12:29 AM

Katrina Update

Stayed up late Friday night watching this thing grow. Knew it looked like one bad ass storm. Got my mom out Sat afternoon, telling her to pack all non perishables. Quick trip back to BR, I got out prior to most evacuation as usual.

Sunday, I'm starting to worry in Baton Rouge. The size of this storm and the track over New Orleans would mean bad things for BR as far as wind. Not liking all the windows in my apartment. Charles offers space in Lafayette and we take him up on it...Only a 4.5 hour drive on US 190! On the way, we find that my grandfather has, for the first time in his 88 years, evacuated New Orleans for a storm, going to my uncle's in Covington.

Monday the storm hits. I'm up at 5 AM watching. Communication east of Ascension/Livingston non-existant. Around 3 PM, we get ahold of my neighbor (from Kenner) Ronnie, who has heard from a neighbor that stayed behind that he has 2 in of water in his house. He is in Galveston. We call the neighbor tht stayed behind, get through, and find that while the canal side has water in the houses, she is looking at our house out her window and sees our grass! (We are on a high point that has never flooded... a sort of island in past floods). Minor roof damage also reported. Around 6 PM, I am on the phone with Chris when I hear Erin in the background scream "POWER!" Car is packed and we are in Baton Rouge in 45 minutes. Later I realize my laptop was not packed from Charles's! Oops

Tuesday, mental anguish over rumored levee breaches and rising water in Jefferson after being told that water in Kenner had lowered enough so that the police got Super Wal-Mart open to sell supplies. Also, no contact with Northshore. We assume the best as the news is lots of trees down and no power/cell service but not major injuries. Late at night I try text messages to get a hold of people. AIM too.

Wednesday, things look better. Jefferson is drying. After lunch, my uncle calls. He is on Airline at a Cracker Barrell getting lunch, then heading out in search ice and propane. I have them, so they come to my office and we go home to suprise my mom and stock up. My grandfather is with him and we decide he should stay here, where we have A/C and somewhat more peaceful setting. Also, other family in Tangipahoa contacts us via text. Everyone in my clan appears to have made it through this safely and (so it appears) with minimal property damage, though I want to get back into the places. Cautiously optimistic best describes how I feel about my mom's house (in Kenner) and grandfather's apartment (on the levee in River Ridge).

I also have started recieving calls about locating apartments in BR. Sadly, I can report that you're not likely to find them. Even condominiums have been bought up at an alarming rate in the past 2 days. My complex has gone from 89% occupancy to 100% occupancy before the end of the day today. I suggest people look west, north and mabe even east (Gonzales, Prairieville, Denham Springs). Baton Rouge is about to experience a potentially bad refugee crisis. Traffic is packed with northshore/Livingston residents coming for food and gas and this is the closest location for people from New Orleans to find themselves now that the Twin Spans and highrise are not structurally sound. This is the first real stop on the only way out. Looters have already found their way out of the Centroplex/River Center into downtown Baton Rouge, and things have reportedly been ugly in N BR near Southern today. And that's happened only with the first refugees to get here.

Baton Rouge is a little scarier tonight, but we are high and dry here. Everyone is in my prayers that has been displaced, however, coming here without housing fully shored up is not advisable at this time. Baton Rouge seems full if not overfilled already. I wish I could say otherwise, but the stories I've heard on the real estate side (residential sales and residential/commercial rentals) just won't let me. We're not built to absorb 200,000 to 500,000 people in a week's time.