Well, want to start this by giving you an idear of how wide the destruction was/is: Take in the W.panhandle of Florida.,South Alabama,South Mississippi and further North, Jackson had bad damage, and SE Louisiana. Everything below I-10 and I-12 was flooded. The storm went up the mouth of the Pearl River and continued North. Thats why sometimes you will see me post about being greatful to be N. Of I-12. Then 3 weeks after Katrina hit us, the Western side of S. Louisiana and E. Texas were hit by Rita. When Rita was passing below us the water began rising again. Just for reference if you go to "Slidell,Louisiana city govt." you will be able to view a video called the "Day Of Destruction" which will show you what Slidell was like during and after Katrina. O.K. I will begin with the 27th(Sat.) of Aug.05 Well this day began w being up at 5a.m. watching the weather things just not looking good for us. This storm just blew up to a cat 5 over night. This is the day you just kinda sit and watch the T.V. pray this will go some where else. All the supplies were bought. People packing up to leave. The evacuation is tricky because you have a few states having to move people N. Magor Traffic Jams. My family left to go to Alexandria a normal 3 hr. drive took almost 12 hours of bumper to bumper grid lock. At first I was going to leave BUT I just could not leave my husband and my neighbor Bob alone w all these animals. My neighbor has a sturdy house in the middle of 5 beautifully landscaped acreas and he raised various birds and peacocks. We were in a mobile home on our property. We decided to ride it out at Bobs house. Sooo by 4:00p on Sunday had all the dogs crated up tightly in their dog room, got Willbe my quaker parrot put in a safe hall way. Crated up the 2 house kitties. Chicks cooped. Had all the animal food in airtight containers ducktaped shut. Lots and Lots of water. One thing that was very helpful Bob has a "free flowing" artisian well. So off to Bobs we went, just a 3 min walk. Just to give you an idear of the amount of trees we had here if you wanted to see the sky you had to leave. Very dence with trees, pines,several types of oak(live and water) just many many trees. So here we are at 5p watching the news just hoping for that last min. turn. Trying to relax, glass of red wine. Turned the T.V. down put the BOZE on and ate some really neat snacks the weather was slowly deteriorating, We were getting the outer rain bands of the storm, by 11p we were w/ out electricity. There was no sleeping tonight. Steadly the weather was getting worse. By 3 a.m. Bob said he was going to try to get some sleep. We stepped out on his porch to watch the weather we were now getting some pretty stiff winds and the sky was orange. By 6 a.m. we were getting our butts kicked. It was now daylight. Now you could see everthing! The trees were comming down big time slowly stacking around the outside of his house. Luckly none actually fell on the house. This went on until 3p.m. the storm was finally in Hattisburg,MS as a cat 3. At 4p.m. we had sunshine. We did not have a clue what was going on South of us no communications at all. Our community all began working with chain saws trying to make roads passible. what took 3 mins to do (get from Bob's house to ours) was now a 45 min hike. The damage was just unbelievable. Our house was just covered in trees. We had one right in the dog room. Actually crates(good old 5t metal crates) were holding up this tree a stainless bowl was jamed and bending. Had to get the dogs out of here. My kennels were pretty well intact just one had a tree on it. Got all the dogs safe. Then the real trama began. On tuesday morning. Got in the only usable vehicle. The others were all trapped in Bobs yard. Trees down everywhere..Tryed to drive in to Slidell-no way troopers would not let us go in town. Then a neighbor of my husbands family came to our house to check on us. All he would say was the trees and the water. BAD! He died in 06 of a heart attack. So on Wednesday the main road to one of the Slidell hospitals was open. I knew my cousin was there working, head of resp. therapy. On our way there saw people just walking around basically camping in any shade they could find. Keep in mind the temps were in the high 90's and had magor humidity. Katrina dumped 25 inches of rain. I said to my husband why is everyone just walking around out here. Had no clue that south of Fremeaux Ave. was totally under water. Got to my cousin left her know we were still alive. Figured she would hear from my Aunt. No phone service, no electricity nothing...Headed back home. Had no clue about life and living again. Did not even know about how destroyed everything was. Wanted to check on the family houses but with all the trees it was not possible. I knew my parents house and my aunt and uncle's house were destroyed. They were in the rigolets(that lil dip of land on the LA/MS state line). Just min. from the Mouth of the Pearl. Where we lived we were in the eye wall. The only communications we had was a little battery radio. Finally thursday night we heard from our Sherrif Jack Strain who walked us threw verbally all the damage from east to west St Tammany parish. WOW! was all we could say. Then we found a MS station, the damage! wow....! Well now its Friday haven't really ate anything since last friday. The Govt did begin to bring us supplies late that past wednesday. Was very happy for ice. Thought the MREs were great. My husband did the cooking(heater bags). It was just the shock of it all, no appetite. This friday found out the road to my parents house was open and the military were using it to get to N.O( the rigolets bridge was slightly damaged). the twin span was washed away. It basically protected the Hyw 11 bridge and the causeway bridge. Which now was a big command post for all emergency units. Just to breif you on the New Orleans area it was all true the fires, the murders, the rapes, the shooting at emergency helicoptors all true we heard it as it happened. It was all played down. The poor cops down there were in a war zone. Luckly for us the bridges were out and the ones that weren't were opened on purpose. So none of this turmoil could come North. Thats also why the parish line to Jefferson Parish had armed gaurds w/ shoot to kill. This is about when we went under martial law. I was very glad to see the Military comming thru here. We were on a dusk to dawn kirfew. The nights were so dark you could not see your hand in front of your face. We stayed nights w/ our neighbor for 8 days went back and forth. Felt strenght in numbers also we were able to get a generator so now we had our water back.. The sky was loaded w/ helicopters interesting. The second week was beginning, oh yeah! the fly stage millions of them. All the rotten food in freezers. No trash pick up for about a month. Keep in mind no grocery stores, no gas stations, nothing! The Riogets is south of Pearlington Ms. My family home was hit w/ the same tidel surge that hit MS. It was about 26 feet. Everything out there was gone or condemned(except my aunts house). You just never heard anything about our town on the News. Even when the President and every one else had to pass thru to get to New Orleans. Makes me so angry. We were real victims of the storm and surge. New Orleans was busted levys.(Spell?). I am mentally going back to that bad place. I believe we all lived in shock for a long time. Shock basically protects you and keeps you going. Can't have the emotions running you. I am just in week 2 trying to make a home out of our destroyed house it was full of leaves and debrie. Luckly my husband still had a job and he was able to go back to work So now me and the animals were here alone. Still nothing open. MREs getting old, they are high carbs to give you energy. We lived in the front half of the mobile home used a big citronella candle for lite and bug control. My husband was bringing home vehicle batteries to run a make shift radiator fan for air to circulate. Survived week 2. The beginning of week 3, beginning to get electricity. Stores were getting generators and beginning to clean up and get new supplies. Gas stations had generators too "Gas". To run our generator 4 hrs in the am and pm cost us $ 65 a week. The lines were unbelievable, everywhere you went was long lines. Then along came Rita. Just rekindles the fear, parts of Louisiana beginning to flood again winds getting bad again. Was finally able to get laundry done-running out of clothes. After Rita destroyed western La fema did not know where to go...We added new words to our vocabulary: rootballs, debrie, FEMA actually FEMA had a few choice words ahead of it. HA! Life went on just trying to survive. My dogs were all O.K. the cats ended up being outside kitties only lost one silkie. then one to a prey bird. Then the new form of night mare displace prey birds. My lil Min pins were fine but also food for prey birds. Just never thought of it. We were now treeless. For months all I could do was look at the sky in disbelief. I have never seen this much sky! I lost 2 Minpins to prey birds. Actually brown eagles. The end of Sept. Fema and the Small Business Adminstration began making contact. We were waiting for our fema trailer to arrive. Fianlly the end of October we had a home, it was a 30' adventure. Nice but, now I was loosing my dogs. Jordon My boy GSD just dropped dead. That was kinda the way it happened then after him was my lil bred-by Blk and tan min pin, my future. gone and it continued. Then this agressive cancer started attacking my cattle dogs. It was bad. Had those put down(this was over about a year). For awhile all we did was bury dogs. Some even at Bobs. Bobs property was totally destroyed, 65 trees were down and lost alot of birds. The peacocks left before the storm and came back the following wednesday. The cleanup was major and a long process. Rootballs-only way to get rid of them was w/ heavy equipment. We had a bunch. Once we got the travel trailer then we got a new utility poll and by Oct.30 we had elctricty again. I was so used to being in the dark w/ flash lights my husband had to remind me we had electricty. We basically roughed it for 2 mths then camped for 18 mths. Did not even see T.V. for 2 mths. Needed things just normal everyday things. January we found out we were approved by Sm.Bus. Admin. for a loan. But had to go threw the process for demolition and debrie removel before we could think of a new home. This was a long process our old home was demolished October 24 2006. Then the process of preparing the land began. Thought of building but the process would of taken for ever and I was needing to get out of this lil trailer. Kinda scary when bad weather came up. My parents got in a small home in town Dec.05, My aunt and uncle tried to repair there home it was built in1927 out of cypress(still standing today)my uncle died of a heart attack Feb. 06, My aunt and uncle in New Orleans east got a new home in Lakeview just will not leave that city. My Aunt has all kinds of health issues. Lost part of a lung ect.. Till this day the EPA will not tell about the toxins on the land that was all underwater. In some places to get healthy land to grow anything 4' of dirt needed to be removed and replace. My parents land, that house was demolished and the land sold only to find out that to build there you had to go up 18 feet. This was just a quick version of life after Katrina. My widowed Aunt got in a home(July 06) near my parents and we got in our home March 07. I left out the really gory things. Lots of livestock were lost along w lots of humans. Many who were washed out to sea. Well I want to end this on a happy note the Post office called and my baby geese are in.
P.S. Any questions? Will gladly answer.
