Signing Off

As we wind up our evacu-cation here in lovely Seagrove, I finally have the time and the distance for some reflection. It's hard to believe that we raced here, lives packed up, fleeing a killer storm and traumatized at the thought of another Katrina-like episode.

Saturday, we were just relieved to have gotten out in advance. Sunday was full of dread and endless checking of websites. Monday was the day of reckoning, and even when it was clear that Gustav had swerved, and we'd avoided the worst, we were still glued to the television. Would the rapidly-overtopping Industrial Canal wall fail? But then it didn't. So Tuesday, we were finally free to relax and attempt to enjoy ourselves. Yesterday and today were icing on the cake - the waves calmed down enough to allow some swimming.

I do feel a bit guilty about not getting back to New Orleans as soon as humanly possible, like I've delayed a visit to a relative in ICU so I could go shoe shopping. After all, post-K, I stationed myself in Baton Rouge (thanks again, Mom!) so that I could have easy access to the city. But with the damage so limited this time, and there being little for me to do, I told myself it was okay.

So at this point, I am just extremely thankful, for many things, namely, that:

- my beloved city was not re-destroyed
- I had the means to evacuate and stay away as long as needed
- my house has apparently suffered little to no damage
- through all of this, I've had the advice and counsel of Carlos the Wise, my personal climatologist

And I want to thank everyone who has called, emailed, and posted to check on me and who cares about New Orleans. Your support has carried me through these very difficult times.

Well, that, and some really awesome dogs.


But seriously, thanks.

Surfpuppies

Well at least all was not lost today. The dogs got their first ever trip to the beach! Iggy was iffy about the whole thing, but followed me into the water based on pure trust. Dulle was more into it, chomping at each frothy wave like some small, fluffy blue whale. My concern about her ingestion of large amounts of salt water was borne out by later, um, GI distress she experienced. Repeatedly. Poor baby girl. She's better now.

Thanks to Tish for some incredible photographs of the expedition. Looking at them now, I rather feel like an African explorer who's emerged from the jungle only to find some elephants frolicking in the surf.

Dangers of Re-Entry

While the evacuation seems to have gone off without a hitch, there is now widespread anger about the tiered re-entry. Councilpeople Fielkow and Head have been trying to convince the Mayor to reconsider and to let people in now, but he will apparently not budge.

Writer Ian McNulty has a beautiful piece on Blog of New Orleans about the mess. Here's an excerpt, but I recommend reading the whole thing:

Our community has endured another psychological wallop from this flight from home and the holding-on and waiting-to-see that followed. True leadership should step up to inspire, encourage and thread together our common bonds for whatever comes next.

Update: TP writer James O'Byrne has written a lengthy editorial on the same subject. I'm posting an excerpt, but again advise reading the entire piece.

Under Louisiana law, it is still legally not possible to forcibly remove people from their property and make them leave in advance of an approaching storm. So every evacuation becomes an implicit contract between the officials and the public. You tell us the truth, and the risks as the scientists and forecasters see it. We'll try to make good decisions for the sake of our families.

Update #2: The TP has taken O'Byrne's article down. Apparently it was too explosive. Or something. If anyone saved a full-text copy, please email it to me.

Update #3: Found it.

How Do You Spell "Relief?"

I'll bet that New Orleanians all over the country have their own versions, but for me, it's the rather lengthy "thank god that flippin' Industrial Canal floodwall held and damn they'd better improve it soon because this was only a Category Two and look how easily it was overtopped." Okay, that technically is not a spelling, but it's in the spirit of the effort, don't you think?

Now I'm reading about this "Tier One" reentry business. There are some excellent observations on this out-of-the-blue policy on Blog of New Orleans. My beefs with this are many, but here they are in a nutshell:

1. It's unconstitutional
2. We should have been informed about it in advance (if it existed in advance) and (we could've challenged it in court)
3. The rationale - that businesses need to "restock" - doesn't make any sense
4. This policy will discourage many people from leaving next time

Nothing much I can do about it from here except dwell on the costuming potential of the various tiers (Tier One Imports!) and I'm here at the beach till Thursday anyway. But I am fully supportive of those calling for an insurrection at the checkpoints.

On some lighter notes, we had a minor accidental self-ampution yesterday when a member of our crew removed part of her fingertip and nail while chiffonading basil. "It was a really sharp knife!" proclaimed our victim, who claims to have never inflicted such an injury in 30+ years of cookery. Other helpful housemates, already in Destin on a shopping spree, grabbed the latest in medical technology to help. And this is what they found: a finger condom.


We celebrated the apparent sparing of our beloved New Orleans last night by feasting on sweet, plump fresh blue crabs (masterfully prepared by Chef David),


and consuming vast quantities of the following:

3 oz brandy
3 oz orange Curacao
3 oz Triple Sec
fruit of your choice
1 bottle of champagne


Before yesterday, this concoction had no name, but now, it is The Cocktail of the Century.

Caveat imbibor.

Reports from the Streets

Tomio - all is quiet in Bywater. No power or phone, though.

Stephanie - same in Uptown

John - Children's Hospital without city power but using their own generators.

Tried but could not get through to Karen. All circuits busy.

10 a.m. Updates

WWL-TV is reporting that there is overtopping of the Industrial Canal floodwall on the upriver (i.e., MY) side of the canal. Overtopping in and of itself isn't really a big deal, but if the pressure destabilizes the walls, or if the overtopping scours the earthen bases on the dry side, we could be looking at something bordering on the catastrophic. Also, there are two ships and one barge LOOSE in the canal. At least three people, then, should be going to prison. That is criminal negligence. I hope lawyers somewhere are preparing warrants.

On a lighter note, here is a report from Lance, a friend of a friend, who's stayed in Algiers:

It's all sideways down here. Leaves stripped from the trees. No cell service. House rattling wind gusts followed by blasts of rain.The raindrops look as sharp as razor blades. I will stay out of the way and let them pass. All the house geckos have gathered in the air conditioning vents. I can see their beady eyes looking out furtively. I've crumbled up graham crackers to reassure them all.

Hey...there goes a goose hurtling backwards. It's not too early for a beer....

Update: both ships are closer to the lake in the canal, and somehow they're being secured. No word on the barge, so maybe that was rumor. What does have me concerned is a report that water is spurting through or under the flood walls on the upper side.

Where's the Beach?

Yesterday, we had about 75' of beach to work with. We parked our short chairs in the surf, read magazines, and imbibed fruity beverages. Then, because we just couldn't resist, we grabbed the boogie boards here are the house, and went into the water. It was exhilarating. I don't think I'd smiled all day, much less laughed, but let me tell you - being propelled to shore on a bed of foam and froth did wonders for my mood.

But I don't think swimming is in the cards for today.




There's no walkable beach left at the moment. The waves are huge for this part of the coast at this time of the year. Yet according to Google Maps, we're 281 miles away from the center of the storm, so what is it like in Houma?

CNN at 3 a.m.

3 a.m. and I'm wide awake. The TV in my room doesn't have a remote, so I've just left it on CNN and it finally woke me up. The latest news is less grim: G took the slight westward jog that the Hurricane Center had been predicting, and he seems to have weakened to a strong 2 or weak 3.

I am very concerned about the West Bank of the city and Jefferson Parish, and perhaps even more so about the low-lying communities south of Houma, like Galliano and Dulac. The wetlands that once extended far into the Gulf and served as buffers have been severely eroded over the decades. The main culprits? Oil exploration, drilling, and pipelines, which have meant cutting into the swamps and hastening their erosion, and, ironically, flood control systems such as levees, which have prevented the natural restocking of the wetlands with river silt. Oh, and that pesky little global warming thing.

Now I see that someone from CNN is reporting from Grand Isle. Grand Isle??? Did no one check the projected storm surge map?

Update: WWL-TV is doing a live stream on their website. Soooo much better than CNN. And Lee Zurik just gave props to Matt McBride!