Posted
by Jill Ensley
September 6, 2008 at 7:54 p.m.
How I Spent My Summer Hurrication
So, I just heard someone one-up "staycation" with "hurrication", and it looks like we have [another one][1] planned next week.As of last night, I'm finally back in my own apartment. (We just got power back last night.) There was minimal damage to the surrounding area and it seems the biggest issue for the New Orleans area was/is the power outages (and possibly the sewer problems, which is apparently connected to the power supply). It also seems Governor Jindal is actually a decent governor, or at least he knows how to keep his head and not say stupid shit like "this is the mother of all storms". You don't prepare people by scaring the shit out of them or making false statements (Nagin was making grand statements right before the storm, saying the footprint was 900 miles wide. The weatherman came back on the air to say he didn't want to have to correct the mayor, but the footprint was actually about 250 miles wide. Neat, huh). But, all in all, the evacuation went rather well, which makes me worry that the city and state will now consider this evacuation business all wrapped up and relax in their efforts to prepare this city and coastline for a warmer ocean and more and more water lap-lap-lapping at our shores. And I've heard at least a couple people say that they're just not going to evacuate next time. Yes, I realize that's their own stupidity, but I almost don't blame them. Leaving your city, along with millions of others, for a week for some wind and rain, not being able to come back until you get the all-clear, spending money you don't have, and then not having power for days and days after takes a toll, and I only did it once.I went to the grocery store shortly after I got home, since I had to throw everything out. There was minimal power running a few lights, making everything dim and adding to the general semi-chaotic feeling. Apparently they lost it 45 minutes before I got there and it came back on as I was in line. Funny thing about this damn city, something that makes me love it, is that when there's a hurricane bearing down people are buying all the essentials, plus beer. When the hurricane is over, people are buying all the essential replacements, plus beer. Everyone. The older middle-class lady in front of me had all the usual purchases, 7-Up, granola bars, canned meat, and a big damn box of Pilsner Urquell. God bless New Orleans. How else can you deal with the heat, the government, and the constant threat of annihilation by wind and water except with a few beers, a sense of humor, and an evacuation plan.It killed me, this evacuation, to see all the waste. It seems that recycling is a rather foreign concept to New Orleanians. Not that the city makes it easy, but the citizens don't seem to give a shit and lord knows that not many people see the connection between a plastic cup and a hurricane, but it's there and it's these "little things" that may do us in after all. It only took 3 days for the city to smell like rotting garbage. I can't imagine how it smelled after 3 months.More photos have been added [here][2].[These][3] little bastards are copulating all over the damn place.And I was invited to add my photos to this interesting people-powered [media site][4]. [1]: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?5day#contents [2]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_ensley/sets/72157606660526127/ [3]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_bug [4]: http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/gustav-down-hanna-ike-and-josephine-go
Comments
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alm77 (anonymous) says…
Aw, lovebugs!! Gross. Glad to hear you're safe. For what it's worth, I was praying for you!! Keep us posted.
DOTDOT (anonymous) says…
Gotta remember to keep your mouth closed during love bug season. They taste like, uhh, bugs.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
And love.
ladylaw (Terry Bush) says…
Glad you are keeping safe Jilla. I know it's a giant pain to be on the safe side, sometimes, but it's far easier then trying to regenerate life. A healthy self-preservation instinct is a very good thing.As for your observations about the denizens who are used to things a certain way, and thus not as eager to change as others might be...welcome to my world. As a die-hard do-gooder bleeding heart in my youth, I had to beat my head against many walls before I woke up (with a bandaged head) and realized that just because I believed in something with all my being did not mean I was (a) going to be able to teach or convince anyone else of it and (b) right. When it comes down to survival, there are a lot of different definitions for that word. So, in the end, while I am not cynical (too much) yet, I have learned that there are a whole bunch of people on this earth who can only learn (if at all) the hard way. And my wanting to speed up their learning process only makes them angry and not a bit more likely to pick up on things. Some learning has to be done by running into brick walls for awhile.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
My head isn't bloodied from walls, I try to lead by example. It's my heart that I'm worried about.Wait....what? Today, and yesterday, I volunteered at City Park and it was awesome.
boyo (anonymous) says…
Glad to hear you're ok. What's the word from Houma?
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
Not good apparently, though you wouldn't know it to look at the national news. I suppose it's not as sexy as New Orleans being underwater.http://www.houmatoday.com/Also, biking into tropical storm winds is FUN, except that it's NOT.
boyo (anonymous) says…
Well, you summed the article up for me in one clever line.Highlights...Did the idea for calling it Unified Command come from George Lucas?And when councilman Tillman asks, in essence, "where'd everyone go?" which is at the very least a pertinent question, considering, he gets a "speak to the hand," response...Also, yes we have a plan that should help everyone survive a hurricane, but we won't tell you what that plan is.So, in conclusion. New Orleans is sexy, Houma is silly...as silly as thinking lovebugs taste like love...that's just sexy-I mean silly-I think.Oh, real quick...beautiful pictures. Can I have the manhole cover one and some others and make them bigger and frame them for my place? yeah, sure, I'll paya.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
Did you see the "There's No Place Like Houma" t-shirt on Dirty Coast's website. I'm scared to go in that store. Though, I suppose it'd be ok now that I have no money.Speaking of money, email me and we shall talk deals: pirateblu@yahoo.com Also, I can do a better manhole cover. I'm a idiot and didn't realize that a few feet away there's the "traditional" crescent and stars cover. heh.Also, Galveston...damn. I don't want to say "maybe you fuckers shouldn't have built your beachy homes in FRONT of a 10 foot seawall"...but, well, I'm having a pessimistic day. The golf course here, the one in City Park, has been basically "given back to nature" since Katrina. I'm almost thinking it's not a bad idea for a few areas. But how do you decide what's "historically important" and where's the fairness in that? I'm quotation happy.
boyo (anonymous) says…
check your spam in case my e-mail went there. it does that alot.