Imagine a calamity like this hitting you.

[bigoledude]

A couple of friends of mine and two family members were partnered with me in raising some chickens. All of them lived in Braithwaite, Louisiana. The incubating and predator control were my responsibility. The chickens were always much more THEIRS than mine, because they actually raised them and enjoyed them very much. Do a Google Earth search for Braithwaite, LA.

Well, hurricane Isaac filled Braithwaite Louisiana with 11-14 feet of water. No livestock of any kind survived! Braithwaite is a tiny strip of land settled between the brackish marshes and the Mississippi River. The flood waters filled this beautiful little hardwoods delta area entirely.

I chose the breeds in the beginning and my friends-n-family would make the choices after that. It was great fun to hear the kids shouting their choices of eggs to incubate. I would sometimes act as though I refused to hatch any of those sorry breeds of birds! Of course, I'd hatch whatever they wanted. Sometimes I'd have to convince their parents to take a few more Polish, banties or hungry Giants. It was one of the most enjoyable things I ever participated in! It is possible that two of the families will not return. It literally fills my heart with sadness to think that these folks will no longer enjoy the lifestyle they were blessed to experience for so long.

My home was filled with 14 feet of nasty slop from hurricane Katrina back in 2005. The government built a 16 BILLION dollar flood-wall to protect us and the city of New Orleans from future flooding. This wall that protected us is what sent flood water pouring into other areas like Braithwaite!

These fine folks could sure use some prayer right about now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I went through Katrina too, on the East Bank of Jefferson Parish. I did not get the flooding you had in Chalmette but after living there over 30 years I had plenty of friends that did. I knew people that died because of Katrina. I used to go fishing out of Campo's at Shell Beach, One of my children and his family are still without power down there. I have a pretty good idea what it is like down there about now. For a lot of people it is not good.

Definitely prayers for the people in Braithwaite and other areas down there. A lot of people have had their way of life changed. A lot of people, including me, did not appreciate how much damage a fairly mild hurricane can do if it is moving that slowly.

You can't build a floodwall around all of the Louisiana marshes. That would drastically change the way of life for a lot of people, let alone the cost. Deciding where to build those floodwalls and how to spend that kind of money are some of those hard decisions some people like to talk about as if they are not that big a deal. Just do it. Yeah. Those hard decisions affect real people. Sometimes they can bring tragedy to real live people, like where those floodwalls were built did in this case.

A lot of people that live in Plaquemines, St. Bernard and Lafourche Parishes are tough people that will come back, but that does not mean they are not suffering now. Other places too. It's Sunday morning. A lot of churches will remember them in their services, but we all need to remember them in our personal private prayers too.

 

[bigoledude]

I always wished they would build the barrier islands that we once had. Just tear down one mountain put it on barges and push the rock off at the Chandelier Island chain.

I will be looking for some chicks or eggs as soon as they have trailers on their land. To give them something to focus on, rather than the devastation that surrounds them. It'll probably be a couple of weeks before they will be ready for some birds.

If anyone knows of a source for nice blue-egg laying Ameraucanas, Marans and some Delawares, please let me know?