Skip to main content

It's not Wall St or NOLA but if you hit it with a hurricane it still bleeds

This is the latest message from my town's mayor:

Hurricane Ike Update

The City of [redacted] has sustained serious damage from Hurricane Ike. As of this writing, the City has no electrical power, no landline phone service, no potable water service, and sanitary sewage may be compromised. Cellular telephone service is limited as cell towers may be down or out of service. Many trees are down and storm debris is still obstructing many streets.

[Surrounding bodies of water] are still over their banks in many places, but water levels are receding. The. . .Sheriff's Department has set up roadblocks to our neighborhood entrances and on [major roads] to prevent sightseers and non-residents from entering the area. There is a dawn to dusk curfew and non-residents are not allowed in the City between these hours. The Mayor is working with FEMA and other emergency management officials to assess the damage and to begin the reconstruction abd claims process.

Residents are urged to not return at this time as the lack of utilities and infrastructure makes the situation unsafe. The City has declared an emergency and is working with state and federal agencies to address recovery.

[Links and information] for. . . clean-up and activities that residents can undertake at this time. The City will post updates to this website and will advise when it is safe for residents to return.



What is helpful for the area?

Consider donating to the disaster relief fund at the Red Cross or to other Hurricane Ike relief funds. But make sure to check to ensure that the organization is legitimate and that relief goes to the intended recipients.

Thanks.

Comments

Unknown said…
oh Julie - I think you are right. In some sense - all the build up, the force and power of Ike - the palpable relief that it wasn't worse than it was....all that is adding up to us not really knowing how bad it is. And it is bad.
Robert said…
Our prayers will be with you and your area as we head west. If we had not made our plans months ago, I would likely be joining teams from our local branch to go in and do relief work somewhere along the Gulf coast. If those teams are still going when I get back, I'll definitely be going.
I feel for you.

Just returned from the Gulf Coast, after being sent to cover Ike for the paper.

Awful.

I will be thinking of you and the many others in similar straits over the coming months.

I can't imagine remaining in such upheaval and limbo with young children.

Please take care and let us know how you are faring.
Anonymous said…
Part off me now wishes I had taken Ray Nagin up on his offer. Alas, I am still in the area, though I found an in-law who has both power and running water, so we are better off than many. I also have a mostly full tank of gas.

Hope you and yours are doing OK, and feel free to keep in touch.

~EdT.
I had similar feelings after Gustav. It was a relief that it New Orleans did not flood...but it did not take away from the unbelievable damage other parts of the state suffered!

Good luck!
painted maypole said…
how are you holding up? how about the girls? what are you doing during this time of being gone? it's so hard... still praying for you...
Anonymous said…
Julie, I'm sorry and grateful all at once. Yes, it hurts, but you and your family had the sense to get out and stay safe...for that, gratitude.

I'm writing a blog post encouraging donations to the red cross, and linking you. are there others that I should also link with similar stories to yours?
Anonymous said…
I'm sure the pictures of the damage, as devastating as they appear, don't even begin to illustrate how much work is ahead. We're thinking of you.

Popular posts from this blog

In defense of vanity...I think

Do you have one of those issues where you argue with yourself? Where you just aren't sure what you actually think because there are so many messages and opinions on the topic around you? I have more than one like this. However, there is one topic that has been struggling to the top of my mind recently: vanity and perceived vanity. Can vanity be a good thing? Vanity has historically been truly reviled. Vanity is number seven of the Seven Deadly Sins. It's the doppleganger of number seven on the Seven Holy Virtues list: humility. There are many moralistic tales of how vanity makes you evil and brings about a spectacular downfall. Consider the lady who bathed in the blood of virgins to maintain her youth. Google Borgia+vanity and find plenty. The Brothers Grimm and Disney got in on the act too. The Disney message seems to be: the truly beautiful don't need to be vain. They are just naturally eye-catchingly gorgeous. And they are all gorgeous. Show me the Reubenesque Princess.

Cancer's Calling Card

Foreword: I'm not a medical person, or any kind of expert. This post shouldn't be taken as God's word carved in stone by Moses. In other words, don't consider it to be any kind of authority or use it to treat, diagnose, or select medications. Do your own research and talk to your doctor, an actual expert, who, you know, went to medical school and stuff. This post is merely my best understanding of cancer and cancer treatment and prevention, as related to our situation, based on what I've learned from reading and talking to doctors. Author's Note: If you aren't interested in the cancer discussion and the things I learned, and only want to know the outcome of our appointment with the oncologist yesterday, skip to the end. I've divvied this up by sections, so go to the last section. What would you do if one day a postcard arrived in the mail to warn you that sometime in the next three years you would be diagnosed with cancer? Would you believe it? Change an

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Quorum

After being confronted with written evidence, Julie admits that she is a total attention whore. In some things, in some ways, sometimes I look outward for validation of my worth and existence. I admit it. It's my weak spot, my vanity spot . If you say I am clever, comment on a post, offer me an award, mention me on your blog, reply to a comment I left on your blog, or in any way flatter me as a writer...I am hopelessly, slavishly devoted to you. I will probably even add you to my blogroll just so everyone can see the list of all the cool kids who actually like me . The girl, she knows she is vain in this regard , but after much vanity discussion and navel-gazing , she has decided to love herself anyway, as she is (ironically) and will keep searching for (1) internal validation and (2) her first person . Until I reach a better point of self-actualization, though, may I just say that this week you people have been better than prozac and chocolate (together, with a side of white choc