I can't turn off the radio. I can't stop listening to the latest reports.



I wish I could go there and do something to help, but donate $$ is all I can realistically do. We donated to Red Cross, so please do the same! If we can afford it, you can, too!

I just heard that there have been several incidences of armed looting in New Orleans, but there's little the police can do because 1) the rescue effort of people trapped on rooftops remains a priority
2) there's no place to put criminals as the jail is under water.

One officer, who surprised a looter, has been shot, so the policy now is to let the peaceful looters loot.






Our dear friend Gina from Fairbanks has family in Abita Springs, Louisiana. She has yet to hear from everyone, but she has good reason to be hopeful. Gina writes:

My sister found a blog last night written by the Mayor of Abita's daughter. She says that "all the families in Abita are okay". But that trees are down everywhere and there is no electricity. Mother's people don't live where it is swampy - they live in more of a piney wooded area. It does flood there though, from the Pearl River. But, it sounds like Abita is cut off except for one road out by water all around, but not in the town. They are not letting anyone in or out on that one road.

My relatives all live next door or across the road from each other on what was my grandaddy's farm. About 12 miles from the Pearl River. The land was split up among the children when he died. If they did not evacuate they still have the well with an old hand pump they could get their water from and plenty of food among the 5 households. We are hoping now that they did not evacuate.

My one aunt's house is built low and all brick - hopefully they all holed up there. Mother doesn't think they would have evacuated and, knowing the personalities involved, neither do I :)

Still no word directly from or about them though. My cousin Alicia is a sheriff's deputy, so I sent an email to the sheriff's office to try and contact her when they get their communications up and running. My sister is going to contact the girl who wrote the blog - to thank her for the information and see if she can get word to our relatives. The blogger is not in Abita, but is in contact with her family by satellite phone.

My aunt and uncle who live in New Orleans made it out, but it is fairly certain their house is under water. They live 2 miles from Lake Ponchertrain.