On a Sad Note

I lived in New Orleans for 6 years. It pains me to see the devastation wrought by this hurricane. My "adopted" hometown is slowly disappearing.

Yesterday I tried to get in touch with some of my friends to see if they had escaped. I am beginning to get emails from people to say they are alright, but there are still many I haven't heard from.

They are all in shock and wondering where they will go or how they'll start over.

Here are some messages:

"We got out with all our animals and escaped to Lori's parents in Huntsville,Alabama.
Yes, it doesn't look too good.
Hope you heard from everyone else and they are alright.
I'll talk to you soon.
It's been a long few days.

Thanks for the note.
Tom"

"dave- All is ok from Baton rouge but a little scared about my little house in the Irosh Channel. They still havn't shown pictures of the area, which is a little worrisome. How are you? Would love to hear all. Will e-mail you when no that future life is good.
Meg "

"Crazy shit. I called Valentino the night the storm was nearing the city. He was "kicking back" in his Marigny/Bywater apartment and watching football with his crack smoking Brazilian friend Chico. I told him that he should probably consider leaving town. His reply was: "They are blowing it out of proportion, those TV people. We are going to go down the street and wait out the storm in Chico's 2nd floor apartment." Now I hear that Bywater is almost completely under water. I haven't been able to reach anyone I know in that area. Valentino's biggest fear is deportation; he always tried to avoid contact with the police. Now, as a refugee with no id papers, he may be completely fucked as the place is probably going to be swamped with police and government agents.
Mike's father, 78 year old man with 2 heart surgeries behind him, stayed in Metarie. He was the only person to stay on his block. Last Mike talked to him, he was frying up eggs and steak at 3 am the night of the storm. He is a crazy old Korean veteran.
Misha"

" just got a message from Valentino. He managed to find a phone. Apparently, he is okey. His neighborhood didn't get that much water. He has food, he said. I had to call a number in Canada to notify his brother that V was alive.
Mike has been living in Colorado for the past 2 or 3 years. He still hasn't heard from his father."

"hey dave-
i'm ok...me and my neighbor evacuated to lafayette on
saturday so we've been here since then. he went to
school here so he has lots of friends and we've had
places to stay and people to be nice to us in general.
this is all crazy. i'll probably be flying out of here
in a couple days back up to nj. i'm thinking i'll
probably stay there for a week or so so i can be
babied and pitied by my family, and then i'm thinking
i'm going to go out to los angeles and stay with cody
and see if i would want to live out there. i think
carmena might be out there for a while too. so that's
my report. it's just been so weird...i don't have a
city anymore. i'll write or call soon.
shana"

"email me your phone # i lost everything - new orleans is history - i'll call you when i get a working phone - shit hasn't worked since saturday !!
tim"

"Greetings All -
We heard last night from someone who had gotten though to Charlotte ... their home on the north side of the lake was severely damaged by four fallen trees ... in fact, the house was split in two and may not be recoverable. The guest house simply blew away and one of the vehicles was either crushed by a tree or blown away ... not sure of the details. No word on Hamp's home, but it is feared lost.
They were trapped by the fallen trees and had run out of drinking water. They are attempting to clear trees today and make a run for higher ground. Their first objective is to find placement for Aunt Marie, who has ALS and isn't doing well under those conditions. Uncle Pike and Aunt Marie's home in Folsom may be okay ... they'll assess today. If not, they may all come to Memphis.
The very good news is that they're alive and well. Keep your fingers crossed that they may find safe passage to Folsom and Memphis.
Thank you for your inquiries. I'll keep you posted."

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