Go Away Katrina!

[byoung]

Good luck

 

[LaLa]

Just wanted to let everybody know that we are all okay. We made it through the hurricane without a scratch. So much to tell, so little time. 180 miles inland, we were still caught in a Cat 2 hurricane and were pretty nervous. There were about 20 trees down around my MIL's house. These were 4 ft. diameter trees that shook the ground when they fell. Lost power, phone lines, water, no gas to be found anywhere. We made it home a couple of days after the storm came through to find our garage had flooded and we lost everything in there, but the water literally stopped at our doorstep. (The house sits higher than the garage) Our house is 20 ft. above sea level and like most people that were flooded, we do not have flood insurance. We're not in a flood plain and have never been required to have it. Never thought we would need it. Of course we had trees down and lots of cleanup to do and some minimal wind damage, but I'm not complaining one bit. All the debris from our neighborhood floated into our front yard because we were the highest point. I'd like to say that our neighbors were as lucky as us but there are probably a handful of homes in our town that scraped by with minimal damage and we were one of them. 3/4 of everybody I know here have literally lost everything they own. It's the Twilight Zone. I know New Orleans is getting a lot of media attention right now with all the politicizing that's going on over there and they have problems that we could never comprehend, but literally the entire state of MS was wiped out. Power was knocked out all over the state. We have been cut off from the world for the last 2 weeks. We just recently got power back on and cable and internet came back up tonight. We have been starved for information for so long about the effects of the storm and how everybody else in the region faired. I have got to say this....during all this mess, I have seen power crews, relief workers, volunteers from probably every single state in the nation down here helping us get back on our feet and I have to tell you that nothing will lift your spirits quicker than knowing that many people care. With all the devastation here (it's like an atomic bomb went off across the entire bottom part of the state) there is no way we would ever have thought we would have power back on within two weeks time. Had all those crews not come to help, there's no telling how long it would have taken. Some of the states that stick out are NC, NY, IL, AL, GA, Florida. Lots of crews from PIKE in North Carolina. I've seen more of them than our own guys. I can't tell you how many ORLANDO and Orange County police officers I have seen down here helping out. Florida Hwy Patrol has come in and just been wonderful helping out our guys. And actually, we have had no complaints at all with FEMA. All I have been hearing is how horrible they have reacted. I can't attest to what is happening in New Orleans, all I know is what I have experienced. The day after the storm, there were literally convoys of FEMA ice trucks headed to the Coast. We have already had an inspector come to the house to survey damage and I just have not had any problem with them so far. Sorry this is long, but like I said, there's so much to say and I just thank all of you for your prayers and thoughts. To all those who have cleaned out your closets, donated food, donated money, prayed a prayer, anything at all, I just want to send our sincere thanks on behalf of everybody on the MS Gulf Coast. You don't know how much the little things mean until something like this comes along and opens your eyes. Hug your kids, kiss your spouse, call your parents and just thank God for all of his blessings every day because you never know what tommorrow holds.

God bless.

 

[JerJan]

So HAPPY to hear that you fared so well....you have truly been on of the blessed!

 

[allaboutmm]

So happy that you and your family are safe!! Take it one day at a time !

 

[dwmlaf]

LaLa so happy you made out so well. You had me worried when you said you were only 15 miles on the EAST side and you only had minimal flooding (I know all the rain is on the east side of a hurricane).

I live in Lafayette, LA and everyone here is busy with the evacuees from New Orleans, but believe me MS is on everyone's minds here also.

I hope you don't have to cancel your upcoming trip. I am not. Go to WDW and enjoy the break and respite from the TV.

 

[canwegosoon]

LALA...glad to hear you loss seems to be on the lesser side...how are you set for work? I know what you are going through...I have been in hurracine areas wo power for 10 days, but it will get better.

 

[LaLa]

Well, I actually went back to work yesterday. DH is a police officer so he has been working nonstop from Day 1. I work for an attorney and our office was flooded. No flood insurance on his end either. I really thought he would have it Anyway, there was really no big damage there, just computers and all. The building is still there and despite being a huge mess, should be fine. About half of my coworkers, including the boss, lost their homes. Such a shame. They packed up and left and came home to just a slab. When my boss came home to check on his house, there were 4 people stuck in the trees screaming for help. It took 6 hours to be able to get them down. He tells the story that for years his wife had wanted a grand piano with the computer that plays automatically. He broke down and bought her one for Christmas last year. Before they evacuated, they took great pains to wrap the piano in plastic sheeting to prevent any water damage should a tree fall through the roof. When they came home, the house was gone and they have yet to see that piano. Somewhere there is this huge grand piano perfectly wrapped in plastic to protect it from the elements. He also said that one thing they did find untouched was a bottle of champagne. The glass was unbroken. The water took the grand piano and left the champagne bottle in perfect condition. Just unbelievable. There were 5 street lights that washed up in his backyard. The really tall variety with all the globes still perfectly intact. Thought they must have washed up from the casino parking lots across the bay. There's just a million stories like that here.

On a lighter note and of much less importance, I do need to change my ticker at the bottom. We had to reschedule our trip because of the school situation. We made these reservations and paid for the trip 6 months ago. We originally scheduled it to coincide with the kids' Fall Break in October. Well, along came Katrina and just threw us all for a spin. Right now, the kids are out of school (lots of damaged schools)and are due to return tentatively on Oct. 3, which was 1 week before our original check in date at WDW. I can't in good conscience allow him to miss a whole week of school right after they go back. So we moved it up and we are going NEXT WEEK. If we hadn't scheduled it sooner rather than later, the kids wouldn't have any time off until 2010 with they way they have to make up days. I can't help but feel a little guilty about going but ultimately, I think now more than ever we all need a little joy and happiness in our lives. Nobody knows how to do that better than Disney.
I was worried I wouldn't be able to get any good ADRs at this late date (we paid for the Dining Plan) but I must have stumbled upon some major pixie dust because I got some really good ADRs and was able to change the dates for MNSSHP with no problem. I think they're really trying to work with everybody that had problems due to that bitty of a Hurricane. DD will be a beautiful little BELLE for MNSSHP and we are planning on eating at Epcot with her beforehand. Has anyone gone to this dinner? The menu didn't look all that appetizing. Hope it's better than it sounds. Guess we're paying for the company anyway, right?

So, we are pretty much all set. Just have to pray that no more hurricanes come our way any time soon.

Thanks all for the thoughts and prayers and God Bless...

 

[monkeygirl]

What a perfect time to go to WDW! It is probably very needed. I am so happy your family made it through this devistation. Someone must have sprinkled some pixie dust over your house

 

[ButterflyJen]

Definitely a good idea to go and get away from it all....find some happiness and relax. And you're right, where better than Disney?

Hope you enjoy your trip!