Katrina: (Day 3) Aftermath
08/31/2005 08:22 Filed in: Miscellaneous
KATRINA: DAY 3 (AFTERMATH)
Above: New Orleans on Tuesday
As the remnants of Katrina hit the Ohio Valley yesterday, it rained all day. I thought to myself more than once that it felt like Louisiana rain. In Louisiana, it can rain all day or continuously for days at a time. It rarely rains for very long here in Kentucky--at least not by comparison. But with all the rain yesterday and the high winds that soaked my pants even while I was carrying an umbrella, I didn't complain. I had a dry library in which to go study and a home that protected my "stuff" from all the elements. Even with a flood watch in the area, I had no real reason for concern.
Not so in towns and cities along the gulf where Katrina waged her destruction. From this point on people who live(d) in places like New Orleans and Biloxi and Gulfport will mark their mental calendars with BK and AK: before Katrina and after Katrina. August 29, 2005 is the day they will never forget. New Orleans and these other cities, even after being rebuilt, will never be the same.
I woke up this morning and began scanning news reports on the internet for anything new, but there's not much new from last night. Once the sun set, most of the rescue efforts were called off. There's no electricity, no light. You can't see to save people. Yesterday, reports tell us that over 3,000 people were saved from rooftops, many of whom had to hack their way out of attics.
Originally it was thought that the Big Easy was spared, but then the levee system in New Orleans failed and the city as of yesterday was 80% under water. I wouldn't be surprised if it's not worse by this morning, maybe almost 100%. The governor has ordered the evacuation of the city, and that includes the approximate 15,000 who sought refuge in the Superbowl. But where will they go? All the people who were able to flee the city and booked rooms in hotels further north--what do they do now? My mother says that every hotel room in Ruston, Louisiana where she lives is taken. But how long can you stay in a hotel? And what happens when the money runs out, but there's no more paychecks coming because the city where you worked and lived is no longer there and therefore you are unemployed by default? Plus, there's no longer an electric system. Currently there is no easy access to clean water, let alone a food supply. This is going to be a process, a long process.
And that also includes towns like Helen, Georgia which was known as a quaint little vacation getaway. Tornados spawned by Katrina destroyed it. It's gone.
In New Orleans they say that it will take a month to pump the water out, and they are projecting two months before schools are open. I think that's overly optimistic. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I don't know if I would count on any classes for the public schools, the universities such as Tulane and UNO or even the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for the rest of the semester. People's lives are going to be forever changed because of this.
I also heard yesterday that there will be more water to come. As Katrina dumped all her rain on us in the Ohio Valley yesterday, that water will run into the Ohio River. The Ohio River will take it to the Mississippi River which will in turn carry it back to the deluged gulf cities.
On a personal note, I have two first cousins directly affected by the hurricane. One lives in Gulfport and the other lives lives just west of New Orleans. They are both safe and sound, but as of this writing have no idea what they will go back to or yet, when they can go back. I also have four friends from college who live in the area, three in New Orleans and one in southeast Louisiana. You can't even call cell phones because the numbers are routed through the devastated area and calls just can't get through. I sent emails to all four of them, but that assumes they could be somewhere that emails could reach them.
In the meantime we continue to pray, trusting in the God who is aware of even the sparrow that falls to the ground (Matt 2:29) and counts his children of even much more value. And although many churches will take offerings for aid this coming Sunday, you can also send funds directly to a number of relief agencies that are already being mobilized such as the Disaster Relief Branch of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board .
Above: New Orleans on Tuesday
As the remnants of Katrina hit the Ohio Valley yesterday, it rained all day. I thought to myself more than once that it felt like Louisiana rain. In Louisiana, it can rain all day or continuously for days at a time. It rarely rains for very long here in Kentucky--at least not by comparison. But with all the rain yesterday and the high winds that soaked my pants even while I was carrying an umbrella, I didn't complain. I had a dry library in which to go study and a home that protected my "stuff" from all the elements. Even with a flood watch in the area, I had no real reason for concern.
Not so in towns and cities along the gulf where Katrina waged her destruction. From this point on people who live(d) in places like New Orleans and Biloxi and Gulfport will mark their mental calendars with BK and AK: before Katrina and after Katrina. August 29, 2005 is the day they will never forget. New Orleans and these other cities, even after being rebuilt, will never be the same.
I woke up this morning and began scanning news reports on the internet for anything new, but there's not much new from last night. Once the sun set, most of the rescue efforts were called off. There's no electricity, no light. You can't see to save people. Yesterday, reports tell us that over 3,000 people were saved from rooftops, many of whom had to hack their way out of attics.
Originally it was thought that the Big Easy was spared, but then the levee system in New Orleans failed and the city as of yesterday was 80% under water. I wouldn't be surprised if it's not worse by this morning, maybe almost 100%. The governor has ordered the evacuation of the city, and that includes the approximate 15,000 who sought refuge in the Superbowl. But where will they go? All the people who were able to flee the city and booked rooms in hotels further north--what do they do now? My mother says that every hotel room in Ruston, Louisiana where she lives is taken. But how long can you stay in a hotel? And what happens when the money runs out, but there's no more paychecks coming because the city where you worked and lived is no longer there and therefore you are unemployed by default? Plus, there's no longer an electric system. Currently there is no easy access to clean water, let alone a food supply. This is going to be a process, a long process.
And that also includes towns like Helen, Georgia which was known as a quaint little vacation getaway. Tornados spawned by Katrina destroyed it. It's gone.
In New Orleans they say that it will take a month to pump the water out, and they are projecting two months before schools are open. I think that's overly optimistic. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I don't know if I would count on any classes for the public schools, the universities such as Tulane and UNO or even the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for the rest of the semester. People's lives are going to be forever changed because of this.
I also heard yesterday that there will be more water to come. As Katrina dumped all her rain on us in the Ohio Valley yesterday, that water will run into the Ohio River. The Ohio River will take it to the Mississippi River which will in turn carry it back to the deluged gulf cities.
On a personal note, I have two first cousins directly affected by the hurricane. One lives in Gulfport and the other lives lives just west of New Orleans. They are both safe and sound, but as of this writing have no idea what they will go back to or yet, when they can go back. I also have four friends from college who live in the area, three in New Orleans and one in southeast Louisiana. You can't even call cell phones because the numbers are routed through the devastated area and calls just can't get through. I sent emails to all four of them, but that assumes they could be somewhere that emails could reach them.
In the meantime we continue to pray, trusting in the God who is aware of even the sparrow that falls to the ground (Matt 2:29) and counts his children of even much more value. And although many churches will take offerings for aid this coming Sunday, you can also send funds directly to a number of relief agencies that are already being mobilized such as the Disaster Relief Branch of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board .