Greg and Christy's Storm Blog

After getting breakfast and coffee, we went to the bank, grocery store for a few provisions, filled up the car and hit the road. The traffic on I-10 wasn't bad and we made good time into New Orleans. It is still amazing to see all the destruction still evident a month a half later. We could see huge piles of garbage in front of houses, tons of discarded fridges, over flowing dumpsters, twisted billboards, blue tarps on every other roof. Some traffic lights are still out. No more national guards (thanks guys!), more traffic, signs all over the placing letting you know which business are open. (Quick side note: on the drive from Houston to Baton Rouge we stopped in Orange, TX for gas, forgetting that was where the eye of Rita passed. Amazingly there was a gas station open. It was a wreck, twisted metal everywhere, the McD's and BK trashed and dark. Tall pine trees laong I-10 snapped off about 10 feet up. I've heard people say places the hurricanes came through look like "war zones" and I have to admit, sometime watching the news I wasn't sure if I was looking at photos of Iraq or New Orleans with all the rubble, trash and military.) Anyway, we'll have more details and photos to share soon. We spent the day cleaning stuff up, visiting with neighbors and it's getting dark and time to find dinner-curfew's at midnight! Even though it's too quiet, and there's garbage everywhere, it's still great to be back home.

Wednesday, September 22 @ 2:00 p.m.
Texas Two-step

Nothing like getting ready for a second hurricane in a month. Things are super quiet here in Houston. We went over to our friends' house (Simon and Suzanne) last night for dinner. Suzanne was pretty worried; they have a youngster so it's understandable. She sent us an email last night at 1 a.m. saying they were going to drive to northern Mississippi to stay with her grandmother. Watching the news this a.m. they showed footage of the interstate at a virtual stand still and said it was like that all night long! We got a call from Suzanne around 11 a.m. and she said they had turned around and were back home.

Wednesday, September 21
Out of the frying pan into the fire?

We arrived in Houston yesterday afternoon. After packing the car and wrestling the cats into their carriers, we got on I-10 and made good time to Houston. Traffic was very light. We are staying with friends of friend's parents. The have a house near Rice University and they live in the upstairs apartment and we have the whole downstairs to ourselves. Fully furnished and we can stay as long as we like. How long that will be remains to be seen. We don't want to be the pioneers who go back to New Orleans without power, potable water, hospitals, etc. But Jefferson Parish and the Westbank are getting up to speed as far as services and hopefully Uptown will be livable in a month or so. Provided no more storms hit...

Mass hysteria has struck Houston as hurricane Rita chugs this way. #@$% not again! Today, Greg and I ran a few errands and every gas station has lines, shelves are picked over, C and D batteries are no where to be found. Thankfully our hosts have a stocked pantry (and liquor cabinet) and functioning flashlights should the power go out. We got the last battery powered radio at Radio Shack. It's only a headset, but that's OK since it takes AAA batteries and those are the only ones to be found.

Currently, I have my computer hooked up so we can do email via dial-up. The house we are in is old and doesn't have many 3-prong outlets and none of the phone jacks downstairs work, but we do have a phone that taps into our host's phone line. I'm set up in the kitchen on a card table with a 15' phone cord from the hallway, and I had to unplug the washer to plug the computer in. Not ideal working conditions so both of us will need to find other places to work. Right now, our main concern is to get through this storm. Hopefully we won't lose power, but we are prepared incase we do. So don't be surprise if you see no new postings for a few days.

We have a number of friends here in the area and look forward to seeing some of our fellow displaced New Orleanians. We just take it day by day, rolling with the punches. Thanks again for all your t-shirt/bumper sticker purchases and emails! We both enjoy reading everyone's emails even though we can't reply personally to them all we try to answer everyone's questions via this blog.

Thursday, September 15
Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans

And miss it each night and day
I know I’m not wrong... this feeling’s gettin’ stronger
The longer, I stay away
Miss them moss covered vines...the tall sugar pines
Where mockin’ birds used to sing
And I’d like to see that lazy mississippi...hurryin’ into spring

The moonlight on the bayou.......a creole tune.... that fills the air
I dream... about magnolias in bloom......and I’m wishin’ I was there

Do you know what it means to miss new orleans
When that’s where you left your heart
And there’s one thing more...I miss the one I care for
More than I miss new orleans

-Louis "Sachamo" Armstrong

Got an email from Greg this afternoon. He said he tried to call but the lines were all busy. He looked at several rentals yesterday, and had checked out some of the larger apt. complexes with no luck. There's a small house in the Montrose area that the owner will let us rent for only 3 months. I know I'd have glowing recommendations from my past landlords if I only knew where they were. It will be nice to have some place we can put our feet up, unpack my duffle bag and "matching luggage" a la Target plastic shopping bags. Looking on-line at photos of people in shelters, coming back to homes destroyed by flood water (and now covered in icky mold) and finding out they aren't getting squat from their insurance companies (sidenote: our friend Guy said he's going to write Allstate a nasty letter and send them a photo of his perfectly intact house they wouldn't cover because it was "old"), my heart goes out to them and I know we are very lucky. But I miss Greg and want to get "settled" somewhere for more than a week or two. Did have another good piece of news today, Mayor Nagin said Uptown business owners can come into town this weekend--that's me!! Hot dog! Residents in our zip code can go back Wednesday. And we got a check from our insurance company and FEMA that will cover our rent.

Some people have emailed me to say they purchased t-shirts or bumper stickers - THANK YOU!! Other people have asked me who to donate to. The Red Cross is obvious, but they are also getting tons o' donations. To help New Orleans come back, our cultural organizations will need help. Like:

WWOZ http://www.wwoz.org/ - the Jazz and Heritage Station that does so much for New Orleans musicians.
Tipitina's Foundation also helps NOLA musicians - http://www.tipsevents.com/foundation/default.asp
Preservation Resource Center preserving our buildings - http://www.prcno.org/
Louisiana Landmarks Society http://louisianalandmarks.org/ - preserving the city's landmarks
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) http://www.nocca.com/ many of our famous musicians attended (Approximately 50% of NOCCA students come from families living below the poverty line.)
Neighborhood Housing Services, New Orleans AIDS Task Force, Covenant House New Orleans, Big Brothers/Big Sisters... To many to name. If you go here, there's a list of non-profits: http://www.lano.org/dynaweb/1000316/ei.cfm?M=110&SM=&SC=cat100122&W=M&P=N&S=1000316&U=1&SS=1&&ver=0

So if you don't hear from us here for a few days, that's probably because we are in the middle of going into New Orleans to retrieve things and getting settled in Houston. As soon as we have an address and phone number we'll let you know.

Wednesday, September 14, noonish
"Walkin' to New Orleans..."

Greg left Monday to go to Houston to find us an apt. Hopefully he'll find us something soon. I'm still in Baton Rouge, staying at our friend Kristen's. Not only is she giving me and our 3 cats shelter and providing chauffeuring services, she's also been able to hook me up with the web development company she works for and I've been working on a few projects for them. THANK YOU KRISTEN!

N.O. Mayor Ray Nagin said last night at a press conference, that residents and business owners from parts of Uptown, Downtown, French Quarter and other non-flooded parts may be able to come back as soon as next Monday!!! Power is starting to be restored, water is available in parts (but must be boiled to drink). I just want to comment again that I think our Mayor is doing a great job. I love his comment: during the press conference, you'd hear sirens and helicopters and the speaker would pause. At one point, the Mayor said: "I'm tired of hearing these helicopters. I want to hear some jazz."

Nagin conceded the return of residents could create some confusion and perhaps complicate the sprawling relief effort to restore power and drinkable water to the city's east bank. He plans to enforce a dusk-to-dawn curfew. But a return to the normal rhythms of city life is preferable to the current ghost town, he said.

Nagin, wearing a New Orleans Hornets polo shirt and in a generally ebullient mood, predicted a big comeback for the ravaged city. "I know New Orleanians, and once the beignets are in the oven, once the gumbo is in the pot, and red beans and rice are being served on Mondays, they'll come back," he said.

Read more on http://www.nola.com - THE best source of information on New Orleans - once again I say DON'T WATCH FOX NEWS! CNN and MSNBC aren't much better.

Should we rent an apartment in Houston? It's going to be a while before stores, restaurants, etc. will be open. Will there be power and internet connections for us to be able to work? WIll the phone work better? Just don't know. We just take it one day at a time. We are very fortunate to have a house and neighborhood to go back to. I keep sane by communicating with people via various mail lists/groups. I also designed some t-shirts, most of you probably got my email.

While sitting around, wondering when we can move back and missing New Orleans, I put together 2 designs which are now available on t-shirts and bumper stickers. I'll get $5 for every item sold. Instead of donating part of the money to the huge Red Cross, I'd rather give it to smaller, local organizations that are important to me and the city. $1 LASPCA for their pet rescue efforts and to continue operating. $1 to Faubourg Delachaise Neighborhood Association. $1 AIGA New Orleans Chapter. The last $2 I'll keep to rebuild my business Creative Zumo. We do a lot of work for non-profits and community based organizations, usually a reduced price or pro-bono and I think when we get back, they will need our help, but won't have money to pay us.

http://www.cafepress.com/creativezumo

http://www.cafepress.com/creativezumo2

I think I'm going to also have to include $1 to Neighbors United, the neighborhood group Gaby lives in and that our office is in. For you non-New Orleanians here's some more info on the designs. "Laissez les bons temps rouler..." is a popular saying that means "Let the good times roll." The fleur de lis is a popular symbol of the city, and the colors, gold, green and purple are the colors of Mardi Gras. The other one "New Orleans c'est moi." translates to "New Orleans it is me." It was between that and "Je suis New Orleans" -- "I am New Orleans." Tough call.

Sunday September 11, 9:00 PM

The Big Trip part 5

I am off to Houston to locate a place to crash for a couple of months so Christy will have to take over the blogging duties for a few days. This is the final installment of the Big Trip. I spoke to Lyle a few minuets ago, and she was able to return with a Times-Picayune employee and rescue her mother's cat. She noted that the atmosphere had changed dramatically in the city. Since we went in, the forced evacuation plan has been scrapped and the patrols we saw confronting people have stopped. They are now leaving people where they are, and the mood is a lot less stressful. Anyway, here is the rest...

The port facilities along Tchoupitoulas looked like they held up well. Some damage to roofs, and a couple of large doors blown in, but nothing too bad. I noticed a few Harbor police positioned in key places, and one or two passed us along the way. The warehouses and building on the other side had a range of conditions. A lot of metal siding and roofing had been ripped off by the wind. One or two older building, which had not been in good shape to begin with, had taken heavy damage. There was a little traffic along here, which was reassuring.

We came up on the Wal-Mart. I was told it had been heavily looted, but it was now another military and police base. It was almost as big as the one in Audubon Park, at least the encampment outside the store. The troops were from all over the country. Lyle saw a contingent from New York. I looked for New Jersey, but didn’t see any.

The Saulet apartments still stood. Considering the cheap crackerbox construction of this middleclass housing project, that was a real surprise. I mean, they had to go in and brace the collapsing porches long before the storm ever came along. I am told the roof damage was bad, and that one or two units out of maybe over a hundred had been looted (bad luck for those people), and cars in the parking garage had been siphoned.

The ramp to the bridge was clear. We drove up and crossed over with about six or seven other cars. The window damage to some of the high rises was visible, but as with most things, the newer building, built with more stringent code requirements, faired well. We approached the Westbank, getting one last panoramic view of the ghost city.

We sped down the nearly empty Westbank expressway surveying the damage. There were the twisted piles of what were formerly billboards lining the route. Wind had ripped off awnings and metal siding from many of the commercial buildings, but it was the older and less well maintained that suffered the most. Most newer structures were virtually intact. The further down we went more and more traffic began to appear.

It struck me that this was going to be the life support system that New Orleans would need to get back on its feet. With the Westbank and parts of Metairie up and running, which did not look like it would be too difficult, the French Quarter and Uptown could be inhabited again. Here were the stores and restaurants that will allow people to return home. Lowes and Home Depot are set to do some bang up business. Then they could provide the supplies and food service to the basic Uptown stores and restaurants as they reopen. As often as we make fun of the Westbank and Metairie we need them more than ever, and they need New Orleans. Hopefully, some of the inter-parish squabbling that does nothing but keep the whole area down will abate. We really are in this together, unfortunately there will always be a lot of people who can’t see that, but I think the tide has finally turned.

We soon were swallowed up into the mass of traffic heading for Boutte to reconnect with I-10, and things slowed to a crawl. My traumatized cat wined, but eventually settled down. As we drove fleets of ambulances, police cars, power trucks, humvees, etc. flowed past us on the shoulders, the same whipped past us in the other direction heading towards the city. I’d never seen so many in my life, but it was nothing to what we would see later. We realized we hadn’t eaten anything since we left. Nothing was open, so we survived on packets of cheese and cracker Lyle had “looted” from her apartment, and we had several bottles of water. A bottle of water is something that I don't think I will look at quite the same way again.

The traffic crawled again when we approached I-10. Everything funneled down to one lane, and the fleets continued to pass, weaving their way through the mass of vehicles. Finally we made the sweep onto the interstate, and soon traffic was moving along at a reasonable clip. Passing through the swamps, I saw a ribbon of flashing lights approaching from behind. There seemed to be no end to it. A convoy of easily over 50 ambulances with assorted vehicles passed us by. Count a line of cars sometime to get an idea how long this is. They hailed from everywhere, in nearly every color scheme you can imagine. A few minuets later another, even larger convoy came past. Smaller groups of ten to twenty assorted vehicles also passed. As the sun began to set, the flashing red and blue lights blended into a soft glow. The final notable group we saw was a large convoy of animal rescue vehicles, some just SUV’s, other professional animal control vehicles. A number, we noticed, were from Oregon, but LASPCA and other local groups were well represented.

At about Gonzales, the convoys abated and a spectacular sunset lay ahead of us. We sped on at a normal interstate clip and made it back about twelve hours after we left. I finally got to enjoy a little of that wiskey I had liberated, but I was exhausted and was soon heading for bed. Later that night Hana emerged demanding attention, and has since returned almost completely to her normal self.

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.