will make it easier to move into the (monthly) apartment on Friday.

It will nice to be back in the state of Louisiana, despite the wonderful hospitality of many great people here in Arkansas.

Ok i heard a frightening rumour.

As for the bodies, they will put them all in a mass grave, then make it a memorial?

a mass fuckin' grave?

Unidentified bodies? Surely not the ones with known family members?

Beats me, its a disgusting rumour I heard.

Trident Technical College here in Charleston just announced that they will be giving free tuition to students displaced by Katrina, as well as assistance with books and housing.

The mayor has ordered a "forced" evacuation of the city.

:)

Quick update:

After a rather pleasant 3 1/2 hour drive, we've safely arrived in Bossier City at our new hotel. This room is nicer than our old room and only slightly more expensive (and of course it is still part of the chain that accepts pets.)

We'll be in the hotel for at least the next 2 days and possibly up to the next 8 days as we know the 1st apartment will be ready on the 9th, but the 2nd one will be ready anywhere between the 9th and 15th.

Katrina kills most fish in New Orleans aquarium

Survivors being prepared to move, association reports

(CNN) -- Hurricane Katrina killed most of the fish in the New Orleans Aquarium of the Americas, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association Web site reported.

The animals were killed when the facility lost power and the staff had to evacuate.

A small staff is tending to the surviving animals and preparing to move them out of the facility, which is at the foot of Canal Street along the Mississippi River.

The Aquarium of the Americas was considered one of the foremost aquariums in the world, the conservation Web site Mongabay.com said.

"It had 10,000 fish representing more than 530 species and featured four enormous exhibits -- Mississippi River gallery featuring catfish, paddlefish and alligators; the Caribbean Reef exhibit featuring a clear, 30-foot-long tunnel surrounded by aquatic creatures; the Amazon Rainforest display featuring piranhas and tropical birds; and the Gulf of Mexico exhibit featuring sharks, sea turtles and stingrays -- in addition to a number of smaller displays."

Some animals survived the loss of power, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association Web site reported.

"The sea otters, penguins, leafy and weedy sea dragons, birds (macaws and raptors), and the white alligator are fine," the association said on its Web site

"Midas, the infamous 250-pound sea turtle, survived and has been coaxed into the holding area in the Gulf of Mexico Exhibit," the association said.

Air pumps are key for an aquarium, according to Mongabay.com.

"Aquatic plants, animals, and waste-converting bacteria all depend on oxygen dissolved in water for respiration."

Zoos weather storm better

Meanwhile, New Orleans' other animal centers fared better, with only a pair of river otters reported dead at the Audubon Zoo and a whooping crane lost at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species.

"From what I understand, we didn't take any water," zoo spokeswoman Sarah Burnette told CNN on Sunday. Most of the damage to the zoo -- which houses about 1,200 animals in natural habitats -- appeared to be limited to uprooted trees and plants, she said.

A crocodile from the research center was missing, said Rhett A. Butler, a conservationist and founder of the Web site mongabay.com.

The Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species is several miles from the zoo on New Orleans' West Bank.

The American Association of Zoo Keepers said Sunday that other zoos in the Gulf Coast area fared well too, though the threat was not over.

"We are thankful that most of the reports we have received about the zoos and aquariums in the area are hopeful," the association said on its Web site. "It is still too early to assess the full impact and the danger is not over yet for some areas. Flooding continues to be a problem and is actually increasing in the worst-hit areas."

Burnette said the zoo took pointers from the Miami zoo after deadly Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992, then the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

"We have worked closely with Miami MetroZoo ever since Hurricane Andrew, and we totally revised our hurricane plan after talking to them. We have a protocol we go through whenever we know something's brewing," she said.

In anticipation of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans zoo stockpiled fuel, food and other supplies, Burnette said. When it hit last Monday, the staff fled to the sturdy reptile building and raided the cafeteria for food. Some staff remained at the zoo, she said.

"We did plan well, but I think we also were really fortunate to be on the natural bank of the Mississippi River," Burnette said. The land is on higher ground than other parts of New Orleans, which is several feet below sea level. In the center of the zoo is a 28-foot, man-made "mountain" that was built decades ago when lagoons were dug, she said.

Meanwhile, the 211-member American Zoo and Aquarium Association began a fund-raising initiative, headed by the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, to provide relief.

The association posted on its Web site what it knew about the status of zoos in the hurricane's path:

• New Orleans (Audubon Zoo), Louisiana: Audubon Nature Institute executive staff continue to assess the impact of Hurricane Katrina on all Audubon facilities. Audubon staff are working round the clock on recovery efforts.
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Zoo: Power is back on at the zoo. There are lots of trees down, but no animal losses. Cleanup efforts are under way.
• Alexandria, Louisiana, Zoo: No animal loss.
• Jackson, Mississippi, Zoo: The zoo suffered slight building damage and has about 35 trees down. No injuries to staff or animals.
• Birmingham, Alabama, Zoo: The zoo was without power for a day, but power is restored. Trees down, but no animal losses.
• Montgomery, Alabama, Zoo: The zoo has resumed operations. There are trees down, but no animal losses.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/09/07/katrina.zoos/index.html

SI

sachmo, that was great. I never read the newspaper much, but on the few occasions I've read a Chris Rose column, I've gotten a kick out of it.

Now I'm thinking of all the new ghosts in New Orleans...like they needed more.

:(

And yet another effect of this storm that I hadn't thought of...
My wife was on her way out to go to the gym. I asked her if she wanted to get frisky tonight, or if I would have to fly solo (it's been almost a week), and she said "if we don't watch Katrina coverage, I'll be fine."

TV OFF!

True dat.

I just sent you probably the largest PM I've ever sent anyone. I did get an error about my mailbox being full, so if you didn't get it, let me know. :)

:(

I went there when it was nearly brand new. It was an awesome place.

UPDATE:

I spoke to my father today for the first time since the hurricane. He's staying in a hotel in Atlanta indefinitely. He's heard from just about everybody on his side of the family, and the two people he hadn't heard from were pretty nomadic anyway. They might not have even been in the New Orleans area when the storm hit.

Still no word on my aunt and cousin on my mother's side, though.

EF - Just saw this and thought of you. Might be worth looking in to.

linky

Been hanging out with HA? :D

T.M.I.

Lincoln Park Zoo? Uh-oh..

Unfortunately, all I got was my original message quoted with no further reply :(

My box is only about a third full as I cleaned it the other day. Any of the info that you can re-send will be much appreciated. Thanks :)

Thanks for the info. I'm saving receipts for however it might help.

Have faith, FEMA is really, really good at paperwork.

EF, I hadn't said this yet but I thank you for putting an encouraging human face on this tragedy.

I went there in 8th grade. Very cool :D

SI

sorry, bucc. :(

Well apparently my parents are back in their house in St Charles Parish (outskirts of N.O.) with family members that lost their house or still can't get back to their houses.

I would be back there myself, but I want to see if I can't speed up my Master's work here and defend my thesis before I head back down there for a long haul of repair and rebuilding work... So thats left me up here camping out without any regular internet or anything else civilized until I can get everything in order with my school situation. So frustrating, I really want to be down there already with everyone else. :mad:

Glad to here of everyone else and their families doing well. We could use all the good news we can get until we see whats under the rubble and water.
:(

They had an interview with a woman on NPR last night (All Things Considered, I think) that was still in NO. Apparently everyday her and her friends were gathering at a sports bar called (someone) White's Sports Bar. The place was located on Bourbon St. It was a very odd interview to say the least. The thing that seemed to worry this woman the most was getting booze to the bar every night. She kept talking about how they had trouble getting beer there in the evenings. The interviewer would ask her about things like food and water, but she would always go back to the alcohol. Very, very weird interview.

Found a link to the story where you can listen to the interview if interested.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=4836552

Sounds like she's got a good grasp of the larger picture and her place in it.

A friend of mine who writes a medical blog has some NO related dispatches this week. Some of it makes for interesting reading...

http://blogborygmi.blogspot.com/


Also, my relatives from Gulfport finally checked in. They returned to their home to find that their roof no longer exists. But, everyone is accounted for, so my family is very relieved...

Kathy and I are about to drive over to check out our new temporary apartment in Shreveport (it's only about 10-15 miles from our hotel in Bossier City I think.)

Also, we just found out that the hotel rooms for tonight and the next 2 weeks are free courtesy of the red cross. This will saves us significant money as the in-laws apartment won't be ready for another week and the one apartment would be difficult to live in with 5 adults and 4 pets (that don't get along well.)

Another little status update:

The new apartment is smaller than we are used to, but this shouldn't be a problem since we don't have most of our stuff. It is a very nice apartment despite being small, and we saw the type of furniture that will be in it tomorrow (by looking at a model.) Overall, I'm very pleased considering we made the deal over the phone without ever looking at it. The neighborhood (it is a gated community) seems very nice.

Unless, I bring my laptop back to my mother-in-law's hotel room, I likely won't have internet access for at least a few days so that might be why I won't check in for a while. The new apartment doesn't come with internet and it is all a matter of how fast we can get either Cable modem or DSL hooked up.

Nice to hear the Red Cross giving free rooms. I hope this isn't hurting your financial situation, as well as your large house savings.

I can't complain. This will put a dent in our savings that might delay our house purchasing a month or two (plus of course we might have lost some of our property back home) but we are very fortunate.

I agree that it is nice to see the Red Cross doing this.

I just called a few places and it looks like I won't have internet access until at least Monday after we leave the hotel at noon tomorrow (unless I hang out with my computer in my mother-in-law's hotel room some over the weekend.)

This from a local internet forum. Arabi is in St. Bernard Parish just outside New Orleans. St. Bernard Parish is basically submerged. They have announced for example that there will be no school this year in St. Bernard Parish. They have told teachers to seek jobs elsewhere and parents to get their kids in school elsewhere. There may be hundreds or a thousand (parish president's estimate) dead in St. Bernard. I don't think this is a political comment: And yet the media has virtually ignored the plight of the good people there.

When all is said and done, there will be thousands of stories like this of my pt. from Arabi....

I got the whole story today from her son. She's a 79 year old woman, who along with her 2 sisters road out Katrina. Her only son who works on a cruise boat in Hawaii, called her before Katrina hit and told her to get out. Instead, she chose to ride out the storm in his cousin's "brick" home. Her son is now in BR and living in our ICU waiting room to be near his Mother. The story he told me today of his mother's escape from Katrina and how she came to my hospital, brought me to tears and still does.
When the levee broke, the water rose so fast the cousin's boat got trapped under the carport. The 3 sisters got out of the house, had life vest on and clung to a tree until the cousin could get the boat out. During this time, one of the sisters could no longer hold onto the tree and floated into the swamp behind the house.

Cousin got in his boat and tried to save the sister, but when he got there she had a water moccasins in her life vest and she was dead. He rescued her body and tied her to the roof of the house. The son, said his cousin told him, her eyes were opened and she was not breathing... she must have been dead.

Cousin then got the other two sisters into the boat and they were turned away at two shelters so he left them on the Court House steps. They stayed there in the sun with no water or food, until they were rescued Wednesday. After he put the two sister on the steps, he went back for the third dead sister and her body was gone.

The two sisters were airmeded to the PMAC (LSU, Pete Maravich Assembly Center). One of my fellow nurses took care of her that night at the PMAC before she was transfered to our unit.

That week I worked Sun-Wed and helped transfer her from the strecher to the bed. She had these huge water blisters on her arms and legs. It was then, I knew, I had to go and volunteer Thursday and Friday at the PMAC on my days off.

My patient's living sister is alive and doing well, living in Florida with nephew.

Today one of her wound cultures came back possible Vibrio.

God bless theirs souls.

What is "Vibrio"?

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/disea...lnificus_g.htm

Quick update:

No internet at my new place until Tuesday. At a Barnes and Noble right now about 10 miles from the apartment. There is a good chance I'll be going to serve in a make shift city area in about a week. Probably won't have internet during that time. I'll probably be working for a week, then off for a week. Repeat cycle until the city re-opens.

Dola -

Also, I'm really liking the new apartment which is very nice. Also, Shreveport and Bossier City are both great cities and I find myself starting to wish to move here permeantly which I feel guilty about. In any case, everyone is being very gracious to us and the cities both seem quite vibrant.

I'm not sure if I posted this already -- forgive me if I have -- but I have a little more good news. My mother and sister recovered everything from their home, and they are now just outside Lafayette, Louisiana. They are renting a house there for a few months, and my sister is going to try to do her final semester at UNO through electronic courses that the university plans to offer starting next month.

Unless I hear any news about my aunt and cousin, I think I'm essentially done with FOFC for a while. This thread is a sanctuary for me and I'll continue to check it, but a lot of other discussions here are simply driving me to anger right now, and that's not an easy feat. I would never suggest to squelch anything that anybody has to say here, so I'm taking the obvious step and just getting myself away.

Good luck to all of you.

A month or two of savings "lost" doesn't sound bad. Aren't Shreveport/Boosier City very close to Dallas/Fort Worth?

It is about five hours due west. It is a straight shot though.

Wow, that's great about your mother and sister. About your aunt and cousin, I'll be keeping them in my thoughts. We'll miss you, Pumpy, but I certainly understand your need to get away for awhile. :(

/tk

Pumpy, I understand that need as well. I'll be keeping your aunt and cousin in my thoughts as well and I think that is great news about your mother and sister.

I'm just at Barnes and Nobles for essential internet update of info. I've applied through LSU for housing in the Baton Rouge area as my boss wants me to work in that general area. However, it looks like I will be moving to a trailer in an evacuee area at the beginning of October. In the meantime, my apartment is getting internet tomorrow and I'll catch up with other stuff here. However, starting on Saturday (or Monday at the latest) I'll be living the trailer away from Mrs. Eaglesfan for 10 days at a time while working and then hopefully be off for 10 days.

I will have to say the one upshot of all of this is that I've gotten to spend more quality time with my wife in one shot than I have in over 3 years and it is has been very good for our relationship despite the stresses from in-laws and the various other factors at play here.

Well, I'm not sure how long I'll be home to enjoy it, but my new apartment now has high speed internet access.

Some of the before-after pictures on wwltv.com are pretty cool.

Now, Mayor Nagin has announced that uptown residents (which is where I live) will be able to return to live sometime next week (he is doing a phased in re-population of the city.) This complicates my plans to go to work in a temporary city some, and also makes me wonder if I was stupid to get this apartment for a whole month (the month-to-month lease ends on October 8th.)

Stupid? Not at all. You made the best decision based on the best information you had at the time. And it's only a month's rent, at the end of the day, compared to everything else.

If you were to return, what would be the state of utilities? Would there be electricity? Would the water be safe to drink?

Hey, when you go back and if you get a chance, I'd LOVE to hear how my old house on Belfast faired.

Klingerware, the word is that by the time they will let us return next week, there will be electricity and water will be safe. However, I don't necessarily believe that the water will be safe (I don't want to get into the politics in this thread.) Therefore, we already had bottled water delivery service on a cooler and certainly will continue to use that. I'll also be sure to buy a LOT of bottled water here in Shreveport before we drive down just in case.

Sachmo, I'll be glad to look at the house when the chance occurs. I'll let you all know when (work is still going to be a major factor in the when) I go back and PM me the address at that time.


EDIT: I just read the article again. Water will be safe for flushing toilets only according to Nagin. Outside water will be needed for drinking and bathing.

I know. The bad part is that my in-laws are just moving into their apartment tomorrow, so we'll really have wasted some money there, but at least it is only going to be a month's wasted rent.

Thanks for the info. Good luck with whatever you decide to do...

Well, until you get in there and see what the actual state of play is in the city, the money's not wasted yet. You at least have a fallback if things aren't in as good a shape as you'd hoped.

My friend is a Marine and one of the guys working to get the City back up and running. Take it for what it is worth, but he says that it looks like the water issue is about as bad as it can get and it may be months before they are able to provide clean water again.

Well, Nagin just announced the specific schedule for the phase-in repopulation which is being done by location and zip code. Friday the 23rd is the earliest I can return home (assuming work cooperates.)

At least with the phased-in repopulation, traffic shouldn't be too terrible in theory.

My aunt and cousin are fine, and they're in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I believe that my entire family is now accounted for, and they're all OK.

That is excellent news Pumpy! :)

AWESOME!!!

Glad to hear things are getting back to normal for you, too, EF! :)

FWIW, my brother has decided to stay in Austin. He may go back and see the condition of his place (and stuff) but he's got an apartment with his gf in Austin and they've registered her son in school there, so they're planning on staying there...

/tk

Well, my status keeps changing almost daily it seems. It appears that I will be likely making an exploratory effort to survey my apartment in New Orleans on the 23rd, and hopefully moving back there soon after that if nothing changes too much and the place is livable.

After that, we are working on getting me set up with clinics in several temporary cities as well as possibly Baton Rouge and I'll likely be traveling 60-80 miles each way every day to go to work. That will be unpleasant, but doable for a few months. The good news is that pre-liminary reports from security where I live is that no significant damage was done to my apartment and no obvious signs of looting are present (i.e. no smashed in windows, etc.)

I finally got some details about my aunt and cousin. Their house got flooded all the way up to the second floor. They unsuccessfully attempted to break through the roof to get outside, but the water didn't get over their heads. A rescue boat came by, and they saw it and opened the window and screamed for help. The boat stopped and picked them up. They were brought to the convention center, and sometime later, they were fortunate enough to get on a bus to Arkansas.

Bet they have some tales to tell.
Glad to hear everyone is ok, Pumpy.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that everything is ok at your apartment. I assume that you'll take your time moving back to it...at least, as much time as the month-to-month on your current place lets you (i.e. so you don't lose money by moving out of there early)?

Your mention of your long commute sounds familiar to how mine was for my new job until I moved. I was commuting about 55 miles each way through Washington beltway traffic and it was a bit crazy. A little piece of advice (if you want it), get an iPod or other mp3 player and get either an FM transmitter or a cassette adapter or a line-in cord (depending on what you have in your car) and get some audio books on Audible (www.audible.com). Or, you can burn books from Audible to CD. I always forget about that option, since my CD burner doesn't work. Anyway, I found that listening to books on my way in made the commute much more bearable, though I admit I only get audio books of things I've read before, because listening to something completely new can be hard for me to focus on. Anyway, just my $0.02 on surviving a long commute.

Audible: http://www.audible.com (tell them I sent you if you decide to use 'em, user name is kpilotte or real name is Kristin Pilotte).
My iPod setup for my commute (I use the iTrip on the iPod--it's an FM transmitter): http://www.flickr.com/photos/terpkristin/43880234/
Crappy traffic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/terpkristin/43880237/

Let us know when you find out the status of your apartment!!!

/tk

My work might want me back in 8 days in which case I'll probably move my stuff back next weekend. Kathy's work doesn't want her back quite as soon so her and her in-laws will probably enjoy the new temporary apartments for a few more days and move back via 2 trips (one with me and one without) assuming that her family's place is ok too.

Thanks for the advice. Normally, these commutes wouldn't be so bad (not fun going 80 miles but at least I'd be going about 70 mph a good part of the way, but with roads being closed it could be even worse than usual.) I might get the iPod, or I might finally get satelitte radio for my car. If I decide to go the ipod/Audible route, I'll definitely let them know you sent me. I also update about my apartment once I can.

EF, how long until your wife can return to work? How is her hotel?

The hotel had some roof damage. They expect her to return to work around mid October and they are paying her until she is able to return at that time. At least, that is the info from the last time she talked to her boss.

My niece went back to NO with her father to see how they faired. Here is her email about what she found. Feel free to browse the photo album...just brings the loss that much closer to home. My old house is about 3 blocks north of the picture of Palmer Park.

Looking at those pictures really does bring it alive. I've heard from a few friends, but hadn't seen any pics like these yet.

Those are great pictures. I was struck as to how dry everything looks now despite haven been under 3-4 of water.

Wow...I really hadn't thought as to how everyone's possessions were going to be straight up ruined. For some reason I was thinking that it would be a bitch of a clean-up job once folks were allowed back into their homes, but most of the stuff in that house is ruined. The living room furniture, the beds, the clothes in the dressers...all gonna have to be tossed. It would probably be easier to start over somewhere else. Are there any consequences for folks who do exactly that by abandoning their old homes?

I hope it's okay to post this here, I thought Eaglesfan might enjoy it, maybe some others too. I just thought it was a good story written pretty well. It's fairly long for wire copy, I'll post just enough here for background, to give anyone enough to see if they want to read the whole thing.
http://apnews.myway.com//article/200...D8CMUDPG8.html

HOUSTON (AP) - They're out there. The shooters, the choppers, the looters, the lines, the foul water and the bodies. Especially the bodies. "But we're in here," says Victor Fruge.

Others - hundreds of thousands of them - had also escaped from New Orleans. But few could match the extraordinary, even miraculous odyssey of Fruge and his comrades - 16 mentally ill men and recovering addicts, cast out of their group home, Abstract House, by the storm.

For a week the men stuck together through Hurricane Katrina and its rising waters, following a survival instinct like a candle in the dark and gamely caring for each other as they traveled unsupervised for nearly 500 miles. They arrived at dawn in Houston, a sprawling and unfamiliar city among the thousands of hurricane refugees who have made the exodus to Texas, but without a friend in sight.

Along the way they ate and slept in at least four different shelters and caught rides on four different means of transport, always clutching the psychotropic medications that keep their imaginary devils at arm's length while the real world around them sunk into a deeper hell.

That was an interesting read, and I think about some of the patients that I helped during my residency that were among the most mentally ill in the city, and I wonder what happened to them.

EF, you may want to hold off on relocating back to NO for the moment. Rita's scheduled to be in the western gulf in five days. Current forecasts seem to point to a Texas/Mexico landfall, but this far out, that's usually not going to be the most accurate forecast. I shudder to think what even a weak storm will do to the area in its current state.

Another aspect that some people are missing are people who had local employment--my friend's dad had built up a private psychiatry practice over the last 40 years. It's pretty much gone now because all of his paitents are gone. You get disability insurance and life insurance and malpractice insurance and property insurance for your office and the like to make sure that your family is covered in case of the "worst case" ever happening. But you can't insure for something like all of your paitents being forced to leave town and who knows if/when they are coming back.

(Note--don't weep for them. I'm not looking for sympathy. There are a lot of people who ended up a lot worse off. I am just thinking of the thousands of people who had jobs that were not with large corporations and whose job now just no longer exists--and there was really no way to have prepared for that.)

Kathy and I noticed this yesterday afternoon after my mother pointed it out. We'll be keeping a close eye on it, and it may affect our timeplan for returning. However, thanks for pointing this out just in case we hadn't heard about it.

I'm not asking anyone to weep for her either, but one of my best friends is in a similar predictament except she is in her early 30's and has just recently finished residency (less than 2 years ago.) She doesn't have huge savings built up, and she had just purchased a house. She was a private practice psychiatrist and now she is seriously considering selling her house and moving back to Ohio (her home state) because she is not sure when her clients will return to town, and she believes that many of them might not.

Just looked at the 11 AM advisory/forecast and the news is sliding downhill a bit more. Forecast track now takes the storm into the Houston/Galveston area in five days with winds around 115, a low Cat 3. Of significant import, however, is the fact that the margin of error cone now extends east to include New Orleans.

There will be another full advisory at 5 (4 CDT) that will update the forecast again. It should be noted that the forecasts for Katrina didn't have New Orleans pegged as a possible target until 54 hours before landfall, so naturally, continue to take such things with a little salt. At least this time the city's empty for the most part, so evacuations and traffic problems attendant to that will be nonexistent if it ever came to that.

I just saw this too. I'm worried that the track is moving north and east. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this over the next few days.