Audra’s Post-Katrina Report
My very own sister, Audra, used to live in New Orleans. She is safe, but she is pretty certain that she will not have anything to go home to. As you can see from the pink pushpin on the map below, she lived in the heart of the city, just south of Lake Ponchetrain. (Interestingly, Google maps has Satellite images of Katrina effected areas. Note red ‘Katrina’ button)
She is blogging a bit about her experience but says she has limited access to the Internet. Here is a snip from a recent email:
Another friend called me this morning sobbing. She had just made it to Texas and had ridden out the storm in the downtown Marriot. She got out of the hotel and what she described as 100 armed men came in and she apparently ran out as women were being raped and people were being robbed. She said she couldn’t describe the desperation or the smell. She drove out of town with her two dogs and her gun on her front seat because people were getting car jacked everywhere around her. She begged me not to go down with Chris to salvage anything as her mother-in-law in Kenner was raped and looted by gunmen and there was all kinds of gunfire in the streets. This was confirmed by Chris’s boss/friend Jack, but Jack did not seem to think it was that big of a deal.
We’ve all certainly been thinking a lot about Audra and her husband Chris this past week and a half. We’re glad you are safe and we’re here when/if you need us.
Flickr has photos of New Orleans.
September 23rd, 2005 at 6:54 pm
We were quite fortunate, and ended up with most of our possessions, including Chris’s truck. I do miss my life and friends and all that was familiar to me. If Rita doesn’t mess up New orleans again, I’m going to head down there to work until I find a job elsewhere. It will be hard, because I’ll leave my husband up here, but I can’t wait to see some familiar faces and places. Thank you so much for all your support and thoughts.