I have so much to write about that I hardly know where to begin...
News of Friends and Loved Ones
Today I heard from samothtiger 's brother, who I'll call Ego. He's safe in Atlanta and they're heading over to South Carolina to stay with their older sister. Their other sister,
ladybyng , works for the New Orleans SPCA so she's helping with animal rescues and placements, but she's alive and well.
I learned from reading triple_phoenix's latest post that
livetruth is safe, but I wish he'd update his LJ (of course, he may not have access to a computer or the internet wherever he is right now).
I still don't know if diabolicalsound ever made it out of New Orleans, but I'm hoping and praying that he has.
My dad was finally able to leave his hotel today, which he was ordered to abandon by Hilton and which has been commandeered by the National Guard; Right now he's with my mom in Memphis, Tennessee.
Charmaine Neville, a friend of the family who is like family to me, I've known her since I was three or four, is still missing and may be dead.
One of Allen's* aunts and his maternal grandmother are unaccounted for, as well, and may be dead, but his immediate family and some extended family are safe in Baton Rouge. He left Houston for Baton Rouge this morning and Sunday he and his coworkers are going into New Orleans to survey the damage and do what they can to restore cell phone service to the area. I'm worried about him going into the city, but I know he'll be careful and they will have a military escort. Please, keep him and the others struggling to restore order to that wasteland in your thoughts and prayers.
My cousin Sam is also in New Orleans, he's a fireman trained for water rescue, and has already rescued hundreds of people from the water and will rescue hundreds more tomorrow. Please, pray for him and the refugees still trapped in the city, who are often literally dying of thirst; The line "Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink," has never been more terribly accurate.
My Misadventure, Presently
Today I tried to contact work and my disability representative, but was only able to leave messages. It's important that I speak with them so I can know where to send my insurance payments and if my coworkers, many of whom are also friends, are safe.
This evening I went out to dinner with Aunt Joye and her little, old lady friends. They were very kind, funny, and witty, it was just a little ray of sunshine that really cheered me up for a little while. I told them how hysterical my mom has been and how calm I've been, I had to confess that I don't know if I'm in shock or if I'm just well-adjusted.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with Aunt Joye's doctor, so that I can get my prescription for my fibromyalgia-related sleep disorder. All my tender points have been acting up the past couple of days and causing me some considerable pain, but today I've felt much better. We're also going to go to the nearby PetsMart so I can buy more cat and dog food, kitty litter, and treats for all the furbabies. I'm also going to see about volunteering at the Astrodome, since up here I have nothing but time on my hands. Hopefully I can teach a little art class for the kids to help them work out all their conflicting emotions about their current situation and the near-total destruction of the only homes many of them have ever known.
From:
no subject
right now im in laplace but im not sure where ill end up
where ever it is ill be fine
i dont know how long ill be away from La but the rest of my family has given up on it and want nothing more than to get out
thank you so much for your concern
it really does mean the world to me
tell karl and rachel i said hello
i will try to stay in touch but for atleast right now that is going to be tough
From:
no subject