Katrina Update #36Katrina Update #36The strangest thing is the quiet after the curfew goes into effect.
Our house is about 1 mile from the Mississippi River, and a block from St. Charles Avenue. On a typical night we can hear sounds of the massive diesel engines belonging to the cargo ships in the distance, as well as the sounds of traffic and the occasional streetcar on the avenue. Each night since we arrived the uptown area has been eerily quiet. I know this is going to sound strange, but it is reassuring when we hear the sirens of police cars or fire engines, as it is virtually the only sign that we are not alone after dark.
Which is not to say we feel unsafe in some way. So far, we feel very safe. There is literally no one walking around after curfew. No cars either, except that at least once a night a police car drives by on patrol. On Sunday night, they pointed their spotlight into the open front door of the house to make sure things looked normal, since we were the only ones home on the block. It is comforting to know they are patroling and are on the lookout for looters.
Speaking of looting, we spent part of the day salvaging more stuff from Adam's and Cary's houses. In Adam's case, he had given us keys, and the landlord had been told we would be coming. He was at the house fixing the roof when we were there today. Other than him and a small crew of workmen, we could have just been people taking stuff.
The situation was even stranger at Cary's home. The entire apartment had been gutted, as well as the apartment in front of his. We could literally walk through the front door of his neighbor's apartment into his apartment. Not that there was much to retrieve, but there was some. We managed to grab the pizza oven, which was on the counter, above the water level. Andrea's two suitcases (and some clothing in them) were on top shelves in closets, and were not damaged at all. What struck me as strange was that someone could have just walked in there and taken his stuff with no questions asked. While we were there, not a car passed down the street.
If you want to see more pictures of Cary's bedroom set, you can check them out on this gallery page. I put this page up mostly for our friend Keith Davis, to look at to see if he thought he may be able to restore any of it. Unfortunately, it doesn't look good. He is going to try to take the pieces that stayed above water and make a cabinet or coffee table so we will have something to remember the set. The page takes awhile to load. You can also click on the individual pictures to see a higher resolution version.
While traffic is picking up, it is no where near the level it was before Katrina. At this point, 60-70 percent of the vehicles on the roads are "disaster" related: government, utility, construction, insurance, or emergency vehicles. Getting from point A to point B takes very little time as long as you are on a main road. The minute you go on a side street, you start dodging debris — including abandoned cars. The Louisiana State Police estimate there are 350,000 unusable vehicles in Louisiana alone.
On election day in New Orleans campaign workers for the candidates put campaign signs on the neutral ground. There are hundreds of these signs, most of which are near a polling place. The neutral grounds throughout the city have about the same number of signs advertising roof repair, mold removal, furniture restoration, carpet cleaning, painting — you name it. Some firms have taken to putting dozens of signs in a particular location, just like the political candidates.
Coop's Place is busier than ever. Barry said he had his best October Monday ever, and he has worked at Coop's Place, off and on, for 15 years. The Bulldog is now serving food, and Remy made us some of the best cheesburgers we have ever had for dinner tonight. The city is indeed coming back to life. There is a huge community of workers in the city to clear away debris, fix utilities, and help with policing and firefighting duties. These people are welcoming each and every restaurant that opens. So far, 700 restaurants have been inspected and approved for opening. Unfortunately, there is a real shortage of workers. If you are reading this and need a job, employers are paying top dollar (well, except for the city of New Orleans government — see below). Yes, it is quiet at night. But during the day, people need to eat — and now that the curfew doesn't start until 8PM, they can actually go out for an early dinner.
It won't be long before we will be hearing jazz in the city. All we need are musicians.
- Glen Cozzi will be leaving by train for New Orleans on Thursday. I think Amtrak stops at Hammond, LA because the tracks have not been certified as safe beyond there.
- Jesse is back in the city, having traveled by train to Hammond. Peter picked him up there earlier today.
- Allan's story has been added to the Stories section.
Mayor Nagin loosened the curfew a bit. Starting today it is 8PM to 6AM (instead of 6PM to 8AM). That will make it a bit easier for people to move around and get things done. In not so good news, he also announced that up to 3,000 city employees are being laid off because the city can no longer afford to pay them. This represents about half the city's workforce. No essential personel, such as police, firefighters, or EMS workers will be laid off.
The Mayor also said that the water is safe for bathing, washing hands, and doing laundry, but must be boiled before cooking. This seems to be the case, as we have been bathing in it since Sunday and have had no ill effects. We are drinking bottled water, however.
The weatherman tonight suggested that some computer models show Stan reversing course (basically bouncing off the mountains in Mexico, and being dragged back into the Gulf by the approaching cold front), and that the Tropical Wave near the Bahamas may split in two, and could actually develop into two separate systems — one going to the Southeast Atlantic coast and the other into the Gulf. It could be an interesting weather week, although at this point it doesn't look like New Orleans would be impacted by any of these systems. Of course, that's what we were being told about Katrina way back on August 24th.
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