Three Days After Katrina

I just realized that I'm living in one of the most historical events in history. Never before have we seen an event--good or bad--of this magnitude. I'm in the middle of it. I need to chronicle my experiences before I forget everything and it gets sugar coated--like childbirth.

I work for a nonprofit in Baton Rouge. My husband, children and I were so relieved to make it through the storm unscathed. We actually had a good time. My husband works at the arena. We packed up the kids and the dog and spent the night there. We have a lot of trees and I just knew one was going to land on the house. We played games, I cooked dinner in the crock pot. Even brought movies to watch. The children and I watched Ellen Degeneres' video about procrastination. We laughed and laughed. The next morning we waved at the news crews standing on the levee practically being blown into the whitecaps on the Mississippi River. We chased the dog, ran, laughed, loving every minute of it.

Monday afternoon I went home only to find trees all intact. I secretly wanted one to nick the side so I could get a new paint job we so desperately need. A few limbs down was all. Didn't even lose electricity. My neighbors did though.

I'll add more later. But the Cliff Notes version is this:

My husband hasn't been home for more than 8 hours since Monday night. He's working practically around the clock at the arena with 5000 refugees.

My children are home, watching movies all day. They are banned from the news.

I've been working nonstop answering donation inquiries, offers for volunteers, offers of spare bedrooms from all over the country (just haven't decided which one I'll take yet). This is a logistical nightmare.

Heard today the police were evacuating downtown Baton Rouge due to home invasions, looting, car jackings. Panic CITY! I live downtown. My children are home with the dog. My husband works at the arena down there. Well, the news turned out to be false. I should have known better than to listen but I'm already a nervous wreck.

One parish told me about 300 parishioners trapped in a church in New Orleans. Water is rising. Sent word to the television station. Might as well use them to get the word out. (See above.)

Heard of a nursing home in St. Bernard with 100 residents. All drowned.

13 children are in Baton Rouge who have been separated from their families. Can't even imagine the horror.

The horror stories go on and on. Don't know if any are true. I have to keep telling myself--We'll get through this. Life won't be the same . . . Might not be as good . . . But we'll get through it.