an excerpt from my hurricane diary part one.

I had just had my birthday, and Kim’s was in front of us. It was Saturday and a hurricane was turning towards New Orleans. I can remember looking up at the TV set at work, thinking it was all okay, and realizing that we weren't. I thought it was odd that the year before when Ivan was coming they had evacuation plans, and curfews announced. This time not a thing was going on.... They even had national guardsmen here BEFORE the hurricane the year before....

I'm looking at the TV, and the mayor is now calling for a mandatory evacuation. The storm was moving fast, and had taken a turn towards us, and now is heading straight to New Orleans. I didn't have a car, so I called for a rental, and there was no problem at THAT end, until I got to the airport, and saw the line of stranded tourists.

The rain had started, and the winds were picking up. These people had been standing in line for hours, and only one car rental agency was open. In typical New Orleans style, only one person behind the counter, and she wasn't in any kind of hurry. I'm thinking of how I'm going to be there all night, waiting for a car, and then getting into it, driving with no sleep, and possibly drowning in it. So I changed my mind, and caught a cab back home, as we had a place that was hurricane safe to stay in. I didn't want to separate from Kim, and especially not from my dog Opal.

So home I went for a good nights sleep and to greet whatever was about to happen. I was scheduled to work the next day, and my employer had already evacuated, and I just decided to do whatever it took to be safe. To make as much money as possible, and to be as responsible as I could be for him.

The situation at the airport was messed up. They should've just Xeroxed ID’s and gave out the keys! Let us have the cars so we can get out! I mean really, there's several car rental agencies in new orleans, and lots of cars... and only one remained open. Only one was making cars available... If you could GET one! I counted at least 22 employee's moving cars around in the lot. just movin cars from spot to spot.

Got up the next day and went to work. There were no cabs, so a friend came by to check on us, since he was staying behind. He drove us in, and found out where we were staying. That day we were going to have a huge birthday party for several of us, but most had already evacuated. My boss had made red beans and rice and potato salad, so we just decided to cook it up and give it away.


Spent the day trying to put stuff up high, as I knew the water was coming in. On a good rainy day, water rises on that street... Kim emptied all the grease from the fryers, so that if the water was really high, we wouldn't be looking at a grease stain for the next century, of where the water came to. I had as many people as I knew help us in every way. Gave 65 pounds of ground beef to the NOPD, with bread, cheese and anything else they could carry. They were staying in the hotel up the street.

I remember several different friends who stopped in. Jeff and Rachel, who checked in with us, and I told them I was at Lauries... Then there was Addie and some guy, who came in and got shots. I remember screwing up her shot, and she got kinda mad, but I gave them new ones for free. Lisa came in with Chicago Joe, they were stayin at the Hilton, another friend came in trying to sell a brand new bike, to get money to buy gas... the kid down the street was in a big hurry to split, and get to meridian Mississippi, he took off shortly before things started to get kinda scary. Folks comin in to buy bottles of booze, others to get food. I had the shutters shut, with a sign saying something bout red beans and rice, food, drink a hurricane, and somethin else... people were frantic, they were partying, and "She" was coming, and we all were going to roll with it.

Kim went through the kitchen, moving as much as he could out of "floods" way. He had been through the eye of Hugo, and Andrew, so he already had a good idea of what was to come. My sister had called a month out and told us that something bad was going to happen at the end of August. She's a psychic, and wasn't so sure WHAT was going to happen, but the message from the other side was to watch our backs, not separate, and keep opal close. Stick together... I had thought about that all month long prior to "K", but now I knew what she was talking about.

Boiled 54 dozen eggs and gave them away. We figured they would last longer cooked. Selling drinks, feeding people, in the midst of frenzy. For the most part people were pretty calm. Some were really drunk, and just wanting to drink the evening away. My boss called, he wanted to know if folks were playing the poker machines... "Not so much" was my answer. most folks just wanted food, and drink. Eric from across the street came by to see if I had any bread left. Charles came by and got some various sandwich makins too. I gave as much as I could away. Afterall, once the power went out? and the doors shut? It was just gonna rot. Who knew what was to come.

Worked until midnight, when I could see the winds really picking up. Grabbed the money, the bar cat, and Ice, liquor, juices and anything I thought we could use. Closed the hurricane shutters on the front door, and went to my friend Laurie's apartment. She had already left to go to New York. She offered her place also to two other friends. they hung out at the bar with us. We were gettin pretty drunk... the rain was comin in sideways, and you had to hug the buildings to keep from getting pelted with the rain. It was very intense, and the rain was very cold. I have to admit, it was quite a rush.