Belated Blog Update

I have been unfaithful to my blog and to my blog readers, what few I happen to have. To you who painstakingly check back to read my drivel, I apologize for my misconduct.

It has only been three weeks since our last monster hurricane, and already we are bracing for yet another. Rita is supposed to slam our coastline tomorrow, and already New Orleans is flooding again. After all the death and destruction, I cannot help but compare them to ones of Biblical proportion.

Dad has bought himself a generator, after years of talking about getting one. I just helped him unload it from the back of his truck. It's big enough to power his entire house, as well as the air conditioning. I guess Liz and I won't suffer from power outages too badly, as we live only about a mile from my parents.

I am enjoying the cool front that's been caressing the state today, however I am not forgetting the danger that's churning behind it. I pray for those who choose to remain in Rita's wake, and for those who lack the means to escape her.

The insurance company still hasn't sent a check for roof repairs, but that's understandable, considering the amount of work with which everybody in the industry is involved. My house is habitable, with roof damage only over the portion of roof that extends over a covered porch area. There is also a small hole toward the apex of the roof, punched through by a fallen limb. It's covered with a small tarp, and we'll get by until our check arrives. The only damage that really worries me is the section of fence that was flattened by a heavy limb (Doesn't it seem like we're always working on that darned fence?). I can't remove the limb, because the dogs will be able to jump over the fence. Therefore, the limb stays until the money comes.

Liz is taking her LSAT a week from tomorrow. She's scared silly about it, but I've been really encouraging her. I know she can do this; she's got real "sticktoitness" when it comes to being prepared for her tests. That won't be the real test, however. The real test will be making sure all the bills are getting paid while she's at school. That's what I worry about. That, and how we're going to cover the time she's off work because of knee and hip surgery.

In the Aftermath

This is the first chance I've had to get to the Internet since Katrina wiped out the power in Vicksburg. There were trees and power lines down. We had a transformer that got wiped out by a falling oak tree two houses down the street from us. The claim from our last tree limb was still pending when a second limb, broken by Katrina's winds, fell on our house, during more extensive damage to the front porch area. We also have a small hole punched into our roof, as well as a section of fence down in the back yard.
Many homes in Vicksburg are still without power or phone. We somehow managed to keep our phone service throughout the ordeal, although we are the last house on the street with it.
I can't stress enough how fortunate we were. I received an email from a friend who lives in Biloxi yesterday. His home was located just off of Pass Road. It and everything he owns is now in the Gulf of Mexico. He worked at one of the casinos, and it is now gone as well. His family evacuated to Alabama before the storm.
I'm still hoping to hear from other friends who live in Biloxi and New Orleans. I worry for their safety, as I don't know whether or not they made it to safety.
Gas here is incredibly hard to get. There are lines as long as a mile as far away as Tallulah, Louisiana.
Home Depot opened its doors at 8:00 AM Tuesday morning, running their cash registers, credit card readers, and minimal lighting off of generators. They sold over 100 generators in the first half hour they were open.
I've heard reports of violence escalating in Hattiesburg, Biloxi, and New Orleans. My co-workers brother in Hattiesburg is afraid to leave his home, due to looters. One man shot his sister in the head there in a quarrel over a bag of ice. Of course, it's much worse in the coastal areas. I pray that this does not reach us here.