Katrina Update #13

August 31, 2005; 9:33 PM

GREAT NEWS! We got through to Coop's Place on their land line (so not all phones are down). Barry, Coop, Matt Gone, Tom Taylor were all there. They are making plans to leave the city now. Coop is going to drop people off in Baton Rouge. Barry's mother is coming down to pick him up in Baton Rouge. Coop is joining his girlfriend Kim in Houston. Matt is going with Barry. Our friends who evacuated to Houston also heard from others in the "Coop's" family: Lia, Steve, Angelique, Zak, and Jaclyn are all safe in Baton Rouge and will be heading to Jaclyn's parent's house in Kentucky.

Jim Eiseman ("Professor Jim") emailed me that Laura found a pay phone that worked and was able to call her mom. She is OK, and trying to figure out how to get out of town with (presumably) Tom, Cheryl, Bubba, and anyone else who stayed.

Unfortunately, no one there has heard from Jason or Amber - we really hope they made it to the Superdome.

Now the not so good news. I am sure you have all seen the pictures on the news. The flood waters have crested, and are receding at the rate of 1/2 inch per hour. This will continue (except through high tide) until full equalization has occurred between the level of water in the city and the level in Lake Pontchartrain. The good news for us is that all the information we have been able to obtain on the Internet indicates our house was spared any flood waters. I hope to have some maps, including elevation maps, on my web site in the next day or so.

The mayor said hundreds - perhaps thousands are dead in New Orleans alone.

Now that the water level has "equalized," officials will attempt to seal the breech in the levee with 15,000 pounds of sandbags, airlifted by Blackhawk helicopters. This has never been tried before. It if doesn't work, a barge full of rocks is at the ready to seal off the entrance of the water into Lake Pontchartrain so the canal's water can be drained when the pumps are turned on.

Many of our friends and extended family members have offered Janis or myself money and places to stay. We are so grateful for all the offers. We are so much more fortunate than other victims because most of our income is not dependant on anyone or anything in New Orleans.

What many people are telling us is that they would like to give money to someone where they know it will do some good, rather than to an organization where they are not sure how the money will be used. Janis and I discussed this, and have decided to provide an alternative for anyone who feels this way.

Coop lost everything except what he has in his bar and the apartment above it. My son Adam and his girlfriend Megan lost all their belongings, except what they could bring with them. Cary also lost all his belongings, including a bedroom set that was mine when I was a child. We have many friends who have been displaced from their homes. Some are still in New Orleans, and even after they are evacuated to Houston (or wherever), they will not have the resources to travel and be reunited with loved ones, and, have lost everything except the clothes on their back.

So here is our idea: I have a PayPal account that I rarely use. If you would like to donate money, and trust me to be a good steward of your funds you can PayPal it to me. You can get more information on my web site (www.macchuck.com) or donate here.

PREVIOUS | NEXT