More cars...

As if adding insult to injury. Your car gets flooded, then deposited in your pool. Or maybe your neighbor's pool.

Photos taken 10/2/2005

Cars...

So many vehicles completely trashed, but many don't look that bad. Here's one driveway with a BMW 535, Corvette, and an F-150 pick-up. Note how the BMW was picked up and wedged between the house and Corvette. This one was interesting. The water picked the car up inside the garage and turned it sideways, at least I don't think you can normally park your car that way...

Photos taken 10/2/2005

Deep water (taken Oct 2, 2005)

I took this picture in a townhouse where we were looking for lost pets in Chalmette. I was standing on the second floor landing looking down toward the front door. The water line was about a foot higher than the second-story floor, so the entire first floor of these townhouses was completely underwater.

The second pup we found...

This Pit Bull male was holed-up in this second story apartment. He tried to hide when we came by, but Paul saw him before he ducked back inside. I don't think the original tenants had a skylight when they lived there as shown in the photo. We didn't even know if this was the pup's actual home.

Paul talked to him for a few minutes and got him to come out. Once Paul worked his magic, he was as friendly as could be. Again, no tags, no microchip.

Photos taken 10/2/2005

Doing a bit to help out the animals...

OCTOBER 2, 2005- Chalmette, LA
This was the first dog that my friend Paul Meehan and I found in Chalmette. He was an old boxer hunkered down in some matted grass. I don't know what his name was, but he looked like a Buddy to me. We would never have seen him if some people across the street hadn't told us where he was. He was just lying there, flies feasting on his back, bloated with blood. At first he was too scared to move, but after some sweet talking and a McDonald's Egg McMuffin, he warmed up to us. In fact, once we got him near the car he was ready to go for a ride.

I can't imagine what he thought of the whole situation. Paul and I were in Chalmette October 1st. That poor dog and all the other animals had been surviving for an entire month- who knows how. I know some were not as fortunate.

This stout pup was taken to the veterinary triage set up at Chalmette High School to be shipped out to a rescue organization. I hope he was reunited with his owners, or at least was adopted to a kind family. He had no tags or microchip. Please please please microchip your pets. If they are lost like Buddy you may never see him again. Then again, if you are able, take them with you. For all the companionship they give, they do not deserve to be abandoned to fate.
Photos taken 10/2/2005

St Bernard Damage October 2005

A look at the hospital water line and you hope they all made it out safely...
The mud had dried by the time I made it down there and in places the thick goo had dried to look like a crackled moon-scape. Under the surface it wasn't always dry, however, sticking to your shoes like cement.

Photos taken 10/2/2005

St Bernard destruction, October, 2005

Photos taken 10/2/2005

It's amazing what mechanized tree removal can do for your outlook.
These guys accomplished more in a few hours than what would have taken my Dad and I weeks to do.

Pictures of damage in Slidell, LA from Hurricane Katrina....

September 11 update:

First, answering many questions from the past week. I went to check out my parents' house with my Dad, and I hate to use the term in a situation like this, but they got lucky. There are (were) approximately thirty trees, mostly yellow pine, on their lot. Many of them were snapped or uprooted during the storm. They fell in the front, back, and on both sides, but not a single one penetrated the house.

In their neighborhood, however, the ratio of houses with at least one tree on/through the roof to unscathed houses is at least 3:1. It will take some time to clear all that lumber.

Cleco and Entergy are doing a fantastic job of restoring power, even faster than I expected. In Slidell they appeared to work in waves. The first wave of workers cleared the streets, then came back to tackle the rights-of-way. Those with underground feeds to the house are already coming back on line, while the overhead feeds are taking longer to reconnect. Overall, half the homes and businesses on the Northshore have power.



You can see the progress for Cleco here
http://www.cleco.com/site.php?pageID=284
and for Entergy click here
http://www.entergy.com/corp/default3.asp

St Tammany parish (north of Lake Ponchartrain) is coming back steadily in other ways. Cell phone service is returning, and the school system announced an October 5th projected restart date. Two Catholic schools, Pope John Paul II and St Margaret Mary will reopen September 19. Some parts of the parish are still under orders to boil water before drinking until it can be assured to be safe, however. http://www.wwltv.com/local/northshore/stories/WWL091005sttam.4567489f.html
South of the lake progress is slower. Jefferson Parish announced the same October 5 school reopening date for some schools, and the parish government is asking all business owners to return this Monday.

Louis Armstrong International Airport (New Orleans) will reopen for scheduled passenger air service Tuesday, September 13. The airport has been open for military and commercial relief flights over the past weeks.

Real estate in Baton Rouge has suddenly become a hot commodity. Many businesses have relocated from the N.O. metro area and are setting up expanded satellite offices or are moving operations here permanently.

Also, traffic has become a nightmare here. What took twenty minutes before now is a trip of over an hour. I kid you not.

An interesting interactive map from Google- you can see water levels, both high water marks and current levels. http://mapper.cctechnol.com/floodmap.php

Another side effect of Katrina was the cancellation of the LSU Tigers' home opener last week and the relocation of the game against Arizona State last night to Tempe, Arizona. The Tigers pulled it out 35-31 in an ugly win.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/091105/lsu_lsu001.shtml

Amidst all the progress, however, many wonder to what extent the New Orleans area will recover. Will the tourism industry return? Businesses?

Life has changed in south Louisiana, that much is obvious. Everyday it seems there is another consequence of that change that I previously had not thought of.

Feel free to post comments and questions, my friends. I can't do it all, you know.
More to come later. I hear the hum of the chainsaw calling my name.