Sunday September 11, 9:45 AM

The Big Trip part 4 - The house

We pulled up in front of the house, past a pile of branches that was defiantly not there before the storm. Our other neighbors’ houses faired well, no signs of any significant damage. Although the aluminum awnings on the house across the street were now abstract sculptures. A New Orleans police SUV passed us, but did not stop. We waited for them to get out of site, before we got out. We were not eager to get stopped again.

The area was dead quiet, and the complete absence of any human activity was a little unnerving. We have had word, or at least are convinced, that most of our neighbors were safe. But I wondered about some of the people who I did not have word on and may never know the fate of: the crossing Guard on Louisiana, who waves to and knows everyone’s car in the neighborhood, the family that lived in the now vacant house next door. They were nice people, and intact African American family working hard to get by. All the families and children Brother Martin from the Baptist center down the street worked with. Their run down playground was always full of kids.

I took out the screw holding the screen doors shut, unlocked the door and went in. It was, due to my very anal boarding up of the house, very dark inside. But surprisingly, not that hot. I set Lyle up with trash bags to get the refrigerators cleaned out, and grabbed a large box for the things I needed. Then I set about catching the cat. For those who don’t know, Hana was a stray, and retains that wild survival instinct. After a few days alone, she gets even more wily. The food was gone, and only a small amount of water remained. I checked her hiding places, small bowl of tuna in hand, and found her under the bed. She wasn’t going in for the coaxing, although the tuna peaked her interest. I flushed her out to a somewhat more accessible place and eventually managed to pet her head a little bit. She was not coming out. Okay, I’ve got one shot. I positioned the cat carrier and grabbed her and held on. She made a great attempt to get away, finally rolling around face up scratching my hands and even digging into my chest. But I was able to just pop her into carrier. Mission accomplished, so far.

I had made a list, but the dark, the need to move quickly, and the uncertainty of what we would find, and just the chaos of the situation sort of blew away any semblance of organization. But I think it was the deserted feel of the area that had the most impact. It was downright creepy. Just to have another friendly face, someone to wave to, would have been a real comfort. I just ran back and forth collecting things. Anyone who knows me knows how out of character this is. But I did manage to get all the important things and a few extras.

I began gathering some clothes, a few files and minor items. A nearly full bottle of Bunnahabhain Single Malt Whiskey made it in the box. I was going to need this later. Lyle moved on to packing some of Christy’s clothes in bags. I filled a laundry hamper with clothes and shoes. We staged everything by the front door. A couple of times patrols and even a bobcat, probably part of the clean up crew, drove by, but inside we were out of site.

When I was sure the street was clear. I walked around the house to check for damage, and assess the status and the access to my father’s pickup truck in my shed at the back. Unfortunately, the heavy roofing off the shed next door had pealed off and landed in my yard. I could not move it myself and it was studded with roofing nails. The truck was fine, but it would have to stay for now. I didn’t think for a minuet that the shed with its rusting sheetmetal roof could survive a storm like that. I was convinced that it would be peeled like an onion. To my surprise it had not been damaged badly. A large hole in the center of the roof was the worst of it, and it actually let daylight in to some of our plants we had secured there. Who knows, something might survive. A secondary post had been knocked down at one end, but it could be fixed. Then I took stock of the roof of the house. The ridge tiles did not hold up so well, and a number were scattered in the grass where they fell, but the roof looked basically fine.

The hardest part for me was not doing something. I just had to leave it there; all the branches, all the debris. I caught myself picking up a roof tile, inspecting it to make sure it was from the run down house next door and not mine, and looking for a place to start a pile. I shut off the gas, but forgot to shut off the main power. If it comes on with the refrigerators propped open, the motors could just burn up. A small concern, but exactly the kind of thing that hangs like a weight around your neck when you don’t have the normal daily grind to keep your attention.

I looked for the two stray cats, Hana’s relatives, who we had been feeding, but there was no sign of them. Another cat I had never seen before was sleeping in my lumber rack (a choice spot for a cat). It took off when I walked by. I put out the little bit of outside cat food we had left and the open can of tuna. Something would eat it.

We loaded up; neglecting to take the laundry basket of clothes. That was about par for the course at this point. But, most importantly, one traumatized cat was about to have her first car trip longer than the three of four blocks it takes to get to the vet. We set off again. I looped around and got onto Tchoupitoulas heading for the bridge.

Saturday ,September 10 10:00 AM

The Big Trip part 3

Lyles Place:

We got into Lyles building and up to her apartment with no problem. The upper sashes on her front windows had been broken and her carpet was wet and beginning to take on a musty aroma. While she gathered up what she needed, I cleaned out her fridge, which was smelling pretty ripe. After that I went outside and tried to find the gas meters. How easy is it to hide a meter? Apparently easier than you think. I did shut off a large water heater, and the main power feed. I came back in and began helping Lyle shuffle her clothes from the musty front room to her living room in the back, which was dry.

The “crackdown” on those staying was clearly visible. While we were inside, some people we had past sitting on the porch of houses a block before were approached by a group of Gaurdsman. The conversations lasted at least five to ten minuets. They left without incident and continued on towards us. While pulling up to Lyles we had noticed a man on a bike, meandering down the street. While we were moving the clothes, he was stopped right outside. A second group of guardsman approached. I tried to keep a low profile, and take peeks at what was going on. The second group seemed not involved with the stop, but merely stood by while the first group talked to the man. At some point we were spotted, and I believe I saw one pointing in our direction. The first unit of about six men of what I assumed was a military police unit came in the front door loudly asking if anyone was there. We yelled back and both met them in the hall downstairs.

They verified my cousins ID and that she lived there, took down our names and dates of birth. We assured them we were not staying and repeated that we were checking for a person who might have stayed. The overall mood was cautious, and not overly confrontational. I tried to keep things amiable by joking about the length of my last name which didn’t fit on one line of the small pad the MP was writing on. Once they were convince we were not hold outs ourselves, they were more interested that verifying the building was empty than with anything we were doing. The obvious leader of the team told us that after Thursday, anyone seen in any house or building would be considered a looter. I have not heard this from any official source yet.

Lyle had a stock of bottled water, and we had planned to give to anyone we saw. Considering the number of Gaurdsman around and the fact that they were working so hard to discourage people from staying we decided to leave it. On the way out, Lyle stopped to get a painting that belonged to her mother. She set it in the hall, but we both walked out without it. The encounter had unnerved us a bit, and we both just wanted to move on and get in and out of my house quickly.

Getting into the car, the second group of Gaurdsman, now identifiable as Michigan National Guard, waved to us. I thought to myself that this is the most troops this city has seen since the Northern Occupation. They were young mostly, with one or two older non-coms. Lyle thanked them for being there and I waved in agreement. These guys are the absolute best. Despite M-16’s and body armor, never once did I feel intimidated, they controlled things with dignity, smiles and unwavering professionalism. It made me proud.

We continued down Prytania towards Louisiana Ave. We saw the white house with part of its front façade gone, the contents of a room visible like dolls house. Photos of it have been circulating. It is about the worst damage to any older house we saw. The Touro area looked okay. I am sure they took on some water, but they always take on water in hard rain. Turning onto Louisiana, the first thing that struck me was that the area had not been cleared as well others; power lines were down everywhere, but the trees were intact. The scene was actually better than I expected. The area seemed deserted, and there were none of the signs of life we had seen further Uptown. We crossed Magazine into our neighborhood. I was tempted to turn towards downtown and take a look at the commercial area of Magazine, but continued on. I just wanted to get on with this and get out of there. As I had heard the music store was intact with no sign of looting.

The last leg of Louisiana was the same, with the trees looking pretty good. No visible damage to the houses that I could see. But I had to be much more careful while driving to avoid debris and power lines, so my attention was not as focused on the houses. The large play field behind out house was deserted. I had wondered if it would be put into use by the National Guard as so many other places had, but it had not. Then, there is nothing past it except the port. Our neighbor’s house at the corner of our street seemed okay. I was worried as they had not boarded up, and their house was two stories. I didn’t see any windows out, but I did not get to examine it closely.

We rounded the corner onto my street and pulled up to the house.

Friday, September 9th 9:30 AM

The Big Trip part 2

The Office

We crossed the railroad tracks and turned up Leake St./River road. The first stop was my office, just a few blocks along the river from the checkpoint. A lot of work had been done clearing the streets. Trees were crudely cut back, and most of the debris that could damage a tire had been cleared off the roads. Again, a blizzard of bits of fence, roofing, siding, branches and leaves covered everything. The oak tree next to Mat and Naties was now in Mat and Naties. A couple of older buildings that had been in poor condition to start were heavily damaged, but still, in general things looked okay. The house Byron Mouton was building on Lowerline looked pretty good. The area was fairly deserted. We passed a humvee with two troopers, who simply stepped out of the way and let us pass.

We reached my office, by Uptown Square and went in. The building has not been maintained very well by the landlord, but it was in good shape. We used the bathroom. After almost five hours in the car it was a definite must. The water was on and flowing. I packed the items I came for and we left. Next stop, Lyles apartment. We got on Broadway and headed for Magazine Street. I noticed an older couple on their porch. The first hold outs we had seen.

Magazine Street

We headed up Magazine Street to Audubon park. The shuttered Anderson-Dibella market collapsed, which is no surprise. It’s been close to it for a while. There is damage to a lot of the trees, but I think a many will survive if taken care of. What is most striking is the encampment of National Guard, in the shade of the surviving trees, and the watchful eyes of the giraffes at Audubon Zoo. I am sure the hear the monkeys howling at night. This was the first of the large military contingents we saw and they were everywhere. The field where the old pool was had set up as a helicopter landing area. Two Blackhawks sat there, as well as a line of humvees. I have heard that wealthy New Orleanians have been able to land private helicopters here and access their homes and businesses. It would not surprise me. I know of at least one law firm that flew in several people. At least they are letting some of the more ordinary types in.

I’ve compared notes with a few other people who made it in. As I mentioned before the official people allowed are doctors, contractors, rescue workers, military, etc. None of us had the official documents to get in, but managed to get in anyway with a plausible story, or actual task. Some have gotten in under the guise of recovering items from their business, or a reed thin connection to an official contractor. One friend simply went in in his “Amazing” windows pick-up truck from his business. Overall they seem to be lenient and sympathetic, and I expect they will continue to be until access to Jefferson Parish is ended today.

We continued on to the line of shops and restaurants. The plywood on the door to Reginelli’s had been converted to a “Neighborhood Information” board complete with the FEMA phone number. Taqueria Corona, my favorite and frequent lunch destination was intact, as was the Art supply store. Lyle commented that it looked like you could have just walked in and bough a tube of paint like any normal day. Whole Foods looked okay. They may have lost a bit of roof, as the level of daylight seemed more than usual, but the glass front was intact. The CC’s café had obviously been broken into, likely for the stock of bottled water, but the windows of Adam and Michelle’s office on the floor above all seemed intact.

The damage was not catastrophic, nor was the looting. These are the stores reported to have been “cleaned out” but in reality had not been touched. Nearly everyone was neatly boarded up. The husband of a women I work with owns one of these stores and confirmed that several out of about two dozen shops had been hit with a few smash and grabs. It is questionable what was even taken. His was fine except for water damage from the roof. Some stores reported looted may have only had windows broken by debris. The Perlis, with its broken window, has been shown repeatedly in the news as and example of looting, but their security gates were in place at the door and at the back of the display window. Yes, they put them at the back so breaking one of the large plate glass windows would not give you access to the store; anyone who was looking closely could have seen it.

Prytania Street

We turned up Jefferson towards Prytania. There was a lot of tree damage, consistent with what we had seen before, one or two porches had collapsed. One or two houses had been damaged by falling trees. We passed a couple loading an SUV from what was their house. I waved, but they didn’t wave back. We rounded the corner onto Prytania. The Prytania theater looked fine. As with the art store it looked like you could just walk up and buy a ticket; Brothers Grim was playing at an imaginary matinee. We continued. The shopping center and shops by Crepe Nanou were all in good condition. The Ibeia Bank branch I worked on was perfect, and most importantly Kyoto Sushi appeared intact. Interestingly, the CVS pharmacy looked completely untouched, with no sign of looting.

At Napoleon Ave. the school building on the corner was now completely occupied and was obviously being used as a headquarters. Its pre-air conditioning architecture included operable windows and they were all open. I was told Napoleon and St Charles is the main round up area and evacuation point, and that seems true given the military presence. We crossed Napoleon. Most of the trees on this stretch seemed to have survived. On the other side, a couple of hold outs sitting on their porch waved as we passed. We reached Lyles building.

Many locals know this house; the one with the big turret at Marengo. The new slate roof was in good shape, but several of the old glass windows, which were not boarded up, were smashed. Bits of glass were all around and pieces of slate were stuck straight up in the ground. Most of the houses along here are quite tall, and I could see several of the older roofs on the surrounding houses had lost some sections of roofing, stripped to the roof boards by the wind. We went in to get her things.