More From the North Shore
On the North Shore, our location is in Tangipahoa Parish. Its pronounced with the last "a" silent. Move due east of us and the general level of destruction increases toward the epicenter at the Mississippi Gulf coast.
In last night’s blog, I mentioned people walking out of New Orleans. The local paper had a story about a man who came out on I-55 by walking and an occasional ride. The word the day before was that walkers were coming up along the railroad tracks that run aside the interstate. This is extraordinary considering that a good portion is over swamp and water, and those elevated sections of track are rather narrow.
In last night’s blog, I mentioned people walking out of New Orleans. The local paper had a story about a man who came out on I-55 by walking and an occasional ride. The word the day before was that walkers were coming up along the railroad tracks that run aside the interstate. This is extraordinary considering that a good portion is over swamp and water, and those elevated sections of track are rather narrow.
Electricity has been restored to over half the parish. The more time consuming repairs are being bypassed in favor of sections that can rapidly be restored. Gasoline stations still open and close depending on supply. The formerly self-service stations now have a number of attendants who keep the lines in order, open your cap and pump the gas. The maximum is anywhere from twenty to fifty dollars. Like a minority of other drivers, I’ve taken to the habit of going about with the windows down and the air conditioner off.
The initial policy at grocery stores was have a limited number of people allowed inside with the police keeping order. As electrical power returns, shopping is returning to normalcy.
FEMA has arrived in the form of distributed MRE’s. The post office has begun distributing government checks on a pick-up basis. We also harbor staging areas for telecommunications repairs and police from all over the country.
Today, I helped with loading supplies with a church group. The supplies included water, food and a good number of baby items. Churches figure heavily in our parish, and many have supply networks already in place. I wasn’t the only outside volunteer, as others are looking for opportunities to help. Another attribute of church groups is that they can provide plenty of cooks. The Red Cross is also sending them food to be cooked and distributed at various shelters.
My oldest niece took a collection of donations, and proceeded to purchase the latest need list from the Red Cross shelter. The supplies included towels and various baby items. Tomorrow, she will be undertaking a journey that will increase our observances beyond Tangipahoa Parish. Both of my nieces were students in New Orleans, and evacuated out.
Generally, the tenor of our residents is a thankful one. In closing, I’d like to thank cscs for the kind comment to my initial blog.
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I'm hearing from another "insider" that the number of police suicides and shootings per the shoot-to-kill orders are rising rapidly. Are you getting this information, too?
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September 5, 2005 1:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Dogsoldier:
Years ago, there was some controversy over a new policy that required New Orleans police officers to be city residents. I ‘m not certain if the policy is still in effect. The last I saw was that two police officers have committed suicide. The estimates range from "dozens" to two hundred officers that have ceased showing up. In some instances, the police officers’ families stayed behind and cannot be accounted for, also many have already lost their homes.
A few nights ago, a New Orleans Police lieutenant appeared on a Baton Rouge station. He originally left to obtain personal supplies for his officers, but did not go back as his wife asked him not to. She lost her father and brother over in Mississippi.
September 5, 2005 9:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
P.S. Great Post! Thanks for all your help, from one who wishes they could be helping you there.
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September 5, 2005 1:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
uc,
Thanks for taking the time to provide this interesting post.
We need to hear the human side of this great tragedy.
September 5, 2005 6:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'd like to thank cscs for the kind comment to my initial blog.
You're welcome!!!
Gasoline stations still open and close depending on supply.
I'm curious what they're charging for gas now? Is it obscene?
Thanks again for being our eyes and ears down there. I've given to the Red Cross, but if there's anything you need down there, let us know. I'm sure lots of people here at TPMC could at least try and make it happen.
September 5, 2005 8:33 PM | Reply | Permalink