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Hurricane Gustav evacuation and return to New Orleans

Howdy y'all!

We decided to evacuate New Orleans for Hurricane Gustav, even though a lot of our friends had decided to stay. We went with a friend of ours to his friend's house in Laurel, Mississippi, about two and a half hours NE of New Orleans. We thought that would be sufficiently out of the storms path. We did get some nasty weather up there including tornado warnings with sirens and all. Fortunately we were in an old sturdy home that is on the National Registry of Historic Places. There was plenty of room for the 5 evacuees and our cats.

We did not sit in a lot of traffic thanks to the fact that out friend who is from the Laurel, MS area was out in front of us and kept us updated on the traffic tie-ups by phone and told us which back roads to take. We were a bit concerned about evacuating with a cat, but he was very relaxed in the car. He either sat on Dennis' lap or crawled back into his carrier with his favorite blanket and hung out there.

Who is the cutest little evacuee?

Here is a pic of our room mate... we buried him in pillows during the night so he would not strangle us in our sleep.

After most of the first of the outer bands of the hurricane passed through Laurel our gracious host took us on a little tour of the beautiful city. The outing included a stop at Sonic for a bite to eat.

Our return to New Orleans was equally uneventful. We were worried that they might not let us back in to New Orleans the day after Gustav passed south of the city because the city was basically in lock-down and only first responders and essential personnel were allowed back in. I thought we might be able to get back in with my airline ID and FAA certificate. It worked. We approached the causeway which crosses the lake (25 miles long) and the bridge was closed and very few people were trying to get through. I had my LA drivers licence, my Delta ID and my FAA certificate in my hand and they waved us through the road block. The trip that usually takes about two and a half hours only took us three. That included a gas and grub stop.

We are so thankful for Jeff, who took us with him, and for Randy who made us all feel so welcome in his beautiful home. We have found that the worst situations we have faced in the last few years brings out the best in everyone. THANKS AGAIN! And thanks to all of you who called and texted and expressed your concern and offered us a place to stay.

Steve

P.S. We were out last night visiting one of our favorite bartenders in New Orleans when we heard a loud thud on the street. No tire squealing or crash, just a thud. We walked out to find a car upside down in the middle of the street. Dennis was one of the first on the spot and helped the driver to crawl out the back passenger side door to safety. He was VERY drunk and shaken up but apparently unhurt. There were a few scrapes on the adjacent cars and the fence of the school across the street but no major damage, except for the upside down car of course. When the police showed up we were all baffled as to how he could have done this. Here is a pic of the scene after the police arrived.

Where in the world has Steve been?

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