OT. Evacuated again.

Here we go again. Three years ago today, Katrina slammed the Gulf
Coast, and now Gustav is swirling towards us. This time, we decided to
get out early, being as dh is retired and we can do so. After much
organising, telephoning etc., we are in a motel in Hammond, LA, about an
hour north of New Orleans, right on I-55 if we should have to go further
north and at the junction of I-12 if we have to go east or west. At
first, there were "no vacancies", but I finally found one which would
take us for two nights. We stayed there last night, but the whole place
has been reserved for emergency workers as of Monday a.m. However, I
thought that being on the spot might help, so this morning I made a list
of every hotel in town, going from best downwards according to reviews
on TripAdvisor, and we started driving around. We came to this one,
which is not taking any advance reservations, but when I said I could
check in immediately and pay in advance if they would guarantee me that
I could stay until at least Wednesday a.m., they gave us a room. It is
very nice, a former Holiday Inn but renovated, nice rooms., beautiful
pool, rec. area (they also have an RV park behind the hotel). Of course,
we were late checking out of the other place, so had to pay for a second
night, but I thought that a small price to pay in order to have a
guaranteed place to stay.

Olwyn Mary NOT in New Orleans.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Thanks for letting us know where you are. Take care.

Elizabeth
--
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~living well is the best revenge~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The most important thing one woman can do for another is to illuminate
and expand her sense of actual possibilities. --Adrienne Rich
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Olwyn Mary wrote:

Here we go again.


Mi guest room es su guest room.


--
Karen C - California
Editor/Proofreader www.IntlProofingConsortium.com

Finished 7/27/08 - MLI Christmas Visit

WIP: Oriental Kimono (Janlynn), MLI The Teacher (gift to
the library), Bethany Angel (Marbek)
Retrieved from UFO pile: Marbek's Snow Angel, MLI Farmers Market

CFSfacts -- where we give you the facts and dispel the myths
Myths, with research cites: http://www.aacfs.org/images/pdfs/myths.pdf
Newest research blog: http://journals.aol.com/kmc528/Lifeasweknowit/

On 8/29/08 10:22 PM, in article ,
"Olwyn Mary" wrote:

Here we go again. Three years ago today, Katrina slammed the Gulf
Coast, and now Gustav is swirling towards us. This time, we decided to
get out early, being as dh is retired and we can do so. After much
organising, telephoning etc., we are in a motel in Hammond, LA, about an
hour north of New Orleans, right on I-55 if we should have to go further
north and at the junction of I-12 if we have to go east or west. At
first, there were "no vacancies", but I finally found one which would
take us for two nights. We stayed there last night, but the whole place
has been reserved for emergency workers as of Monday a.m. However, I
thought that being on the spot might help, so this morning I made a list
of every hotel in town, going from best downwards according to reviews
on TripAdvisor, and we started driving around. We came to this one,
which is not taking any advance reservations, but when I said I could
check in immediately and pay in advance if they would guarantee me that
I could stay until at least Wednesday a.m., they gave us a room. It is
very nice, a former Holiday Inn but renovated, nice rooms., beautiful
pool, rec. area (they also have an RV park behind the hotel). Of course,
we were late checking out of the other place, so had to pay for a second
night, but I thought that a small price to pay in order to have a
guaranteed place to stay.

Olwyn Mary NOT in New Orleans.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
You getting going and keep going. Stay safe....

Cheryl

On 8/29/08 10:22 PM, "Olwyn Mary" wrote:

Here we go again. Three years ago today, Katrina slammed the Gulf
Coast, and now Gustav is swirling towards us. This time, we decided to
get out early, being as dh is retired and we can do so. After much
organising, telephoning etc., we are in a motel in Hammond, LA, about an
hour north of New Orleans, right on I-55 if we should have to go further
north and at the junction of I-12 if we have to go east or west. At
first, there were "no vacancies", but I finally found one which would
take us for two nights. We stayed there last night, but the whole place
has been reserved for emergency workers as of Monday a.m. However, I
thought that being on the spot might help, so this morning I made a list
of every hotel in town, going from best downwards according to reviews
on TripAdvisor, and we started driving around. We came to this one,
which is not taking any advance reservations, but when I said I could
check in immediately and pay in advance if they would guarantee me that
I could stay until at least Wednesday a.m., they gave us a room. It is
very nice, a former Holiday Inn but renovated, nice rooms., beautiful
pool, rec. area (they also have an RV park behind the hotel). Of course,
we were late checking out of the other place, so had to pay for a second
night, but I thought that a small price to pay in order to have a
guaranteed place to stay.

Olwyn Mary NOT in New Orleans.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
Glad you're so organized, and sorry you have to go through this again. Hope
it's not the terrible experience of Katrina.

Hoping for the best,
Ellice

Karen C in California wrote:
Olwyn Mary wrote:

Here we go again.


Mi guest room es su guest room.


Thank you, Karen, I may have to take you up on that onevof these days.

Olwyn Mary.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Jangchub wrote:
On Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:22:08 -0500, Olwyn Mary
wrote:

Here we go again.

You are very fortunate. There will be many people who will not be as
fortunate as you and cannot afford to pay for a hotel and will not be
able to evacuate.

I personally will most likely never go to NOLA ever again in this
lifetime. My heart and prayers go out to every family who is stuck
there with nowhere to go, no money to get there, and for those who are
still rolling around for these last three years after they lost
everything and our government failed them in every possible way.

I'm sure you will be safe.

It's not like that this time. All governments, local, state and
national, are so very embarrassed about Katrina that they are making
superhuman efforts this time. They figured about 30,000 people would
need to be transported out of the city and then sheltered, so they made
plans. Even though the city has been appealing to these people for over
two years to PLEASE sign up if they will need help, only 13,000 had done
so, until yesterday, when all the phone lines were, naturally, jammed
up. However, there are huge fleets of buses in the city (we passed them
coming in as we were leaving) and several Amtrak rains have already left
carrying thousands, plus the airlines laid on extra planes. Actually,
one of the government shelters is in the same town where we are staying,
which is one reason why we picked it. If the State feels it is safe,
that is good enough for us (there was an official shelter here during
Katrina as well).

FEMA has already positioned massive supplies of water, MREs and other
supplies all along the projected paths of the "cone", the National Guard
was coming into town as we left, and the politicians are hoping that
this will be the "biggest dry run in history". Most nursing home
patients have already been moved - in fleets of ambulances - and
everything else seems to be going ahead. In the meantime, I wait here.
I brought my embroidery tote, my knitting basket AND my sewing machine
and fabric so that I shan't be able to be bored. The question is, with
so much happening around me, and a beautiful swimming pool five yards
from my door, will I do any of it?

Olwyn Mary.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Jangchub wrote:

I am nowhere near the storm other than the outer bands and I hope to
get some rain here in TX, but my heart is breaking for the people in
NOLA who lost everything, and who will lose it all again. I am
certainly not concerned whether or not I'd be bored or swimming in my
pool. Those are not thoughts I'd be having as I sit and wait for the
storm to hit; a storm which has already killed almost 100 people.

Wow. So why are you being so judgemental and hostile to someone who has
used the means she has to get out of the way so the government won't
have to worry about her and can concentrate on those less fortunate than
she? It's not like Olwyn Mary is responsible for the governmental
failures in responding to Katrina or like she didn't suffer any from
that storm. Why are you lecturing her about what she should be feeling now?

I think you're being both mean and insensitive. You claim to care about
millions, but you fail to be kind to one. How many Katrina refugees
have you taken in to your home?

Elizabeth
--
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~living well is the best revenge~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The most important thing one woman can do for another is to illuminate
and expand her sense of actual possibilities. --Adrienne Rich
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

lucretia borgia wrote:

I was glad to hear OM was safely out of harms way but I have been
seeing god awful pics of people (without resources) trying to get out
on busses, trains anything. After Katrina there were all those
seniors who died on a crappy bus that caught fire and I was thinking
of them too.

It was unfortunate that OM mentioned her tough choice between pool and
stitching, it sounded rather "Let them eat cakeish". I believe we
should spare a thought for some very poor people, in the same way I do
for Jamaicans/Cubans or DR people. I can't make a huge difference
it's true, but I am sorry for them and will ultimately contribute
something.

I was trying to make light of my troubles. DH is diabetic and has a
pacemaker, and since the post-Katrina pneumonia I have some residual
asthma, which means I need electricity. The only thing I can do for
those folk is pray, and I do that. In fact, we made it to the local
church here this morning,just for that very purpose.

DH and I have resources because (1) we have worked hard all our lives,
and (2) we have never, ever, spent all of our income, no matter how low,
and no matter what we had to do without.

As I mentioned earlier, the city made plans to get everyone out and
sheltered, and had for two years been BEGGING those who need help to
sign up. Result? Out of an estimated 30,000, by last week only 13,000
had actually registered. Of course, at the last minute the phone lines
were jammed up. However, the city buses have been running their regular
routes right up to today, and people were told to get on the bus with
one bag each, and they would be taken to safety whether or not they had
registered. They are NOT "trying to get out on buses, trains,
anything". The city has the whole thing organised. The reason you see
the crowds at the bus/train station on tv is that too many people waited
until the very last minute, and so of course there is a line. The
people will all be taken out.

I cannot do anything about those folk who simply are totally
irresponsible, and expect that "they" will take care of us without our
doing anything for ourselves.

Olwyn Mary.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

There's a link here to watch the New Orleans TV station's coverage:
http://www.kcra.com/index.html


--
Karen C - California
Editor/Proofreader www.IntlProofingConsortium.com

SEPTEMBER 8-14 NATIONAL INVISIBLE CHRONIC ILLNESS AWARENESS WEEK

Finished 7/27/08 - MLI Christmas Visit

WIP: Oriental Kimono (Janlynn), MLI The Teacher (gift to
the library), Bethany Angel (Marbek)
Retrieved from UFO pile: Marbek's Snow Angel, MLI Farmers Market

CFSfacts -- where we give you the facts and dispel the myths
Myths, with research cites: http://www.aacfs.org/images/pdfs/myths.pdf
Newest research blog: http://journals.aol.com/kmc528/Lifeasweknowit/