Hurricane Katrina

A local news broadcaster on Channel 7 News (ABC) here in D.C. is from New Orleans, and she told her story on the evening news, fighting back the tears. Her name is Rene Poussaint.

She said that her mom, who is a New Orleans native, had always kept herself prepared for any pending disaster to happen by having a suitcase packed with pertinent and important papers such as insurance and other necessities. When Katrina hit, her mom grabbed this suitcase and ran for cover and is currently in a safe area. :cool:

It is kind of a wake-up call for all of us to do the same. After seeing this newscast, I immediately located my important papers that put them in a special place where they could be accessed easily. One never knows when a disaster could happen. :(

When I see on TV the horrific conditions my American brothers and sisters are going through, I feel for them and am grateful to have a sense of normalcy in my life. We are donating monies at work to the American Red Cross and designating it for Hurricane Katrina Relief. Cash is what is needed right now, according to the authorities.

This morning, I went to get gasoline and take my dog for a walk in the park, and the price per gallon for the medium grade here in Chevy Chase/D.C. area is $3.50 per gallon at the Chevy Chase BP gas station. :eek:

Right next door to the gas station, there were several Brownies and Girl Scouts selling drinks and cookies to raise monies for Hurricane Relief.

On the way home from walking my dog in the park, the radio station played "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and now I can't get the song out of my head. The spirit of the Dixie is strong, but I'm not sure New Orleans and its surrounding area will ever be the same again.

However, Jazz Musician Harry Connick, Jr., another native New Orleans inhabitant, was on The Today Show this morning, and he seems to think the people will rise up and overcome this tragedy. I sure do hope so. He has been quoted as saying: One thing about New Orleans, these people are freakishly strong and passionate about this city.

Here's the link: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/w...ep01,0,3828840.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

JAM
 
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Smorgass Bored said:
**I've called Joey A.'s landline and cellphone more than 200 times since Monday,with no success. I've also been calling my other New Orleans friends without success as well. I've been very concerned about Art Tripp (Gulfport Doc) after seeing the devastation where he lives and works in Mississippi. I spent a few hours tearing the house apart this afternoon and finally found the small 'post it' that had his mother's phone number in Bradenton, FL. and gave her a call. It was quite a relief to find out that Art and his girlfriend Kitty evacuated to Mobile,Ala. and are safe & sound. Today, he is trying to return to Gulfport by 'back roads' in order to find out how his home and office fared.
********one down and a handful to go... imo
************************************Doug
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Thank you Smorgass! I was worried about Doc myself.

Shorty
 
HERE is a link to NOLA.com. It is a forum designated to finding missing loved-ones. Their appears to be around 1500 posts looking for people, unfortunately without many replies. But it is a good site to try to locate someone. GODSPEED!
 
1 Pocket Ghost said:
And what about Jamie Farrells pool hall in Kenner, La. just outside of New Orleans - is it still standing ?

My prayers go to all down there, Ghost
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After all of the discouraging news, here is some GOOD NEWS!
I copied this from the NOLA.com billiards forum.........


Haynes blvd did get severe flooding. at last report the corner pocket on williams did not sustain water damage. don't know of any other possible damage. Jamie and his family are safe up here in baton rouge with me. Glen and his family are safe. any one needing toget in touch with jamie respond to this e-mail or get information to look up telephone for Harry Farrell, in baton rouge,La. I would post the phone but am afraid the post would be pulled. Doug Clement is also at my home. what about Jim bob's and gulfport doc. has anyone heard anything. keep the faith. we will come back from this
 
To all affected by this terrible natural disaster, my heart goes out to you for your safety, the safety of your loved ones and the safety of your personal possessions. To those who wonder where loved ones are, those of us living here in New York City know what you're going through.

On 9/11/2001, many of us had no way of determining whether family and friends who worked at the World trade Center were OK. The hardest part for me was trying to locate my brothers, both of whom worked at the World Trade Center. I tried calling their cell phones, but only got voice mail. I soon learned that one of my brothers was OK. The other one --- well, I just didn't know. I kept trying his cell phone, but never reached him. There was no answer at his home. I shed some tears and felt pain and anguish. It wasn't until the early evening that I learned he was still alive. As it turns out, he'd left his cell phone in his car, which was, of course, parked in the underground parking lot at the World Trade Center. Needless to say, he never saw that car again. I lost a few friends that day, but I was one of the lucky ones that didn't lose any family members.

Why am I telling this story? Because I'm sure there are those of you facing the same situation I faced, wondering whether their family members are OK. My story had a happy ending, and I deeply hope yours will have a happy ending, too.
 
sjm said:
To all affected by this terrible natural disaster, my heart goes out to you for your safety, the safety of your loved ones and the safety of your personal possessions. To those who wonder where loved ones are, those of us living here in New York City know what you're going through.

On 9/11/2001, many of us had no way of determining whether family and friends who worked at the World trade Center were OK. The hardest part for me was trying to locate my brothers, both of whom worked at the World Trade Center. I tried calling their cell phones, but only got voice mail. I soon learned that one of my brothers was OK. The other one --- well, I just didn't know. I kept trying his cell phone, but never reached him. There was no answer at his home. I shed some tears and felt pain and anguish. It wasn't until the early evening that I learned he was still alive. As it turns out, he'd left his cell phone in his car, which was, of course, parked in the underground parking lot at the World Trade Center. Needless to say, he never saw that car again. I lost a few friends that day, but I was one of the lucky ones that didn't lose any family members.

Why am I telling this story? Because I'm sure there are those of you facing the same situation I faced, wondering whether their family members are OK. My story had a happy ending, and I deeply hope yours will have a happy ending, too.
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sjm,

Please don't take me the wrong way and believe me that I am not trying to "rate" both disasters, but what's going on in NOLA has got to be worse than what happened in NYC. I'm glad you found your brothers safe and whole. I hope you cherish that as long as you can for as long as you can.

But as for what happened to NOLA, the WHOLE CITY got wiped out. People absolutely have no where to go with just the clothes on their backs. It's such a tragedy.

I'm still in remberance of 9/11 and I always will be. I still cannot watch films of the WTC destructions. I still cannot live with the fact that your loved one's kiss in the morning to go to work could be your last kiss for life with them.

Barbara
 
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Barbara said:
sjm,
Please don't take me the wrong way and believe me that I am not trying to "rate" both disasters, but what's going on in NOLA has got to be worse than what happened in NYC. I mean the WHOLE CITY got taken out. People absolutely have no where to go with just the clothes on their backs. It's such a tragedy.
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I agree with you, Barbara, and made no attempt to compare and contrast the scope of these two tragedies. I merely brought attention to the fact that here in NYC, many of us experienced the anguish of not being able to locate loved ones in the midst of a tragic situation. It is only in that respect that the two situations are, in any way, analogous.
 
JAM said:
When I see on TV the horrific conditions my American brothers and sisters are going through, I feel for them and am grateful to have a sense of normalcy in my life.
JAM
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Thank goodness I don't have any relatives or know of anyone that was hit. I've gotten close to some of my customers that I talk to mutiple times a week and luckily none of my customers in AL were hit. We have very little to no customers in MS & LA..... Just sitting here watching tv... I'm an absolute wreck.... I just feel so bad for these people and at the same time cannot fathom that what I'm watching on the tv is happening here in the states. People w/no food or water for days... While nowhere comparative, I've got some troublesome things going on in my life right now so I'm quite emotional... I just can't stand to watch the absolute desperation of what's happening down there. It's times like this when I hate living alone & being alone.... All you want to do is hug someone & be grateful for what you have. :(
 
sjm said:
I agree with you, Barbara, and made no attempt to compare and contrast the scope of these two tragedies. I merely brought attention to the fact that here in NYC, many of us experienced the anguish of not being able to locate loved ones in the midst of a tragic situation. It is only in that respect that the two situations are, in any way, analogous.
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Wow, sjm, sorry, I should've really read your post in the first place. Yeah, communications help and it's hard to know when it's temporary or terminal for a few hours.

Just a non-directional Q, but why can't a couple of C130s drop supplies anywhere near NOLA? What is the US doing for other countries that we don't do for ours? What are the lessons learned from the tsunami that we should be modeling major disaster strikes on our own soil?

This is just a Q or two for anyone out there that can answer.

Barbara
 
Sweet Marissa said:
Just got off the phone and both Jeff (Guido) and Matt Bulfin's house were destroyed. They are both safe.

I hear Little John is alright, but no one knows about Jaybird.

Does anyone have any more information on our fellow pool players?
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When you speak to either of them again let them know that I am truely sorry.
I hope they were able to get some of their belongings out and that Jeffs
GF is okay as well. Is Matt still married? Also tell them I will try to get in
touch with both of them around the time of the Auburn-Alabama game.

Frankncali
sorry I did not get a chance to say hello in Vegas. I always thought there
would me another chance or day and then ....well they ran out.
 
vagabond said:
Gufport doc lives in Bayst.louis.His chiropractic practice is on courthouse road ,Gulfport.Jim Bob`s place is only 2 blocks fro the beach.Before I took my flight to camen Islands I stored my car and some other valuables in a self storage a block from Jim Bob`s.Every thing was destroyed there.I could not get hold of my friends because the phones are not in service.I do not know what happened to my belongings. My girl friend bought a house and moved into it only 2 weeks ago and this is few blocks from the beach.I could not get hold of her either.
Vagabond
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Sorry, Vagabond, for your loses...take care.

Jeff Livingston
 
chefjeff said:
Sorry, Vagabond, for your loses...take care.

Jeff Livingston
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Up until now I hadn't read the whole thread. Vagabond, I sincerely hope you haven't lost your belongings... Please let us know when you hear from your girlfriend. I'm of the positive mindset that you'll be hearing from her shortly. ;)
 
chefjeff said:
Sorry, Vagabond, for your loses...take care.

Jeff Livingston
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I'll echo that, Jeff. Vagabond, you're in our thoughts and we're hoping for the best.
 
frankncali said:
When you speak to either of them again let them know that I am truely sorry.
I hope they were able to get some of their belongings out and that Jeffs
GF is okay as well. Is Matt still married? Also tell them I will try to get in
touch with both of them around the time of the Auburn-Alabama game.

Frankncali
sorry I did not get a chance to say hello in Vegas. I always thought there
would me another chance or day and then ....well they ran out.
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Matt is no longer married, but is seeing a nice girl who is with him now. I have yet to meet her but hear only good things. As far as I know, Jeff, his girl, and their baby are safe and doing alright. Matt is in Auburn and Jeff will be heading there tomorrow.
 
There are so many stories out there. Just this morning, a business colleague of mine related how his son, entering his freshman year at Tulane, had to evacuate his college on the same day he arrived.
 
Eydie Romano said:
Anyone heard from Pelican?

Thinking about all and praying for their safety.

Eydie
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Pelican is doing great. Heard from him on another board day after storm. His pawn shop was open and he was doing his business. He even had power restored pretty quickly.

Ya ought to know ya can't mess with that ol bird!

Shorty
 
Shorty said:
Pelican is doing great. Heard from him on another board day after storm. His pawn shop was open and he was doing his business. He even had power restored pretty quickly.

Ya ought to know ya can't mess with that ol bird!

Shorty
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Shorty,

Have you heard anything about Hemicudas? I have been trying contact him via e-mail and telephone with no success. Any idea how hard Jackson, MS was hit?

Lunchmoney
 
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