New Orleans update & link

[E's]

I am posting here also, hope that is OK. gsdzlu gave me the St. Dominic's forum link for evacuees from the Lakeview section of New Orleans and I want to make it available to guest viewers... url is below. Thanks. Dot B

Forum boards for St. Dominic's on Harrison Avenue New Orleans 70124:

[/url]http://www.stdominiccyo.org/forum[url]
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Email from my son

From: Mike B
Date: 2005/09/18 Sun PM 08:45:01 CDT
To: <Dot B
Subject: RE: Canal blvd/Mouton

I went to see our houses on Walker Street today. I didn’t have much of a plan. Information was scarce and contradictory. I had heard yesterday from several sources that the water was down. It just seemed like it was time to do it.

I got on I-10 East at Clearview. The 610 split was blocked, City Park/Metairie Rd, Airline Dr., Carrollton all blocked.

It was beginning to seem as if the mission wasn’t possible today. I decided to see how close to Jan’s apartment in the Quarter I could get(where there are some hip waders stashed and which may prove to be an alternative lodging at some point).

All of the litter from the evacuees you have seen so much footage of is still there. There are abandoned cars, boats, boats with trailers, even a Kentwood water truck in the middle of the Tulane, Airline Drive overpass, everywhere.

There is debris of every description everywhere. The streetcar power lines block part of Lee Circle. Telephone poles lean into the streets at precarious angles with the lines still hanging. Hardly a vehicle or a person was in sight anywhere.

In front of me on Camp Street was a gigantic crane lifting some massive object on or off the roof of a ten-story building. Maybe the Quarter visit was best left for another day.

Turning around and going back west on the I-10, I discovered that I could get off on that side of Carrollton going south. But not far, due to a large amount of water still in the underpass. Now I felt trapped until I saw someone do a U-turn to get back on I-10 west on the other side of the street. I tried airline Drive west to go to Metairie Rd, but they had built a huge boulder levee across it!

Back west on I-10 again. Now I could exit City Park Avenue on the west bound side. At the intersection was a National Guard checkpoint. I finagled my Jefferson Parish business pass and driver’s license to get in. Canal Blvd. was blocked at the underpass by Plantation Coffeehouse. The Plantation had high water marks near the top of the front door!

I was then able to proceed directly on Navarre to Marconi and then to
Fillmore. The devastation along those streets is vast. High water marks are near or above the tops of the windows in all of Lakeview. No one was spared. Marconi was down to one lane on one side of the neutral ground due to downed trees or work on the pumping station.

Turning over the Orleans canal levee on Fillmore was a shock. The water lines are nearly to eaves in some places. Almost every intersection on the side streets is still closed off by fallen trees. I had to snake around mostly on the wrong side of Canal Blvd, to get to Walker. I couldn’t get in the houses today since the doors are swollen and the locks are corroded shut. Water marks were near the tops of the windows. A live oak rests on top of my house. It took me an hour to get the black nasty sludge off my boots, jeans and the van. When I got done I shed my first tears.
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Mike called us last night - he will try to go back today. There was no sign of rescue people having been there. Hope is running out for my poor "Q" but we are doing all we can... if only the cat had not forced his way out of the new top-loading carrier... but he had once spent 24 hours in a carrier in a shelter full of barking dogs and he would have been so frightened anyway... but it is so hard to accept. Water dispensers were upstairs and sometimes little lizards and things get into my old house...

[Tambrey]

Oh E's...continued prayers that Q will be able to manage for this long and will be found in at least fair health after this amount of time...

Hopefully those lizards went searching for highier and dryer grounds as well

[momPaws]

Hope Q is found and ok, Dot. How is your dog adjusting to all the new surroundings?
Re Q- seems like a cat would have a good chance to survive since they can climb up. They showed pet rescue teams at work on TV tonight- they rescued a 300 lb pot-bellied pig and found a couple of dogs...on dog was found in a kitchen cupboard (the top one)- probably climbed in when the water rose. Little miracles happen.

[E's]

My heartfelt thanks for the concern and understanding shown to me. This is the first time since yesterday afternoon I am able to be online. My son's telephone calls to me yesterday were broken up by other conversations (both cell and landlines are still very messed up and unreliable.) We have not heard from him again. Friends/associates were scheduled to join him today with boots and equipment to try to get into my house. but with the new storm warning... thus, we just do not - CANNOT - know anything at this time.

I want to make clear, if I can, two things: 1. My son was alone when he at last reached the houses. He was unable to gain access to house or the side or back yards because all locks are frozen, gates are locked, there are "burglar bars" on accessible windows - he had no axe or such to break in and could not get to an extension ladder, and no way to contain or carry a cat... Besides the fact that the area is under martial law of a sort and he was not supposed to be there at all... finally, stressed and nearly exhausted, he had to let it go for another day. He cried for all of it, including the little cat ...

2. I did not abandon my pet on purpose - especially not so we could take any property. We had only a few clothes and supplies for the dogs and son's cat... I had a handful of personal papers, but son didn't even get those from his house... time ran out on us. As it had a year before when we evacuated for Ivan... Q got out of the carrier and ran upstairs, where there are many places to hide... even if we could have found him, there was no way we could have gotten him back in the carrier... all of this happened last year, and he was all right for nearly a week.

This is an important thing IMO for non-Orleanians to remember, something I've heard consistantly from all the Orleanians and former Orleanians I've been in touch with: WE ALL THOUGHT WE COULD COME BACK AS SOON AS THE STORM PASSED as we have always been able to do before. And once again, the levees and storm gates on the lakefront HELD: it was a weak spot in the wall of the 17th Street Canal which gave way and flooded our part of the City. (Other sections flooded due to the Industrial Canal and ship channel interaction, which is a whole other story.)

And then there is this: the situation over there right now is like a war zone. I am deeply worried for the safety of my son and his associates, as well as very much concerned about the many, many neighbors/friends et al we haven't yet heard from. His sister and niece and I are holding up here in Austin as well as we can, but this is undoubtedly the worst circumstances we have ever faced as a family... and believe me, we've faced some doozies!

Thanks again for the support and understanding. I will post when I have solid info.

Sincerely,
E's

[Marty]

My prayers are with you and your family to get you through this all safely. I can only imagine the heartache you feel.

[Tina B and crew]

(((((e's)))))) I don't know what else to say except you have been in my prayers and thoughts...little Q too. My heart breaks for you

[momPaws]

Dot- I can totally understand about Q (thanks goodness you left the food and water as now he is safe - from other board where you posted). Once when I moved between several states...I spent hours making a cage for my 2 cats (a huge box with food, water, litter) and 20 minutes on the road one cat had wiggled out of it ! They are something.
I don't think anyone is second guessing you or judging you...but maybe I missed a post...we just sympathize with your situation now. You did right by Q - as he is safe and sound. It is a helpless feeling to see nice people suffering in these circumstances. Prayers are coming your way...MomP

[Ash]

Nobody is blaming you, E's! You did all you can.

Hoping all will turn out alright soon!

[Tambrey]

I am just glad that yu and your son are safe and as well as can be expected for all yu have been through...

I believe that you would never intentionally leave a pet behind...but in desperate circumstances, some choices have to be made...as hard as they would be...I know I would have a terrible time of it and probably would not have been handing things as well as you seem to be...I admire your strength through all of this...

Take care...