Last night around 8:30pm I called our house in New Orleans and after the fourth ring, our answering machine picked up. We had power!
I immediately called Steve and he confirmed later that we did indeed have power. If it had not been so late, I would have packed up and driven home last night, but I waited until this morning. The ride home took me 3 1/2 hours, much better than the ten hour ordeal I experienced several days ago.
On my return home I listened to the various news shows on the radio. I heard a few returning residents refer to this evacuation as a "false alarm." That statement suggests that a much larger number of people will stay for the next storm threat. That would not be good.
Steve read this blog when he was finally able to and one of the comments he made was, "I'm glad it isn't as exciting a read as the last one." It wasn't meant as an insult. He was referring to the blog I kept during our evacuation for Katrina three years ago. I had to agree with him. I'm glad this one will come to a close much sooner and with much better results.
It is good to be back home.
(This will be my last post. After a while, I will remove the contents of this blog.)
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Power-less
Entergy has restored electricity to parts of New Orleans but as of this post, we still don't have power at our house. Our friends, who evacuated and stayed at the condo with me, have power at their house. They decided to head home today. It was good to have friends around during our exile, but at the same time, we were beginning to experience cabin fever and storm fatigue. I know they'll be glad to be back home later today.
Some of Steve's co-workers spent last night in their power-less homes and at work this morning, they reported difficulty sleeping because they were "sweating throughout the night." We also had reports, in New Orleans, of problems with sewage backup. The city is urging citizens to conserve water. Hearing this, I can only imagine how uncomfortable it is for some people to be back in New Orleans, but at the same time, I can also imagine how good it feels to be back in their own homes.
As I was running along bike path on the beach this morning, thinking about people returning to homes without electricity, several thoughts struck me. While growing up on the reservation in Arizona, I can recall our community experiencing the loss of power several times a year. The restoration of power would usually take a day or two, but because we lived in a rural area, there were many times when we went without electricity for weeks. Once or twice a year, we would also lose water; the community's reservoirs having run dry. This would force us to make runs to a well a mile from the house, once or twice a week, to replenish our supply. In that sense, life as a kid during those times of doing without power and water, was no different than life in New Orleans, for some people, at this very moment. (This is not to discount the families on the reservation who continue to live without electricity and who still have to haul water, for daily use, from distant sources.) Plus, I miss our home in New Orleans. So, in theory, I could return to the city right now and "tough it out." Realizing that I have a choice, however, I think the dogs and I will continue our stay at the condo, living in comfort, for another day. I'll review our situation tomorrow.
Some of Steve's co-workers spent last night in their power-less homes and at work this morning, they reported difficulty sleeping because they were "sweating throughout the night." We also had reports, in New Orleans, of problems with sewage backup. The city is urging citizens to conserve water. Hearing this, I can only imagine how uncomfortable it is for some people to be back in New Orleans, but at the same time, I can also imagine how good it feels to be back in their own homes.
As I was running along bike path on the beach this morning, thinking about people returning to homes without electricity, several thoughts struck me. While growing up on the reservation in Arizona, I can recall our community experiencing the loss of power several times a year. The restoration of power would usually take a day or two, but because we lived in a rural area, there were many times when we went without electricity for weeks. Once or twice a year, we would also lose water; the community's reservoirs having run dry. This would force us to make runs to a well a mile from the house, once or twice a week, to replenish our supply. In that sense, life as a kid during those times of doing without power and water, was no different than life in New Orleans, for some people, at this very moment. (This is not to discount the families on the reservation who continue to live without electricity and who still have to haul water, for daily use, from distant sources.) Plus, I miss our home in New Orleans. So, in theory, I could return to the city right now and "tough it out." Realizing that I have a choice, however, I think the dogs and I will continue our stay at the condo, living in comfort, for another day. I'll review our situation tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The Waiting Game or
Making The Most Of It
Steve drove to the house this morning. He reports that there are a few fallen tree branches in both the front and back yards, which is what we expected. The house itself is fine. There are no broken windows and the structure is intact. However, we don't have power. In fact, most of New Orleans does not have power.
Officials from Entergy, the power company that supplies our city, report damage to the transmission lines between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Until these lines are repaired, we will continue to be without power. Entergy estimates that it may take up to ten days to repair these lines and to restore power to the city. This means that unless buildings have been outfitted with generators, there is no refrigeration, not just in houses, but also in grocery stores and restaurants. Likewise, there will be no air conditioning. With high humidity and temperatures hovering in the 90s, conditions will be difficult for a lot of people.
The supply of gasoline is also limited at this time. On his drive between work and our house this morning, Steve saw only two gas stations open. Both were manned by police officers directing the flow of cars through the pumps. Tulane University was originally scheduled to reopen on Monday, September 8, but with no power, the administrators are considering delaying the reopening of the school by another week.
The roads leading into New Orleans and the rest of southeast Louisiana are now open, but we're going to stay in Pensacola for a few more days. With the house intact and secure, why return to a city with less than ideal conditions? Instead, the boys (Chip and Dale) and I will drive to Birmingham this weekend. Steve and I had planned to go to the Alabama-Tulane football game this weekend. So we'll meet him there and see if there is any progress in New Orleans before deciding our next course of action. By Sunday, we should have a better idea whether or not Ike, currently a tropical storm in the Atlantic, has plans to enter the Gulf of Mexico. Also, our clinic will be closed for the remainder of this week, so there is no rush to return home.
Making the most of our exile, the dogs and I have been taking walks along the beach. This morning I watched Chip prance along beside me, on a bike path lit with horizontal beams of light from the rising sun. With the wind blowing through the hair on top of his head, he looked content. My friends staying with me in Pensacola are still deciding what to do. Until we know more, we're going to make the most of our current situation.
Officials from Entergy, the power company that supplies our city, report damage to the transmission lines between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Until these lines are repaired, we will continue to be without power. Entergy estimates that it may take up to ten days to repair these lines and to restore power to the city. This means that unless buildings have been outfitted with generators, there is no refrigeration, not just in houses, but also in grocery stores and restaurants. Likewise, there will be no air conditioning. With high humidity and temperatures hovering in the 90s, conditions will be difficult for a lot of people.
The supply of gasoline is also limited at this time. On his drive between work and our house this morning, Steve saw only two gas stations open. Both were manned by police officers directing the flow of cars through the pumps. Tulane University was originally scheduled to reopen on Monday, September 8, but with no power, the administrators are considering delaying the reopening of the school by another week.
The roads leading into New Orleans and the rest of southeast Louisiana are now open, but we're going to stay in Pensacola for a few more days. With the house intact and secure, why return to a city with less than ideal conditions? Instead, the boys (Chip and Dale) and I will drive to Birmingham this weekend. Steve and I had planned to go to the Alabama-Tulane football game this weekend. So we'll meet him there and see if there is any progress in New Orleans before deciding our next course of action. By Sunday, we should have a better idea whether or not Ike, currently a tropical storm in the Atlantic, has plans to enter the Gulf of Mexico. Also, our clinic will be closed for the remainder of this week, so there is no rush to return home.
Making the most of our exile, the dogs and I have been taking walks along the beach. This morning I watched Chip prance along beside me, on a bike path lit with horizontal beams of light from the rising sun. With the wind blowing through the hair on top of his head, he looked content. My friends staying with me in Pensacola are still deciding what to do. Until we know more, we're going to make the most of our current situation.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
"Let Mother Nature Take Its Course"
The cell phone service in New Orleans still appears to be down. I can't call Steve, but I'm not worried. I took the photo above as we had lunch yesterday at Hemingway's, a restaurant on Pensacola Beach. It's an image of the Santa Rosa Sound on the north side of the beach. The water level, part of the surge from Gustav, almost tops the dock. Ordinarily there would be some distance below the bottom of the dock and the normal water level. On our drive through the beach, some of the low lying areas had flooding, but for the most part, the beach was fine.
One of our friends, staying here with me at the condo, is a member of the administration at Tulane University. On a conference call yesterday afternoon he learned that power was out throughout Uptown New Orleans, where Tulane is located and its also the part of town where we live. There are some tree branches and fallen power lines blocking the streets. Most importantly, there is no flooding.
Now, we wait. The storm has passed. City officials have state troopers and National Guard blocking roads that lead into the city. The headlines on one of the New Orleans news websites has a headline that reads: "Evacuees Ordered To Stay Away Today," and " Re-entry only days away, not weeks." So, until we receive word that its okay to return home, we'll continue to stay on Pensacola Beach.
Nearly two million people evacuated southeast Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. When the roads are opened, many are going to want to get home to check their property, so that they can clear debris, repair any damage that may have occurred, and most importantly to secure their homes. You can imagine the traffic jams that will occur as a result. I dread making the trip home, made worse by the knowledge that many of the gas stations in and around New Orleans have empty reservoirs. We'll have to top-off our tanks somewhere along the ride home. My friends and I are guessing that we may receive word to return home as early as Thursday morning.
This morning I woke up and I turned on the TV to check the latest news. The first words I heard were "Seek shelter now. There is a tornado warning in Pensacola." I looked out the window and saw dark clouds headed north. The city of Pensacola is located about five miles north of Pensacola Beach. I can see the city if I look out from the balcony of the condo. Below the dark clouds, there was fog covering the entire city, so my view was obscured. We're still feeling the remnants of Gustav. It's cloudy and every now and then, the last few bands of rain pass through the area.
During Katrina three years ago, we received calls from family and friends from different parts of the country. They were concerned about our safety. It was then that I decided to keep a blog to keep everyone informed. Seeing that a similar situation might occur with Gustav, I started this blog with the same intent.
Thank you to everyone for the emails and the phone calls. One of the best pieces of advice I received over the past few days comes from an uncle who told me "stop getting excited and let Mother Nature take its course." Since moving to New Orleans, we've now gone through two evacuations due to approaching hurricanes and for Gustav, we were better prepared. We knew what I needed for the evacuation and more importantly, what I didn't need. We had a plan and we carried it out, and the wait, which I'm now going through, is a lot less stressful. I arrived at this state of mind in the months after Hurricane Katrina when I realized that I can't control what happens. That is what I take from my uncle's advice. I also glean the message that I am a small part of this world, the same world that Mother Nature, with her winds and her rains, has occupied for a lot longer than any of us.
Monday, September 1, 2008
T minus zero
(This post will have updates throughout the day.)
7:00am: "The Beginning" --- New Orleans is currently receiving tropical storm force winds and rain. Gustav has not made landfall yet. I received the following photo from Steve, taken a few minutes ago. He's hunkered down at the hospital.
A view outside East Jefferson Hospital
in Metairie, LA, taken 7am.
In Pensacola, we have tornado watches and warnings around the city, and also west of us, near Mobile, AL. On the beach, the waves look rough. From the balcony, I see some people cautiously approaching the beach. Ominous clouds, from the outer bands of Hurricane Gustav, race through the sky. We have some rain here but not as much as you would think.
Our friends are safe. They've evacuated to different cities in the South: Jackson, MS, Memphis, TN, and here on Pensacola Beach. We're all watching the news.
8:45am: "Downgrade" --- Steve reports that the hospital has been using its power generators since around 6am, indicating, they've lost power. A little while ago, Gustav was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. This is good news. A less powerful storm will hit the shores of the Louisiana coast, but the problem in New Orleans isn't the storm itself, the wind or the rain. The problem could be the levee system and the question on the minds of most New Orleanians is: Will the levees hold? Gustav will create storm surges, Gulf water that may top the barriers that surround the city. The other source of flooding could come from the Mississippi River topping the levees. There has always been the fear that if a hurricane strikes near the mouth of the Mississippi River, it may push Gulf waters north, into the mouth of the River, forcing water to backup. If this happens, the river's flow could slow, causing levels to rise, including the portion that runs right through the middle of New Orleans. On Pensacola Beach, we have waves of clouds with rain passing overhead. In between, there are splashes of sunshine. I still see curious people walking up to the edge of the ocean.
10:14am: "Will the levees hold?" --- Gustav made landfall at Cocodrie, Louisiana, southwest of New Orleans, several minutes ago. Steve texted me the following message: "Talked to Kim No damage No Power Very Windy." Kim is a neighbor who lives three houses away from us. She watches our dogs when we leave town. She stayed for the storm. I'm watching images on TV, of the storm surge topping the west side of the Industrial Canal, "the New Orleans side." The Upper Ninth Ward is on the west side, as is the French Quarter. We live farther west, outside the map below. The Lower Ninth Ward, devastated after Katrina, is east of the canal. I marked the locations of the French Quarter, the Upper and Lower Ninth Wards, and the Canal on the map below.
10:00pm: I lost contact with Steve this afternoon. When we last spoke he said that some people at the hospital were starting to lose cell phone coverage, so I imagine this is what happened. One of my text messages I sent earlier today appears to have gotten through. He responded a few hours later.
7:00am: "The Beginning" --- New Orleans is currently receiving tropical storm force winds and rain. Gustav has not made landfall yet. I received the following photo from Steve, taken a few minutes ago. He's hunkered down at the hospital.
in Metairie, LA, taken 7am.
In Pensacola, we have tornado watches and warnings around the city, and also west of us, near Mobile, AL. On the beach, the waves look rough. From the balcony, I see some people cautiously approaching the beach. Ominous clouds, from the outer bands of Hurricane Gustav, race through the sky. We have some rain here but not as much as you would think.
Our friends are safe. They've evacuated to different cities in the South: Jackson, MS, Memphis, TN, and here on Pensacola Beach. We're all watching the news.
8:45am: "Downgrade" --- Steve reports that the hospital has been using its power generators since around 6am, indicating, they've lost power. A little while ago, Gustav was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. This is good news. A less powerful storm will hit the shores of the Louisiana coast, but the problem in New Orleans isn't the storm itself, the wind or the rain. The problem could be the levee system and the question on the minds of most New Orleanians is: Will the levees hold? Gustav will create storm surges, Gulf water that may top the barriers that surround the city. The other source of flooding could come from the Mississippi River topping the levees. There has always been the fear that if a hurricane strikes near the mouth of the Mississippi River, it may push Gulf waters north, into the mouth of the River, forcing water to backup. If this happens, the river's flow could slow, causing levels to rise, including the portion that runs right through the middle of New Orleans. On Pensacola Beach, we have waves of clouds with rain passing overhead. In between, there are splashes of sunshine. I still see curious people walking up to the edge of the ocean.
10:14am: "Will the levees hold?" --- Gustav made landfall at Cocodrie, Louisiana, southwest of New Orleans, several minutes ago. Steve texted me the following message: "Talked to Kim No damage No Power Very Windy." Kim is a neighbor who lives three houses away from us. She watches our dogs when we leave town. She stayed for the storm. I'm watching images on TV, of the storm surge topping the west side of the Industrial Canal, "the New Orleans side." The Upper Ninth Ward is on the west side, as is the French Quarter. We live farther west, outside the map below. The Lower Ninth Ward, devastated after Katrina, is east of the canal. I marked the locations of the French Quarter, the Upper and Lower Ninth Wards, and the Canal on the map below.
10:00pm: I lost contact with Steve this afternoon. When we last spoke he said that some people at the hospital were starting to lose cell phone coverage, so I imagine this is what happened. One of my text messages I sent earlier today appears to have gotten through. He responded a few hours later.
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