The Big Absence Topic 3.0

[stupidsurgeon27]

Luckily Lady Katia did make it through the hurricane. Hopefully she gets rescued soon.

[Cinnamon]

like_im_27again Posted on Aug 31 2005, 09:47 PM
  I just spoke to Lady Katia, but only for a few seconds, because she needs to keep the phone line clear for the rescue people to contact her. So all I know is that she did make it through the storm, but is in need of assistance.

Dr. Dad--I'm sure happy to hear you and your family are safe!

Please let us know how we can help Lady Katia! Food, clothing, $? All of the above?

[like_im_27again]

Hi, everybody--LadyKatia (Karen) called back last night while my cell phone was turned off, and left a long message telling me her situation, and she asked me to share it with all of you, too, and to tell you she misses everybody at the forum.

She happens to live in one of the few parts of town that did not get any flooding at all. Her street is completely dry. She says she had gone to a hotel during the storm, but came back Tuesday, and was inadvertently stranded there, and has been trying to get back out for two days. She has friends in Baton Rouge who will take her in, but they're not letting any civilians in, so Karen has to wait for the Coast Guard or police to pick her up and take her to a place where her friends can meet her.

Because she's considered legally blind, she is on the special needs priority list. She says if she's on the priority list, she hates to think how long this will take for those who aren't.

I'm sure you've all seen the news and know that people won't be able to live in New Orleans for a long, long time, so Karen will be staying in Baton Rouge for now and will try to figure out whether to return to New Orleans or move somewhere else. She says it's very scary to be in her house right now--there are a lot of creeps running around, a lot of looting. She's hoping the troops that are being sent in will be able to keep her house safe while she's gone so that when she can get some of her things out, there will be something left.

Obviously, this has been very emotional and very stressful for her, and she wants you to know that she's thankful for your concern and that she'd love to hear from people, so send her PMs if you'd like, and she'll eventually be able to go online again. She's trying to be optimistic--she says everything will sort itself out, and she always has a way of landing on her feet.

Cinnamon, I will ask her your questions when I can talk to her.
Vikki

[DrSteggy]

Thank you so much for that update, Vikki, I was worried for her (well, still am, but in a different way)

Jackie

[stupidsurgeon27]

Thanks for the update, Vikki. I hope the coastal guards pick her up soon to get her to her friends. She's very lucky in the sense that her street didn't get flooded at all.

[samuraisumo]

Let Karen know I'm praying for her!! Man I hope she'll be ok.

[Akrovak]

Thanks very much for passing the information on Karen along, Vikki ... I've been worried about her since the storm hit (as well as everyone else in the area). She'll definitely be in my thoughts.

[Dr_Dad]

Hi everyone. Many, many thanks for all your offers, good wishes, and prayers. Sorry for the length of this note, but there's lots of info to give [and what kind of Dr Dad post would it be if it didn't span 50 paragraphs, eh? ... ]

I am at my brother-in-law's house in Dallas at the moment. We decided to give my sister-in-law in Shreveport some time off from hosting us, so we drove here to visit for a while. Everyone here is physically doing fine.

Emotionally ... well ... we're making do.

As far as we know, as was the case with Lady Katia, our home in a suburb of New Orleans MAY have been spared from flood damage as well. We've gotten info from people in the area where we live who have posted on weblogs all over the internet that suggest that near our home got minimal to no flooding. Though there is still a chance we have water in our home, we are relatively sure it was less than a few inches ... tolerable. And most of our stuff in the house is probably untouched by water.

I wish I could say it was safe.

No doubt you have heard the stories of looters and armed gangs in the city. We have seen much of the same online ... even reports of looting a mile or two from our house. The Jefferson Parish president where we live said on Tuesday August 30th [before we knew there was looting] that we may be able to go to our homes on Monday Sept 5, check on our property, get a few essential things, and leave for at least a month. Now, that's up in the air, thanks to these lawless . Reports of carjackings and ransacking are rampant. Stealing some food from a store to feed your family I can understand and even support -- but there are reports (and even video) of people breaking into businesses stealing clothes, bicycles, TELEVISIONS [which can't even be operated now!], even GUNS!! I'm sorry ... this is not trying to help your family; this is blatantly taking advantage of others' misfortune for your own gain --and that is something I find totally and completely reprehensible. We have heard even from police and fire officials that it's not safe to go back without weapons. We've even heard a report of a woman in the area who lost power but had a gas-powered barbecue grill who started to cook some food on it -- the looters followed the scent and robbed her [I emphasize this is UNconfirmed, and could be false].

Frankly, I could care less about the looters where we are. They can take our VCR, our TV, our furniture ... we have homeowners [and also, thankfully, flood] insurance, which will replace that sort of thing. Most of the stuff precious to me and my family -- wedding pictures, children's photo albums, genealogical research, even my Al stuff -- they would not be interested in. My only minor concern is if they steal our computer -- we would lose considerable data and digital family pictures off the hard drive which had not been backed up in a while.

And yet, if that is all we have lost, I will consider myself completely blessed by God above.

The conditions in downtown New Orleans at this hour are, to be frank, inhumane. Our governor estimates thousands may be dead in the city proper. Roads are still in many places impassable, hampering rescue efforts -- as are the criminals. We are looking at the greatest natural disaster in US history. And we have even been affected personally by it. My wife was contacted by a coworker this morning -- three days after the storm hit -- that he, his wife, their three kids, and his mother-in-law are STILL trapped in the attic of their home due to water inside their home. The water receded enough for them to call on their land based phone line this morning [cell phone calls rarely are successful here now]. They are nearly out of food and are scared out of their wits. We contacted the Red Cross to get them on the rescue list, and were able to call them back to tell them to stay put, as going outside was too dangerous. We still have not heard if they were rescued yet.

And despite our home possibly being safe, our lives are, to say the least, completely and totally disrupted. We are at the moment residents of my sister-in-law's home for the foreseeable future [she fortunately has room and has been enormously accomodating]. We have now enrolled our children in schools in Shreveport [they will start Tuesday the 6th], as we are unlikely to return home for MONTHS. Even though our area is dry, there is the risk of disease, animals, looters ... plus there is no electricity, no water, no workable toilets, no air conditioning [in 95 degree heat], no stores open, no gas ... and no jobs. My wife may have a job lined up in Shreveport soon, I am still looking for work, and my eldest daughter will likely not attend college this semester but instead get a full time job here in Shreveport to earn money while she can. She is missing her boyfriend terribly, who at the moment is in Houston. Our younger kids are crying about the prospect of not seeing their friends in months ... and maybe never again, as many may never return to the area. Trying to ask them to comprehend all that has happened [and keep myself from breaking down in the process] has unquestionably been the hardest thing I have ever done as a parent.

Yet, as I said, as incomprehensible and abysmal as all this is, we all feel we are truly blessed. We are all alive and well, our families [parents, siblings] are all alive and well, our house may be still standing and someday habitable again, and we may be able to recover at least some of our items. I wish I could say the same for hundreds of thousands of my fellow New Orleanians. I plan to donate to the relief effort and, when I can, assist in the cleanup of the city, as soon as I know my own family has been re-established. It is the least I can do.

I am thrilled to hear about Lady Katia. American Pie however is not in New Orleans proper, but in the city of Lafayette, some 150 miles to the west of us ... I'm sure he is fine. The only other New Orleanian I can recall is Lasagna Hog, an occasional poster here whom I met at the House of Blues concert on August 29, 2004 -- exactly one year before Katrina hit our city [some Al-iversary, huh? ...]. If anyone hears from him, please let me know.

My family and I are deeply humbled and exceedingly grateful for all your offers of assistance through this forum. At this point, though, we need nothing more than your prayers for strength to get through this. However, I urge you to support the relief effort for our neighbors and fellow Gulf Coast citizens; it is THEY who really need your help and support of every kind. This is an incomprehensible tragedy that has affected millions here. But our family will get through this eventually. It may be till well after Christmas, maybe even beyond, but we will get back home and back to our lives someday, of that I have little doubt. I wish I could say that with the same confidence about our city; right now ... I just don't know.

Finally, I promise to post here periodically and update you on our progress. Also, I will be very happy to answer any questions about what has happened here [especially since the media HAS made errors in reporting some things], so please feel free to post your questions here and I will do my best to answer them.

Again, my deepest thanks to all of you. Please pray for and send good vibes [and donations] towards our community. Talk to you all soon.



Jim / Dr Dad

[Driew_La_27]

.....wow..... this is so sad... I'm basically speechless. One question, what are some of the errors that the media has made?

[stupidsurgeon27]

It's good to know that your house may have very limited damage to it. Hopefully, the looters don't get to it.

I know I'm planning to donate to the relief fund. I'm amazed at how much my own city has collected just yesterday, which is more than they normally collect at times during the entire Christmas season.