Hurricane Katrina

Someone that I work with was called up for New Orleans relief for Hurricane Katrina. He is working in the SE part of NO in the command center. He was called up on Sept 1, 2005, only 4 days before Labor Day. He told me tales of finding an 80-year old woman locked in a basement with water up to her neck for several days. She was alive and they rescued her. In their evacuation and rescue efforts, they went door to door, breaking into houses and marking them with an X for evacuated or with B and a number if they found bodies in the home. They would then call the coroner in and they would proceed to the next house.

He said that everyone is armed. The military and police to try to restore order, the looters to protect their looting, and those that want to stay against orders to leave to scare off the police and to protect their homes from looters. This seems so Lebanon and Middle Eastern.

They found 6 dogs, 5 horses, and two people in one rescue effort. They have tickets or arrested civilians, police officers, and military personnel for looting, even if it was just a bag of chips or a few s. Randall told me that NYPD and LAPD are there. SWAT members are there. Some wealthy man is housing the media and has ex-special forces troops guarding his house. There are former Navy SEALs guarding the children's hospital near them. They have no electricity and just recently got showers. There are generators in the Command Center, and one private generator that they use to take turns recharging their cell phones, which are the only means of communication (when they work). It's pretty rare and amazing stuff.

Meanwhile, Olivia and Camille have joined Shelby's Kindergarten classroom from New Orleans. It is amazing how much impact this one storm had. I don't think NO will ever be the same, and I don't know if that is a bad thing in the big picture. I feel for those who have lost so much in the blink of an eye. Randall said that with the contaminated water, all of the houses will have to be leveled. Razing a city is a mind boggling thought.

I am using this to inspire a children's book. The book is about a names Katrina who makes do with a simple toy that is not a toy at all, but with her imagination, it can become everything she needs.