I should have mentioned much sooner that Ernie’s three kids are very safe and sound with their mom (and pets) at a friends house in Lafayette. Unlike someone else we know (and love) they acted early and evacuated in time to avoid the hurricane and the crazy aftermath. Good job! I think their cell phones are working should you need to contact them but I do know for sure that SMS/text messaging over cell phones is working (everywhere). If you dont know how to text message, this is a really good time to learn. ~R.S.
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Glad to see that you made it out. We have relatives staying with us right now from Mobile who got out before flooding there started. Good Luck and God Bless.
I’m sorry if this offends anyone: I don’t think our federal tax dollars should be used to rebuild or even clean up New Orleans, and instead a new New Orleans should be built above sea level next to Baton Rouge. New Orleans, once drained, should be cleared of debris and glass, structures should be taken down and moved to the new site, and then New Orleans should be cordoned off as a national park, with the highest areas used for park structures and monuments. Otherwise, after billions are spent to rebuild, there will probably be irrepairable damage to the infrastructure, and problems that arise for years on out — things that were missed in the initial assessment, whenever that happens. This is without mentioning carcinogens, mosquitos, and biohazards floating around and perhaps remaining stuck to structures after the water is pumped out. Things like unknown water damage to foundations of buildings, etc. Plus, time constraints will make the rebuilding very expensive, as opposed to building a new planned city from scratch, where residents can re-locate, near the already-existing infrastructure of Baton Rouge. The truth is that it’s just a matter of time until New Orleans sinks permanently, and businesses are already moving to Baton Rouge so anyone remaining in the area will be unemployed for months. Besides, it’ll just flood again when the next hurricane hits, and in the meantime New Orleans will continue to sink further below sea level.
I have family still in N.O., in mid-city, but safe. The water is maintaining at about 12 feet, a few feet below their porch. I just posted on Ray’s blog, too, but you can go to nola.com and Katrina photos to see pictures of the whole city, but none of them are very good. My house in lakeview is completely submerged and I now own what I brought in two bags to Baton Rouge. Y’all take of yourselves.