Hard Times for the Big Easy
My former home city is in pretty rough shape right now. I hope all my friends there are safe. If anyone from there reads this please comment here or email me and let me know where you are and the status of things.
There are a lot of news articles out there, but most are reporting the same stuff. Wikipedia has a page about Hurricane Katrina and one covering the aftermath; it is being updated as new information is available. I have not been able to watch any television footage, so when I finally saw a picture of the city it was shocking. Ken just sent me a link to some more pictures, I seriously can not imagine what the city must be like right now.
The Governor has declared martial law in Jefferson Parish to try to curb rampant looting. Quoting Wikipedia:
Though “martial law” doesn’t technically exist in Louisiana jurisprudence, the declaration of a state of emergency gives authorities wide latitude in suspsending civil liberties to mitigate the effects of a disaster.
I really don’t know what to say, this whole thing has be quite disturbed. The first time I ever felt “homesick” was when left New Orleans to move back home to Virginia. I love that city like my home.
Update 1: Apparently DirectNIC is based in New Orleans, and they are still online and operating. The company’s “crisis manager” has been keeping a frequently updated journal/blog of the situation in the city. He is also broadcasting a live webcam feed.
Update 2: Sarah sent me several links to pictures that her friends have taken of uptown New Orleans, mostly along St. Charles Ave: before and after pictures, uptown hurricane damage and flooding. Also, I am working with Robbie on shareyourhome.org, a site to help people find temporary places to stay.