The folks who are Mods here know already but I am flying out tomorrow at o-dark-thirty for New Orleans, LA for 15-20 days working the recovery effort for Hurricane Gustav. (Or at least I will be once he mosies ashore.)
I am going to be working as a supervisor in security down there, so it should be pretty interesting.
They are sticking us in evac shelters till the hurricane is done making merry and when the storms lift we go to work.
I am hoping that it will not be as bad as Katrina was 3 years ago, because I spent three weeks down there after that and I can tell you it was pretty damn bad for all concerned. It looks as if Gus is swinging wide of NOLA for right now but there are still 4 or 5 days till landfall. Before that landfall there will be recovery personnel stationed in TX, LA, MS and AL to cover bases no matter WHERE it goes. I have the honor of being in the first few thousand people being deployed into LA. A man I have worked with the last three years arrived yesterday and he was national volunteer worker #12. Which delighted him to no end.
He's in his late 60's and has been out on almost every major national disaster that I can think of in the last 5 years or so.
I would ask that you set the politics that resulted in the Katrina mess aside in this thread and say a prayer for the people about to be hit with this and the REAL heroes in the military, police and fire agencies who will be out there risking life and limb to keep people from harm and the doctors and nurses who will be riding the edge of the storm caring for those affected.
Also I would ask that if you are in any way able to do so that you donate something (anything) to the American Red Cross disaster relief fund. There will be fellow Americans in the weeks and months to come that would be grateful for
any help that can be offered.
I will check in when and if I am able and post some pictures.
Thanks.
