UPDATE on DONATIONS

Thanks to everyone who has helped.  There have been about $265 (minus PayPal fees) donated.  Thank you all so very much.  And, many thanks to JBServers.net and DJ over there for donating my web hosting for the next couple of months.  That's one less thing to worry about.  And special thanks to the Jamroom Community for all of their kind words.  We are trying to get our info together to see if we can get some FEMA assistance to do some much needed repairs to our roof.  Thanks again to all that have helped... we don't need anymore help. What we have will get us through until things get moving better.

It is my intention to pay back those who donated money to my family as soon as possible.  I still have a job, but, the place is not operational right now.  I'm doing some spotty work for them helping to get the office network back online (even though, technically, I'm not in IT for the company I work for... I'm a glorified clerk.)  My wife and kids are in Jackson with a friend.  No electricity at my house, but my sister has power so I'm staying at her house right now.  Thanks to everyone for their words of support.  The South shall Rise Again!

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Well, we lived.  If we had been 2 blocks closer to the beach, we might not have been so lucky.  Believe me, if we had been able to afford to evacuate to somewhere else, we would have done so.  This hurricane far surpassed the damage caused by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and has left the Mississippi Gulf Coast absolutely devastated beyond my ability to describe.

This is what it looks like just a few blocks down the street from my house.
This used to be a lovely seaside neighborhood.

Click here to download high resolution satellite images of the Gulf Coast showing Hurricane Katrina damage.  From the looks of them, they were taken sometime on Friday, September 2nd.

Concerning the Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort

I must admit, I was amazed at how long things took to get rolling.  When relief finally came, it seemed very unorganized.  Obviously, in New Orleans, it took too long to happen.  Now, I've read things that have led me to believe that the main reason the Feds didn't step in sooner was because Louisiana Governor, Kathleen Blanco, did not request Federal assistance.  In a nutshell, what I've read stated that the Federal Government has limited powers to use the military in a "law enforcement" capacity and that to do so requires the authorization of Congress or a direct request from a state governor.  I hope that it doesn't turn out that the reason it took so long to help New Orleans is because of some partisan bullsh*t pride on Kathleen Blanco's part.  I also thought that President Bush initially didn't understand the scope of the destruction until he came down here and saw it for himself.  It is a shame people need such visual reassurance before they can believe in destruction on that scale.

I think one of the biggest problems was the lack of communication between government and the media.  In one instance, the local TV and radio stations announced an hour ahead of schedule that water and ice were being distrubuted in certain areas.  I went to one of those places within 10 minutes of the announcement... only to find out that it was going to be another 4 hours before the trucks with the supplies showed up.  When I got there, there were already about 400 people waiting around in the 97 degree heat (with the humidity and being on asphalt it felt more like 110 degrees.)  By the time an hour had passed there were about 1000 people in the heat with no ice or water in sight.  It was not a pleasant experience.

Couldn't they have coordinated that a bit better?  How about having a bit of traffic control?  Or how about not announcing it on the radio and TV until they know the ice and water are sitting there waiting for the people... many of whom came in their cars.  Did I mention there isn't much gas on the Gulf Coast right now?  It came off as a 3-ring circus to me.  My 8-year-old daughter could've come up with a better distribution plan than that.

I used to play music in New Orleans as a younger man.  It tore my heart up to see all those people sufferring like that on TV with no help (we have a little battery operated TV that has a cigarrette lighter attachement.)  I was disgusted by how quickly things deteriorated into anarchy over there... beatings, murders, rapes... looting.  Which brings me to looters.  Heads up, Mr. President and your "zero tolerance" on looting.  People without food, water and clothing are NOT f*cking looters... they are foraging to stay alive!  The looters are the assholes carrying flat-screen plasma televisions out on carts.  You don't "shoot to kill" people who are starving and thirsty because there was no help for them in a timely matter.  What is this... A third-world country now?  Your smug attitude on TV sure isn't going to help the Republican Party get any votes next election.  After seeing the overall repsonse.. I for one am either not going to vote at all; or I'll vote Libertarian.

Here are some satellite images of the area around my house.  The first is a closeup view and you can kind of see some of the roof damage we sustained.  You can't really see that the front house has lost most of it's shingles.  It is also difficult to see all the downed trees in the neighborhood.  The other is a view from my house to the beach... you can see where the storm surge stopped and how close it got.  If you click on it, a high resolution view of it will open in another window.

Closeup of my house

From my house to the Beach
Click for a larger image

Shingles starting to peel off

My power meter ripped off the wall

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