Hurricane Ida
 

To our member(s) affected by Hurricane Ida, let us know you are ok. I am praying that you made it through safely. If you need help let me know. I am close enough to bring whatever aid I can.

Glad you're okay, DOM. I, too, have been very worried about all the good folks in Louisiana. I know we have at least a couple other members down that way. Sadly, it looks like some parts of the state are in very bad shape. :(

Ditto.
I've experienced the aftermath of one of these big bastards (Irma) and it's a brutal challenge not only physically but maybe even more so mentally.

Stay strong and try to stay focused and patient making small steps toward 'normalcy'. Things will get better.

I'm glad to hear you're okay DustyOMan! I am concerned about SaraJean as well... hopefully she'll report in soon.

Sending good vibes and prayers as well.

Yes, we came out unscathed. Not even a leave disturbed on the trees. SaraJean probably has no power. I'm praying she is OK and will let us know when she can. I'm told AT&T cell towers are out across the region. The main power grid has been destroyed. High tension wires on tall towers are laying in the Mississippi River. If you believe in the power of prayer, pray for the survivors and their recovery.

My galfriend is making her annual Trek home to Portland, Me., tomorrow.
Because of her mother's age, she's going for a month instead of the usual week.
She leaves Hilo tomorrow and gets into Wash. D.C. the morning of the 2nd, local time.
The forecast has the cyclone's center very close by, then.
The cyclone has lost much of its energy with much lower winds, and should continue to degrade as long as it remains over land.
Baring the unforeseen, it should be little more than inconvenient rainfall by then.

It says so here in my guaranteed outcome paperwork.

Thank you and yes, safe and doing well! The city is in a state of chaos right now (to put it lightly) and it was surreal to be so disconnected like that. Our place is built to withstand stuff like this (200 years old and ain’t going anywhere) and is very, very well protected from the wind due to the direction the building faces and the surrounding homes catch the brunt of it. The whole no electricity thing sucks but you make due.

First two days after the storm it was great to have a chance to clean up our place, empty out the fridge, and clear out the streets and drains so vehicles could pass and keep anything from flooding over the next little bit. I ended up down on Esplanade Ave at 6am on Monday morning with a bunch of other people to help get the tree limbs cleared so cars and emergency vehicles could get in/out, and was able to check in with other folks around the Quarter and Marigny. I was able to start getting spotty cell service back on Tuesday and we made the decision to secure everything we could, wait till the interstates were open, and head out on Wednesday. Left all our supplies, drinking water, and non-perishables with people we knew were staying and out on the sidewalk for anyone who needed them, moved all the orchids to the low light area downstairs and hit the road. The French Quarter started getting power back late last night (benefits of all lines being underground- not really anything to repair), but who knows how long that will last. It seems like it’s kind of a patch job and I’m not putting too much faith in it. Hopefully will be able to head back soon, just not sure if the National Guard is letting people into the city right now and I don’t really want to rush it.

Oh SaraJean, THANK YOU for stopping in! I was really concerned about your welfare. So in essence, y'all bailed to somewhere with electricity (and AC) to await power? Excellent choice when one can do so!

Sort of. Primarily it became a safety concern for us, which we knew was a potential concern initially with staying for the storm. I’m on a disaster team for work and by the time we all figured out that we could leave, it was too late so we just made due with hunkering down. Thankfully I had plenty of supplies to last a few weeks if roads were blocked… but since we could get out we did after we took care of some stuff. There were a few things that started happening around the neighborhood (minor looting, a couple of break in’s, a few gun shot sounds) that we knew could easily get a lot worse, very rapidly, unless power got back online quickly and the supply flow started up. So I’m waiting to see what is happening before heading back. Just hoping I still have a job when I get there. Kidding- sort of… lol