Received Sunday, Aug. 28:
Calm before the storm
As southern Louisiana prepares for the worst, the calm before the storm has hit the city of Baton Rouge following two days of dreading the inevitable. After enduring the shortages and long lines for gas, thousands have fled to the homes of relatives and friends. Beginning around 6 p.m. Sunday evening, local stores began closing their doors to brace for the wrath of Katrina. Stores were crowded from dawn to dusk, filled with residents seeking any last supplies to help them survive the next days. Families reminisce on their previous hurricane experiences and fear losing all of their memories and belongings trapped in their houses. While the memories may differ, all agree on one thing, no Louisianian has lived through a storm of this magnitude. As the night progresses, the wind has slowly hastened, bringing with it occasional down pours of rain as the outskirts of Katrina make their way through Louisiana. We can only watch the destiny of New Orleans from a distance now; praying and hoping that this great city of history, soul and charisma will once again thrive.
-- Christy Tebbe, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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Quiet ... for now
Baton Rouge, here; I am currently sitting in my den keeping a look out to the 10 grazing horses and property, while the rain softly falls. It is quiet outside. Whiffs of wind comes and goes. It is calm and suspenseful. I live in rural area surrounded by lovely homes, in the city of Baton Rouge. I can appreciate the way the horses react to this. I choose to let them roam so to sense where to escape from falling branches. Each of the mares have 'dog' tags on their halters, with my name and phone number, so should the winds and falling trees destroy the fences, the roaming quarter and paint horses with their colts can be recognized. If I was not concerned for the horses, I would have taken leave and driven to Oklahoma, where my parents live. As of now, it is calm, and the radio is constantly reporting ... my laptop is watching the movement of the big green blob on the weather map of a mass which is larger than the state of Louisiana. There is no major activity now.
-- Kristina Murphy, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Long ride away from home
I have lived in New Orleans for all of my life, almost nineteen years. In that time I have never evacuated. My father is 64 and he has never evacuated. My grandmother is 97, and as far as I know has never evacuated. This time, however, we are taking no chances. My entire family has left the city and the greater New Orleans area. For all of our cavalier attitudes about drinking hurricanes, not running from them, we are frightened. And its still hard, even having left the city. It took one of my friend's parents six hours to get to Baton Rouge, a trip that normally takes an hour. It has taken literally all day for my family to reach Mobile, Alabama (where I am in school and currently waiting to be picked up). This drive usually takes two hours. My mother told me not to worry, that my father would be here soon to pick me up, but what I'm really worried about is the frighteningly real possibility that even when it is safe to go back to New Orleans, we won't have a house.
-- Molly LeBlanc, New Orleans, Louisiana

Classes delayed
My name is Jeremy Wyatt, and I am a freshman at Tulane University. Our orientation was scheduled to take place over the next couple of days, yesterday, August 27th, being the first. Katrina has forced myself and others out of New Orleans, those who are unable to return home are being bused to Jackson State in Mississippi. I am greatly concerned over both the beginning of classes and the damage that will be wrought by Katrina upon Tulane's campus. I write you from my home in Fort Worth, TX, where I will patiently and attentively await the OK to return to campus.
-- Jeremy Wyatt, Fort Worth, Texas

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CONTINUED : Hurricane Katrina impact on S. Florida

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