Katrina
We are still waiting for phone service to have contact with our friends in St. Tammany parish and New Orleans. If anyone has news about Abita Springs, Folsom, Mandeville please leave word in comments section. New Orleans television WWL has a website with stories and updates from the city and the northshore, wwltv.com
Where and how is everyone? Here's what we know:
*Jay's family, Margaret, Jerry, Erin and Connor evacuated to Shreveport with Etchie and Bill (their home was on Bayou Liberty in Slidell--news from Slidell, anyone?).
*Melissa and her mother were at relatives in Birmingham as of Sunday 28th--we are concerned about her coffee house Java Grotto on the Lakefront in old Mandeville--anyone with news about the Lakefront please leave in comments section.
*Phyllis is in Baton Rouge with her daughter and extended family.
*Aliyah and David have Diana and Mark (home in Old Mandeville) staying with them in Folsom--no flooding was reported in Folsom online, but we still have no phone contact with them.
*My family, Joe and Emmilee, have Bob and Gail Lewis and 12 of their family members staying with them Catahoula parish. They are awaiting news about their homes in Gretna.
We are aching for news from Abita and Mandeville. If anyone can leave word or link us to a blog site with news or first hand reports please leave in comments section.
We are breathing into the scenes we are seeing on television. We are witnessing from afar with our open-grieving hearts and send our love and prayers to everyone in the midst of the tragedy.
posted by Kathryn @ 7:19 PM
8 Comments:
Aliyah got word out to her brother, Dale, who contacted Alex--they are ok in Folsom. They have no power, but the phone line works occasionally. Diana and Mark are with them--they are ok.
Just read in forums at wwltv.com under "st. tammany weather" updates forum, eye witness report from old mandeville--page 48-49 of weather forums--Flood water did come up to Monroe st, 3 ft deep in those areas, but receded due to wind change during storm. Most of the damage is from downed trees and power lines. The area is unpassable and police are giving $1000 tickets to people who are caught in Old Mandeville. There is no news coverage, no images, so people are desperate and willing to risk fine in order to check on their property.
Phyllis made it back into Mandeville with her son-in-law, Josh. They entered Beau Chene Subdivision, which Josh said looks like a "war zone" with downed trees, powerlines tangled, etc. A tree has fallen into her beautiful house there on Bon Fouca. Prayers and support for her and Mathilde and their families. Phyllis is renting a one bedroom apartment in Baton Rouge and will be able to be close to Mandeville as clean up begins and life begins to be restored.
jay and kathryn-Here is some news about St. Tammany--The lakefront is a shambles. A couple of houses are completely gone near the yatch club. Lower floors of non-code houses are destoyed. Java Grotto is a shell-no interior, as is Don's and Rip's seafood. Trees down in alot of houses in Mandeville. Flooding was probably up to Monroe st. Abita getting ok, but alot of houses damaged. The crepe myrtles were all righted and look ok now. The three maples near my house are gone-fell over on your house. My house ok-no damage. Rentals suffered minor damage. Bogalusa has tree thru roof, but ok. We just got power today, but no gas, phone or cable. We consider ourselves lucky, as it seems everyone I know has a flooded and damaged house. Using Julies work computer to send you this, will be in touch when phone lines back up. John
John,
We keep trying to reach you on cell and home phone, but have had no luck so far. Glad you are ok and family is safe and there are no trees in your beautiful abita home. Jay's folks and sister and 2 year old nephew are here in Crestone, still unable to get back to their home in Algiers. Margaret's sister (Jay's aunt Etchie) had a home on Liberty Bayou in Slidell--they just made it back there last night, was 4 feet of water in the home. It had drained out and taken out walls, all their furniture, clothing, appliances all ruined. Finn started school here in Crestone this week, his teacher met me after school and said he wants to take Finn's class to a town that was affected by the hurricane to volunteer in the 2nd or 3rd wave of support and are adjusting their spring trip around this goal, he says he feels it is that important--he says that people offer support immediately following the tragedy but in the months that follow news of the event gets less and less and the public forgets about it when the need is still great in the affected areas. He asked me to help him locate the community that might need and want this kind of support. I told him about Abita Springs and the loss of her trees. He said maybe we could offer to replant trees in the spring. What do you think? So many people here are expressing so much compassion and an outpouring of support for the area. This tragedy has reverberations throughout the nation. I'm so glad to hear from you on the blog, but it will be much better to speak with you on the phone. We'll try tonight--also here is our vonage number 719-404-1866, you can try this one, too and we can call you back for free.
Jay's aunt Etchie returned with husband, Bill, to Slidell and found 4 feet of water had flooded their home on Bayou Liberty washing away parts of walls, submerging furniture and tipping over appliances. They were unable to clean out the refrigerator as it had been dumped by the tidal surge from the lake face-forward onto the floor. They are staying in Lafayette and will return to their home to see what can be salvaged.
Hey Kat and Jay,
Thought about you when I was cruising your blog to look at something other than our disaster area. We're back at the house now (all 10 of us - mom, dad, my brother Dan, his pregnant wife, and 9 month old, and of course my 5).
We really lucked out in my Cross Gates subdivision in Slidell. Monster trees all over the place, but it seems like God pushed 49 out of every 50 that are down in the neighborhood away from homes. I had two on my house. One in the back went right down the middle of back screened porch and put a hole in the roof. One in the front broke a main roof beam about 10 feet up, but it's still sealed from the weather. All repairable.
My dad's subdivision, Westchester, by Our Lady of Lourdes, got it bad. Almost 7-feet of water in his house and everything inside is lost. No flood insurance on top of that. Almost felt like cutting down one of those monster trees by his house and laying it right across the middle, but... My brother and I spent a week ripping out carpet and sheet rock in case their is any chance to save the frame. Waiting for it to dry out to re-assess.
My brother Dan lives on on Hwy. 433 going towards the Rigolets. His house was built about 3 years ago and is 25-feet off the normal level of the water. Water came 3-inches from getting into his house!!!! Unbeliebable. We just knew when we were driving out that it would be gone. Every 4th or 5th home on 433 is just completely gone, no sign of it except the pilons. One house down from his had a 32' boat sitting up on their deck 16 feet above the water level. We originally tried to get to his house going down Hwy. 90 from Fremaux. Bulldozers were out there trying to clear off the road. There were piles of marsh 10-feet high sitting on the road.
Other info about Slidell. My neighbor owns a business on Carr drive. That's the road to the right right before you get on the old Hwy 11 bridge crossing the Lake. A friend that lives next to their business in a 2-story home stayed. As her home was washing away, she clung to a tree for 7-hours. She said the storm brought in 3 separate 25 foot surges of water. Everything on the road to the left of the Hwy. 11 bridge was wiped out. There are only about 3 "structures" even standing on the entire road now. The water surge went all of the way past Old Spanish Trail in Slidell, so all homes from the Lake at least to that point took at least 3 foot of water.
Other than that life is "grande." We are all safe and blessed to have each other.
Matt
Matt,
Slidell took a horrible blow. Becasue its in the shadow of the city we have not fully heard about the devastation there, which was cataclysmic. I cannot imagine the sense of grief and sheer exhaustion of losing your entire home and all its contents. Of course, its a blessing and a wonderful thing that you and your family are all Well and Alive, but i send you lots of loving support for what you are doing emotionally and energetically there at this time. If i feel as if the "whole world has changed" from this experience and i was not even geographically in the brunt of it, i am certain that you and your family's experience of this amount of change in one day is mind-blowing in its scope. Thanks for sharing your story here. There are many people who check in (even tho they don't leave comments) and read and connect here. It is very helpful to our hearts to share with you your story. Please send my hugs to Karen and the boys. And lots of love to you--ka-choo :)
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