Sad night in New Orleans

Me too Katie. It's going to be more than horrible when we find out the scope of the destruction. I am just sick. I know the human toll will be bad enough and that alone is haunting me, but I am an animal lover too and I can't get out of my head all those poor pets that had to be left behind and the horrow they went through, and still will in the coming days. I am reading reports of people and pets stranded on rooftops, and being electrocuted. A reporter on CNN broke down describing this.

This is an unbelievable disaster. I can't sleep for all the possibilities running through my mind. Let's all keep praying.

I agree. Let us know if our neighbors west of us in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama (and anyone hit by Katrina) need anything. Perhaps we can find ways to help. Certainly, there will be Red Cross drives and other disaster relief drives.

Me too Katie. It's going to be more than horrible when we find out the scope of the destruction. I am just sick. I know the human toll will be bad enough and that alone is haunting me, but I am an animal lover too and I can't get out of my head all those poor pets that had to be left behind and the horrow they went through, and still will in the coming days. I am reading reports of people and pets stranded on rooftops, and being electrocuted. A reporter on CNN broke down describing this.

This is an unbelievable disaster. I can't sleep for all the possibilities running through my mind. Let's all keep praying.

Animal lovers should check out Noah's Wish and possibly consider donating. They rescue animals from disasters:

http://www.noahs-wish.org/

Things just got worse. More of the Lake Ponchartrain failed and now water has entered the CBD and the French Quarter.

We viewed a 20 minute ariel survey of NOLA last night and it was estimated almost 80% of the city and suburbs are underwater. About the only real highground appeared to be the airport.

Simply unbelievable and indescribably sad.

Back to cleanup.

My husband is also a graduate of Tulane, and he started crying when they were showing videos from New Orleans on the news this morning. We can't even imagine how awful it is for you people in NOLA, as well as in other places damaged by the storm.

Ya'll the footage of the hotels. They Hyatt. It looks like a bomb went off there!

It's going to take a long time to get this cleaned up. :(

You have strong spirits, and will perservere, but you're not alone, we're in this one together. Money, clean clothes, affordable housing, pet fostering...whatever you need.

Katie Blue's right.

We gave money, blood, and prayers .... but it seems so little. :(

Someone made a very good suggestion yesterday. These people need housing, and many of us here have these second homes we can open up to them at a reasonable rate--or free. I'm sure some of the relief organizations will be organizing an effort to locate real housing, and I may just sign up for that. We donated money to tsunami victims earlier this year, but you're never really sure how effective that really is. This could be a far more direct way to help. Just a thought.

Someone made a very good suggestion yesterday. These people need housing, and many of us here have these second homes we can open up to them at a reasonable rate--or free. I'm sure some of the relief organizations will be organizing an effort to locate real housing, and I may just sign up for that. We donated money to tsunami victims earlier this year, but you're never really sure how effective that really is. This could be a far more direct way to help. Just a thought.

There were several families staying in our cottages after Ivan. Some insurance companies help cover the costs of temporary housing for storm victims. Best thing to do is contact your rental agency and let them know that you're willing to rent out at a reduced long-term rate for those affected by the storm.

This is a real good way. We had an elderly couple drive into the area from Mississippi with their animals and had no where to go. My home was open and they are there now. My home is not even pet friendly but my husband and I could not be happier that we were able to do this. I checked on them yesterday and you can't even imagine how appreciative they were. It just makes you put some much into perspective. Money helps but any kind of help is going to be appreciated in the times to come.

There are some men from NOLA staying in a neighbor's cottage. I stopped to talk to them as I drove by and it broke my heart to hear what they had to say. One of the guys, a life-long resident of New Orleans broke down in tears. He said that they didn't know what to do--didn't want to go home because there is nothing to go home to.

On the way out of town, the gentleman said that the gas stations would only take credit cards and lots of people only had cash. At the gas pumps, people who didn't have credit cards (mostly poor people) begged those with credit cards to let them put $10 worth of gas on the credit cards in exchange for the cash.

It is very sad.

If you want to offer your homes you can call FEMA and get put on a list. They'll ask several questions about rent amount, pet friendly....hmmmm I can't remember all that they asked. We did it after Ivan.

These photos are unreal:

These photos are unreal:

That just makes me want to puke. There are a ton of Louisiana license plates in Montgomery. Most of them are cars with piles of stuff strapped to the top. Sad day for those folks.

I have been unable to think about anything but the poor folks in South LA and MS. My heart is just sick. Here's a link to the Red Cross Relief fund:

https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation-form.asp

Coming out of lurkdom to add my feeling of shock and sadness,

While channel surfing the news today I saw a clip of a man who said he had been trying to hold onto his wife and she was telling him to let her go and tend to their children. He hadn't been able to find her, the look on his face and the emotion in his voice broke down the reporter who began wiping her eyes and asking him what his wife's name was. I imagine that same story is widespread of people who have gotten seperated and not knowing what has happened.

Sleep may be hard to come tonight as I imagine I'll think of this man and the hundreds in the same situation. It makes a soul so thankful and humble at the same time.

I looked at that photo feeling the same shock as everyone else and thanked my lucky stars that it wasn't my family that was flooded out until I found out tonight that it was. My brother's wife's family all comes from NO. His BIL and SIL have no home. One of the homes with the water up to the rafters is theirs. It's an ordinary home in an ordinary middle-class neighborhood in NO and it is no more. My brother's SIL works as a nurse at the hospital at Tulane and they're surrounded by more than six feet of water and corpses are floating around outside. At least four people are dead tonight at the local Winn-Dixie supermarket because they were looting and then they were shooting. You can't imagine the full brutality of what is happening in NO until you hear it from someone who is there and living through that hell.

Please, everyone, open your hearts and wallets! It's horrible beyond words what those people in LA and Miss. have gone through. And there, but for the grace of God, it could have been us.

I'm wondering what the folks in Hollywood will do this time. I heard that Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio got burned by a promoter in NOLA several months back and are still carrying a grudge, refusing to allow release of recent films there. So many people worry about others around the world. I wonder if they will extend their compassion to people in their own backyard.

These photos are unreal:

WOW!!!! that looks terrible, reminds me of the flood of 93 here in the stl, so very sad........