The Fortunate Ones

I just got off the phone with my cousins. They are west of Lafayette but did make it back today to check on their homes. Yes, they are there. My aunt and uncle, and both my cousins still have their homes with little or no damage. They stopped some looters while they were there so they may still suffer looter damage although Katrina didn’t break their windows. My cousin is having some medical problems from her recent surgery but they sounded upbeat and very, very thankful. Here’s what they were able to tell me that the news hasn’t or rather, what I haven’t heard since I don’t watch TV. The causeway spanning Lake Pontchartrain is... not entirely missing but missing mile long chunks. Its basically trashed. The town where the hurricane made landfall is completely gone. Not even debris is left. Not sheet metal, not plywood, just zip. Nada. Nothing. Flat places where businesses and homes used to stand. If you haven’t heard, but most of you have, Aaron Broussard is now the dictator of Jefferson Parish (where Seven lives or lived). He declared martial law and seceded Jefferson Parish from the Union. His deputies were involved in four gun battles with better armed looting gangs and he took matters into his own hands. The hospitals are appealing to The Associated Press for help. Almost all of the bridges are gone. Okay, all of the bridges on the east side of the city are gone. The good news is, they passed several caravans taking evacuees to Houston. So, at least someone is getting out of that miserable city. My family are indeed, the fortunate ones.