That's GREAT news, mtn-mam. It will be a long time before they are all 'back-to-normal' - if ever.

Got some kinda good news a few minutes ago. My dad finally got to go in and check on our family 'camp' that sits directly on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It is a 2-story that was originally built as a 1 story on pilings and had the bottom closed in for a ground floor living area. The bottom floor has been completely blown out and nothing is left of it. The original top level, however, is pretty much intact, with a few windows and shingles missing. They just don't make 'em like they used to. The washer/dryer/ice maker had survived, but the tell-tale drag marks to the street suggest that someone else liked them better than we did. Haha, let try to fire them up after being submerged for 5 days.
The new pontoon party barge was eleveated in it's boat hoist 25' above water level and sustained major damage from it's banging on the top of the hoist shed. Tool shed and entire contents have disappeared. Both back and front wrap around deck is MIA. All-in-all, it is salvageable with lots of rebuilding - but we had already resigned ourselves to the fact that nothing was left. The neighbors around us and across the bayou were not so fortunate. Nothing left of them. 75% of the camps on this road are gone.
For those interested, my parents' and sisters' houses came through without too much damage and no flooding. Cousin's house and sister's rental took a direct hit, but fixable.
We left a ton of food/water/gas/batteries for the few that stayed behind to protect the others' property. Dad broke his hand cleaning up, but no other injuries or loss of life.
Thank God - it could have been much worse.
Threw up a web page with pix from just in the Bogalusa area. Some are boring insurance pix and have not had time to do any editing or culling. Straight download form the camera.
Katrina Album

Still so much more to do.

Sorry to hear about the damage, but like you said, it could have been much worse. At least all your family's still around to help rebuild. And think about this, you guys can rebuild it just however you want it. I would like to be there when they plug that stuff in, probably on a soggy floor no less!

Truly a miracle that no one was hurt worse than they were.

However, I wouldn't tell your sis/aunt/female family member that her pix with the hair rollers are on the web! She'll kill ya! (Seems a little strange to be worried about your hair curl during all this though.)

Sorry you had so much to deal with. Glad you had the means and ability to be responsive to your family. So, so many don't.

Wow, glad everyone is alright.
Steve you look just like your dad.

quote:

Originally posted by birdies:
However, I wouldn't tell your sis/aunt/female family member that her pix with the hair rollers are on the web! She'll kill ya! (Seems a little strange to be worried about your hair curl during all this though.)

I wondered who would be the first with a comment on my 'Aunt Doedy' - (82 years young). If you met her, you would understand. She is staging a pix with my cigar for her sons up in New Yawk and New Joisey. But in south La - ya got ta party when ya got the chance and make the best of what ya got. Even if it is 98 degrees at nite, sitting in the driveway with a bottle of Beam, swatting skeeters as big as turkeys. Heck, I slept in the bed of the truck on an air mattress, because it was cooler than the house.

Laissez les bon temps roulez!

What was the long line of cars for that were on the side of the road?

Sometimes it's the smallest things that give us some sense of normality. I'm glad that your folks can still find reasons to laugh, love and savor the moments.

Truly a miracle that no one was hurt worse than they were.

However, I wouldn't tell your sis/aunt/female family member that her pix with the hair rollers are on the web! She'll kill ya! (Seems a little strange to be worried about your hair curl during all this though.)

Sorry you had so much to deal with. Glad you had the means and ability to be responsive to your family. So, so many don't.

ARaa - there are two lines that I took photos of. ONe was 1 1/2 miles long waiting for FEMA to dole out water/ice/MRE's. The other was clearly 2 1/2 miles long at the only gas pump running on a generator. The Seriff Deputies were pumping the gas and limited everyone to $10. Just enough to get out of town.

I just got pix from my sister of our 'camp' which we call the Corona Cove. They are in a new album and not as pretty as the homestead. Debating weather to rebuild. Time will tell.
Corona Cove

I'll go down and invest some sweat equity if I can go play later when it's all nice again. (As long as your family is nicer than mine, that is.)

It just got worse.
Received word this morning that 1st cousin was cutting a downed tree from his house in Abita Springs, La. He was on a ladder with a chainsaw. The tree snapped, knocking him off of the ladder, face first to the cement below. Ladder, saw and tree came down on top of him.
He is comatose, on a respirator, and face is crushed. He underwent emergency surgery to remove a piece of his skull to allow the brain to swell. This morning, a CAT scan was done. He is unresponsive, paralyzed, and bleeding from both sides of his brain. Docs said he will not survive.

Please, say a prayer for Ricky Brown.

Adding him to my daily prayer list for ya phat.bak!!


D-man

Oh Steve. I'm so, so sorry. Your whole family will all need prayer support. I'm pulling out the Rosary.

I'm so sorry, my prayers go out for them

I'm sorry. They will be in my prayers.

He has my thoughts and prayers as well.

Geeesh. Tough enough to make it through all that and then have such an incident happen when trying to recover.

I'm sorry and will keep them in my prayers.

Kenneth

I'll toss one up to the Big Guy for Ricky Brown.

Sorry to hear it. Keep the faith.

A heartfelt thanks for the prayers and well wishes. I have passed these on to the immediate family.
There is no change as he is on life support. Docs say that if by some miracle he survives, he would literally be a vegetable.
I hope the Lord takes him soon.
Again, thanks.