So I've been reading all this stuff about the coast, and specifically New Orleans, in the news. Some of it is optimistic (Mardi Gras might hapen in a very scaled down way this spring), some of it isn't (city will never be the same, etc.). And most of it is pretty sad.
But someone said something that really shocked me the other day. They said that it was about time that New Orleans was modernized a bit, and this might just force them to do that.
Modernize? New Orleans? Why? A "modern" New Orleans would be boring... it would be just like every other big city in the US. I always thought that New Orleans was an odd mix of modern and not modern... high tech fancy hotels and casinos, old buildings and cemetaries and trees... I don't know what would be left if you "modernized" the city.
William's new house is still standing. And he made it to the coast safely.
And that's the only good news I have really.
Gas is in short supply here. Not because its really in short supply, but because when the prices started rising everyone panicked, and bought huge amounts of gas. Now gas is god-awful expensive, and will be more so by the time the gas trucks get here.
People are stupid.
I, however, have (fairly) new tennis shoes and live like, a mile from Butler Hall. So unless I want to go to Walmart or Kroger, I'm probably ok. The only things we need right now are milk and bread, and i know we won't be able to buy those for like, a week anyway (people made a run on those, too). As long as we don't run out of pasta, I think Chad and I will survive (we sent all our soup and stuff with William).
The French Quarter is on fire. Which is weird, since it's also flooded. I know stuff like that happens, but it boggles my mind.
William headed back to the coast today. Friends have called and said they could see part of his (new, only owned it for like a week) house, and the part they can see is... well, still standing. No idea what he's really going to find when he gets there. His parents were in Georgia, but no word on their house. Pass Christian was supposed to be hardest hit...
Willima took food, gas, candles, a generator, water, an axe and a saw (among other emergancy supplies). He's hoping to find his house in good enough shape to stay in while he helps friends and family find what's left of their houses.
Here in Starkville, we have power. And water. But the stores are out of everything survivalwise. It got bad for awhile, but most of the damage here was due to downed trees. And power surges... Chad's computer (which was just fixed) died (even behind an APC UPS), and the Media Center might have died, too (even unplugged!). Overall, not too bad, and at least we have insurance.
We might be looking for a way to get down to the coast this weekend, and take Chad's truck full of supplies. Not sure we're going to be able to make it work, but we are going to try... I think we'd be there now if we didn't have to teach the rest of the week.
This is my brain..... in part, at least.
