Aftermath

Hi guys,

You might be getting sick of hearing me blog about Katrina, but I thought some people might want to hear about it from the perspective of someone who's so close.

I'm sure you guys have all seen the horrific pictures and videos coming out of New Orleans. It really is a war zone down there. Driving to work (towards NO) there are lots of people trailing down boats to try to help with the rescue, and also military convoys, lots of buses, and ambulances. I drove back to Houston today, and I passed 24 buses taking refugees to Houston and San Antonio, and saw lots of buses and military vehicles.

Meanwhile, in Baton Rouge, things are getting pretty rough. A lot of the people who were forced out have stopped in Baton Rouge. And a lot of the people still there are the people who couldn't afford to keep moving. A lot of the gas stations are out of gas, so people are stopping there to wait for the next shipment, which means that some of the gas stations are like parking lots filled with people living out of their cars. In the gas stations where there is gas, people are getting mugged. People are staying in the cars in the outlet mall parking lot down by where I work and there have been car jackings. There was also a riot at the Walmart down the street from my house which forced them to close the store. Apparently a lot of the people (the ones who can afford hotel rooms) are staying down by the river where there are a lot of hotels, and there's been a lot of gang activity down there as well. There was also a riot down there that had to be broken up by a SWAT team.

So things are getting a little rough, which was part of why I came down to Houston this weekend. I am hoping that by the time I get back, things will have quieted down a little, but who knows. The good news is that I have a couple of manly guy friends who came to me and said that if I go anywhere, they'll go with me, so I don't have to go shopping or anything alone. I didn't even have to ask, they just came to my office and said, "Don't go anywhere alone, call us." They are sweet guys.

Hope everyone is doing well. Jenny, I need to get together with you this weekend, at least to return your jacket!

Carley