Safe in Crowley, La.

[Tobian]

If it's too expensive there, I suggest people come to the UK to buy their petrol or Deisel, it's really cheap here!

Well having got stranded myself when we got hit by a freak lighting storm last night, I can empathise a little, though waiting 3 hours for a Metro is not quite the same as having your neighborhood float away!

[Cybrludite]

You'll be glad to know that they have wavered the gas formula requirements for the time being. On the not so good side, order appears to be breaking down worse than the levees did. I'm reading reports of mass desertions by the NOPD. The 5th Precinct building is under water, and their cars are flooded out. They're using commandeered U-Hauls for mobility. C^3I for the NOPD has reportedly broken down. It's going William Gibson there, fast. There's even reports that refugees in the Dome have tried to set the place on fire.

[Tricky]

The latest I've heard is people firing on the rescue copters!

Ok, so they want to stay in Atlantis? Fine.

Being in the convience store business, with a my nose to the net for news, I'm hearing some pretty scare stuff.

I've heard opposite ratios of damage to those refineries; 90% or 10%, your pick from your source. I've heard a 'doom and gloom' rumor that at our current rate o consumption we have a month, maybe month and a half of gas left.
Rumors of rationing, of shortages and outright outages.

And, with our current climate of 'you cant trust the people in power or the media' it's hard to tell which of these are true and which are lies.

Oh, on the 'twilight zone' front, the "Coast to Coast With George Norry" show had a psychic on a while back. He predicted that August 28-29th thousands will be displaced from thier homes in the US.

He also predicted similar evacuations for the END of Sept.!!

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2005/08/29.html

[C5]

Quietly sitting at my office desk, with no more pressing concerns than how to duck out my day's work or find a new job, I don't think I could be able to think of the right words to say and I'm not sure there are words to say...

I heard somewhere that there were not only looting problems, but also rapes : have any of you heard anything like this ?

[spshu]

<snip>
I heard somewhere that there were not only looting problems, but also rapes : have any of you heard anything like this ?

Yes, it was reported by Fox news as something that happened I think at the New Orleans' convention center. Some guy was raping a 13 year old and he was shot and died from the wound. Other than that I nothing else reasonable confirmed, but seems likely given everything else that is going on. Like a group of contractors going to help fix the problem came under gun fire luckly they had police escort and the police returned fire.

[Cybrludite]

I talked to some folks who're staying w/ a cousin of mine's family in Baton Rouge. They stayed in the Ritz Carlton in the Quarter & reported two shootouts between hotel security & armed looters who somehow snuck into the hotel.

I'm back at work at Ochsner Hospital. (Largest reminaing functional hospital in the city, I might add...) Lots of helicopters in the area. Armed National Guard troops are guarding the place in addition to our rent-a-cops. So far I've seen UH-60s (Blackhawk, Seahawk, Jayhawk, and Pave Low variations), Chinooks, a Sea Stallion, and a pair of Sea Kings in VIP squadron colors. (HC-2, I think) It feels moderately weird now to be more than two steps from one of my loaded firearms. Here's hoping the NG troops know their stuff. I'm not thrilled to have my security in someone else's hands.

[Cmdr Powers]

Hey dude! Glad to hear you made it. We had minor problems here in BR by comparison. My daughter has been hosting Rebecca and Ragnar (Area 504) and all twelve of their house cats, as well as two other friends. It's been a bit crowded... Our house has been computer central as everyone has been using it for people searches, dwelling searches, and the interminable scanning of satellite imagery of the Gulf Coast.

Rebecca and Ragnar's place is on Victoria, just under the bridge out there in the industrial area. Based on the satellite imagery, the house is intact and dry (as is their Civic Hybrid parked out in the street), but did have an unknown amount of water. Unfortunately, their place is surrounded by flooded areas. They won't be able to go in there anytime soon.

Larry Dixon is in Baton Rouge with aid from Oklahoma. He'll be taking Jerre and Maxi back with him (among a few others).

For those of you who don't know these people, I'm talking about New Orleans and Baton Rouge SF fandom. We have our own little network of survivors here! Thanks for bearing with us.