That’s today’s headline from the local newspaper in Beaumont, Texas, referring to the hurricane evacuation in New Orleans. Can you believe it?!
IMPORTANT NOTE: New Orleans cel phone numbers (including mine) are not working properly right now, and Tulane University’s Web server is down for obvious reasons, so if anyone needs to contact me, the best thing to do is to e-mail me at crystaldreisbach@gmail.com
So, I flew into Houston last night from Saigon, not having slept for a full 24 hours, only to learn that the streets of New Orleans are filled with armed gangs of looters who have stolen all the guns from WalMart and all the drugs from the city’s hospitals and pharmacies. This means that they are currently running around stealing everything out of our houses, shooting at policemen (not to mention each other), AND they are on drugs. On top of that, heavily armed anti-looter vigilantes are ganging up to try to stop them. The floodwaters are so toxic from dead pets and squirrels and other local animals, not to mention many unhealthy chemicals, that the water is making everyone sick. Some of the water is actually catching on fire. Dead bodies are floating down the streets. The monkeys and most of the other animals from the Audubon Park Zoo have escaped (read: this includes the tigers and hippos and other dangerous creatures) YIKES. The prisoners from the Orleans Parish Prison have escaped and taken prison guards as hostages. Four hundred buses and several helicopters were scheduled to transport the Superdome refugees to Houston today, but these rescue efforts were halted when someone shot at a military helicopter.
The first day of school at Tulane was supposed to be yesterday, but city officials are saying that it will be 12-16 weeks before New Orleans will have electricity and clean running water again. I guess this means I won’t be graduating this December. Clinton and I currently have no jobs or income, and neither homes nor belongings. Our wedding will not be taking place in New Orleans in December as originally planned. Clinton has some job leads in North Carolina, so moving there is a possibility, but nothing’s for sure. We’ll try to figure out what to do with our lives within the next couple of weeks. All in all, this experience has been very emotionally traumatizing. I’m the sort of person who likes to plan out a solid route on the road of life and try to follow it, and this disaster has created a major detour. I cannot believe I’ve only been back in the U.S. for 1.5 days. Jetlag and reverse culture shock are not helping the whole situation.
I’m not worried at all about the material belongings that we’ve lost. The good news is that everyone I know is safe and healthy. Clinton and I are currently camped out in Beaumont. We’ll drive to Baton Rouge, LA tomorrow to spend a day with my dad before making our way to Eufaula, AL to stay for a week or so with Clinton’s parents. So far everyone in Texas has been very kind and sympathetic to us. Most businesses and organizations here are collecting donations and organizing potlucks for hurricane refugees. Local radio DJs are encouraging Texans to buy beers for anyone with a Louisiana license plate.
Please wish us luck and keep us in your thoughts.
