Posted on August 31, 2008 - by admin
Enter Hurricane Gustav:Hang On Louisiana
Well, it looks like there is no way to avoid mother nature.
According to the national news, hurricane Gustav is scheduled to hit land as a category 4 hurricane sometime within the next 12 hours and is already responsible for an estimated 85 deaths in the Caribbean.
Living right outside of Baton Rouge and just forty five minutes of New Orleans and the Mississippi River, we are directly in the hurricanes path. New Orleans is under a mandatory evacuation with over a million people already evacuated and most of the coastal towns are being forced to evacuate.
Unfortunately, Michele and I cannot leave. With over twenty golden retrievers and other mixed breed dogs, our options are limited. There is no where to safely put them and we are not leaving them behind.
The next week will be interesting to say the least. Our mayor has called Gustav the storm of the century, which is impressive considering that Hurricane Katrina hit us as a cat.3 hurricane, was the nations 3rd strongest hurricane to ever come onto land and was responsible for almost 2,000 deaths in New Orleans.
Oddly enough, Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana Monday morning, Aug 29th: three years ago.
Our plans are simple, tie everything we can down and stay safe. Michele is out grabbing supplies and I am picking up everything sharp (metal, limbs, etc) out of the yard. If you have ever had a lid from a metal garbage can clip your head during 80-100 mph winds you can appreciate why :o)
Also, I tend not to venture into any religious subjects; bad form and all that. But whatever your beliefs (God, Buddah, Universe, Source, White Light etc) please send some this direction. The material destruction is only one consequence of something like Katrina or Gustav. What most news stationed stopped covering shortly after Katrina, was the ridiculous surge of crime in ALL areas surrounding New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houston & Dallas TX. Muggings, theft, murder over $50 Fema food cards was common place. Luckily, Louisiana laws allow us to carry guns in our homes, but let's hope there's as little of that needed as possible.
Anyway, they are telling us to expect to be without power for 5-10 days. So, if it takes me a little longer to return email, you know why. What I am going to try and do is take photos of the ordeal. My Iphone 'might' get service, I don't know. If so, I will email those I can and send photos to my blog.
http://blog.digitalsistere.com/
Thanks to everyone for the 'Good Luck and Be Sure to Hold On to Something' emails, rest assured we will do just that; whether with hands or with paws. ;o)
Damien
