hurricane part two

Lauries building could withstand 200 mile an hour winds. We were on the ninth floor on the inside of the building. So we felt fairly safe from any breaking glass.... We still taped the windows with X's.

We went back down to Dominic's to drink ourselves to a spot where we could just float up to the room and pass out. You could hear Glass breaking, car alarms, wind howling, and the rain was coming in sideways. We shared some of the food from hobnobbers, with the patrons of Dominics. I got pretty dang drunk, and I just passed out once in the apartment. I knew the power would go out, and I knew the heat would set in, and I knew it was going to get really difficult to sleep, once we got to that point.

Woke up the next day with a sense of relief. Electricity had ended at 6:30 am according to the clocks. The building had a generator, so you could charge your phone downstairs. Not that it mattered, the phone towers were down. Somehow, my phone rang, first my mom, then Debbie, then Faye, then Fitz. I realized later I could catch a signal outside and around the corner, but at the same time didn't want to waste the charge.

We made breakfast on the hurricane stove I had bought a few years back at a garage sale in Arabi. The lady laughed as she sold it to me, telling me that they had never had to use it, and gave me a deal with extra cans of propane. Months later when I returned to Arabi and saw her house, I cried... thinking I hoped she wasn't home when the twelve feet of water rushed through her neighborhood and destroyed it.

Kim went back to our house to check it out, and I took Opal for a walk in the French quarter. The quarter was dry, but signs broken, glass everywhere, and the smell of rotting food was already in the air. Trees ripped out of the ground, the roof on the Old US Mint was peeled back like a sardine can and crumpled on the ground like a piece of paper. Back at our house, water everywhere, but not in the house. It was up to the top step, but our home was intact. People had a real sense of relief at this point, and were actually celebrating. Some of the bars were back open and serving beer.

I realized it was turning dusk, and headed back towards Canal Street, and that’s when I realized that things weren't right. The footlocker windows were broken and looters were inside. I went back to Laurie’s apartment and waited. A few friends came by, checking on us, and asking if we had a game plan. Jeff and Rachel were going to try and get to their car, and find gas. We were all still unaware of what was about to happen. For now though... things seemed okay. It was hot, humid, and hard to sleep, but we managed.

Tuesday am, we got up, went downstairs, and the lobby was full of water. It was now impossible to get a phone call out. Our friend Steve came by. He had concerns about our animals, and getting out. They were sandbagging the lobby to keep out the water, but it was there. I went outside around the corner and got a phone signal. I almost got run over by an emergency vehicle, and got drenched as the wave of water hit me. The water was up to my knees. My Shrimp boots were swamped, and I could feel the sense of urgency... things were about to really go wrong. I was standing at this point on baronne and gravier streets.

I called my mom to let her know I was Okay, and then Kim’s sister, who wanted to come get us, but that was impossible. Now people were frantic and trying to get out. SUV's treading through the water, and people offering money and anything they had for a ride. The guy across the street at the grocery store was charging $20 for a loaf of bread. Later they would throw a brick through the window and loot him of everything. I can't say that he didn't ask for it. He would return later, and burn his business down, to try and recoup something... he reopened on carondelet, on the corner on commons... I can't say that I'm willing to buy anything from him to this day, since he was such a greedy bastard on that day.

The water was rising, and Steve wanted us to join him, and help him with his 16 year old dog mojo. As we walked back through the quarter, we had an amusing conversation. Joked about bass fishing, and catching crawfish on Canal Street. We got to esplanade and trees were ripped out by the roots. You couldn't drive a vehicle through there if you tried. Old oak trees just ripped out. Water still rising and you knew the sewers were too. Some people were laughing it up, and others panicking.

We got to Elysian Fields, and a girlfriend of mine pulled up on her bicycle to tell us they were looting the Roberts on the corner. The pockets of water were back and forth depending on the street. We decided to check out the market, and realized that NOPD had actually come by and opened it up. They even had baskets to help you carry stuff with. But you had to wade through the parking lot to get in. We had lots of supplies, but went in anyway. It was pitch black, but we had flashlights, and it was my neighborhood grocery store, so I knew where I was. Four half gallons of Gatorade, candles, baby wipes, canned food, hydrogen peroxide, dog food, toilet paper, Steve even grabbed some expensive bottles of wine. Within minutes people were trying to break into the cash registers, the ATM, the safe, and grabbing carts full of beer, liquor, candy bars, and shit that just didn't make sense to me. There was a sense of urgency in the air, and it was starting to make me nervous. We stayed maybe ten minutes, and then there was the stench of rotting food in the air, and people shoving and screaming. It was truly frightening. They even left out the salad bar when they closed, and it reeked. We saw several friends inside coming out as we were, and they were doing the same thing as us. We realized at that point that it was about to become a very dangerous place, and I thanked god that we got there in the first few minutes. We got the hell outta there, and plodded on.

We got to steves and relaxed. We had to lug all this stuff through the water, and take breaks carrying it. We actually had more than I thought. Charcoal brickets, lighter fluid, toilet paper, the candles were religious ones, and they said the hand of god on them, to guide you through times of trouble. I thought that was ironic.



Then Kim and I went to our house. The water was now thigh high. My neighbors were sitting on my porch. Their house flooded. I live in a raised house. Judy and her brother were both mentally handicapped, and stayed because their family wouldn't let Judy take her dog with her. They were stuck. I was sickened by that, an animal should be respected. Another neighbor left his dog locked in the house, and he was howling. Perry broke a window to feed the poor thing, but in the end the dog died. All these animals stranded. It was horrifying.

But I had Opal, and thank god we did, cuz she is not the friendliest of dogs, but she sensed what was going on and was in patrol mode. At this point at the house, I wasn't really thinking. I should've grabbed more things, but we figured we wouldn't be gone more than a week. We still didn't know how we were getting out, but we locked down the house from looters. They weren't too far down the road. We took all the doors off the closets and nailed them over the windows. BTW we have bars on all the windows, and doors. We gave Judy and her brother all the canned goods I had. Gave her all the frozen food from the fridge, and cleaned it out of everything but ketchup and mustard. I gave Judy everything I could. I was worried for her, but I had to think of us, and move forward.

(Note… if you ever are coming into a hurricane, always clean out everything in your fridge… including the ketchup, mayo and mustard. When I came home, there were roaches and all kinds of funky things inside. Unplug your fridge and leave the doors open, or you’ll end up cleaning up a very nasty smelling rotting thing. Kim actually ended up cleaning Steve’s fridge later, I did ours. I did it by dumping bleach in it and letting it sit for two days, then wiping it out, then putting fresh coffee grounds in it and charcoal bricketts to kill the smell….)

We packed what we thought would be enough, as most of us here in nola thought we weren’t going to be gone for more than a week. I could hear my cat trapped under the house. I couldn’t get to him. I tried to find him prior to the storm, but he was hiding. Now he was trapped, and I couldn’t get to him. I threw anything I could food wise outside, hoping he would find it when the water receded. He was a smart cat, and I told Judy to leave any food she had out for him as well.

We left the house and waded out to st. claude avenue. There we saw what was the beginning of utter chaos. Looters were dragging furniture out of the store on the corner. They had pried open the hurricane shutters. They had mirrors, couches, tvs, and anything they could take. They had them perched on bicycles and were heading back into the ninth ward through the flood water, and taking this shit home. I wondered what they were going to plug this stuff into? Let alone keep it dry wading through the water. I knew the water heading downriver, would be MUCH deeper than where I stood. Later you would hear stories of how they would chain pit bulls to the stuff they looted, to try to keep from being looted themselves….


Back towards Steve’s we bumped into friends hanging out on their porch. They seemed to be comfy, and not worried too much. They had a gun, and plenty of food, and water, and were drinking. We told them the pay phone worked on St. Claude at the fish market, and we walked them up to it. Now the looters were running outta stuff to steal and were eyeballing the bank. Soaking wet people coming outa of the ninth with all they could carry, and these greedy fuckers carrying all they could steal…. Going back in.

The water was just up over our ankles, but the phone still worked. They called their families, and let them know they were okay. I’m sure their families let them know what they were watching on tv, cuz afterwards they had a sense of fear in their eyes they didn’t have before. We wrapped it up and headed back to the house.

We talked Andy into driving us back to Lauries to get our stuff. Once again we weren’t thinking. We grabbed stuff, and didn’t really realize that we weren’t coming back. I grabbed the money from the bar… I hadn’t counted it yet, but I figured at least a thou… I looked at our two friends who were staying behind, and said very seriously… “you have bicycles, and I know your dream of riding up to Chicago was in the future. I suggest you do it now, cause whats happening is very frightening. Get on your bikes and get outta here… “ I pointed my finger into John’s chest like a mother telling a child what to do. Later, he would tell me, that they got on their bikes, and rode to Baton Rouge, where Brians parents would come get them and take them to Chicago… They had to leave the two cats and the snake. They put out all the cat food, and water they could, and moved. When they left, things had really escalated…

That day at Lauries, no more elevators, as the generators were in the basement, and now filled with water, and the kids staying there were stealing from more businesses. People were trying frantically to find a way out, offering money, and anything they had. There were a group of Russian kids that were drunk and thinking it was all fun and games. We had to climb up nine flights in the dark. The emergency lights were on, but not real bright. When we got upstairs, the emergency flashing lights were on. Strobe lights going off, and a sense of emergency that would haunt me when we returned in October…. It was very surreal and the place reeked of vomit and beer. It was almost too much to take. I just wanted to get back to the Marigny where I knew it was safer. Andy just wanted to get back to his car, as we were afraid of being carjacked. We raced back to the Marigny. Now we knew what streets weren’t flooded, and now we knew what route to take to get out.

Now the radio is saying that the levees are going to break and more water was coming. You need to go to the convention center…. Yeah rite…. We figured we could ride bikes out if we had to. Steve had a grocery cart for Mojo, as he wouldn’t be able to make it walking or running out. we discussed our options, while cooking dinner.