The Council Room

[David Bentley]

This storm has all the potential to be among the biggest disasters to hit this country in a long time. As I watched the weather/news most of yesterday, and today, I thought about all the people involved - then it hit me like a brick, John Albrecht and his family are in New Orleans (at least according to his August 1st post), and his ice sculpture business.

I ask us all to take a moment and say a prayer for John and his family at this time of impending disaster. And, of course, any other Wyanoke connections I may not know about.

Courage and Loyalty to you, John, and may both the Blues and the Grays join in praying for you.
_________________
C-1 49 J-7 52 S-3 55 J-10 58
C-7 50 J-7 53 S-2 56 J-8 59
C-8 51 J-4 54 S-7 57 (JA) J-8 60 - 64
1965 - 1968 Military service
Pine Cone 68 - 75 (with wife,Sherry,
and daughter Tracey)
Wolfeboro - full-time since 1997

[Mike Freeland]

Wow, that hit me like a brick too. Never popped into my mind. Thanks for bringing that to our attention Dave.
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'56-C-9 C. Mosher '57-C-9 Bill Feaster
'58-J-14 H. Peavy '59-J-11 G. Wood, C. Duncan
'60-S-8 R. Leavitt, D. Hemphill '61-S-1 E. Slocum
'62-JA-1 H. Dunbar '63-C-2 (JC)
'64-C-5, (JC) Councilor
'65-C-9 '66 - '72-J-8
'73-JA1 '75-J-6

[Guest]

Somehow I've missed this exchange all the times I've looked at this website.
My older daughter Megan was in New Orleans a year ago. She'd been there since May (2005) working and getting established to begin a Master's/Law program at Tulane - to begin it the day Katrina hit. Being a sensible person with a car, she evacuated a day or 2 before, ending up near Little Rock, Ark., with the parents of a friend. She drove down to Baton Rouge a few days later to pick up friends who had had to build a raft to escape from the 2nd floor of the house she had been living in, and returned with them to Little Rock.
Needless to say, this put a cramp in her school plans, but she got in touch with the U. of Arizona, which has a similar program that she had also been accepted into. (Tulane gave her a better financial deal) Arizona welcomed her as a refugee, and she spent the semester in Tucson.
Meg went back to Tulane when it reopened in January. Shortly thereafter she totaled her car - partly as a result of post-hurricane conditions, partly youth - so I drove a car down and spent a few days. A very eerie, strange few days let me tell you. It's something out of a post atomic movie. Not in terms of total destruction, that's only the fact in certain areas. More that it's a huge urban community without many people in it. Looking "normal" by day, but dark and empty at night, when you realize that most houses are unlit and uninhabited. There are certain areas where a semblance of normalcy reigns, many where there are high-water marks on all the buildings, and spray-painted markers to indicate when searches were performed. People run and play golf in Audubon Park, but huge shopping and industrial centers have vast empty parking lots because they haven't been able to reopen. I had spent time in New Orleans at 2 separate periods in the 60s and 70s, so it was wierd to me, and just as much so to her. Most of the friends she had made opted out of returning at all, and after completing the semester, she got in touch with Arizona again. They re-welcomed her when she asked about a permanent transfer. The idea of helping in the renewal of the City of New Orleans was overwhelmed by the complications of knowing most of her energies would have to be directed elsewhere for 3 years, and she made a sensible choice instead of an emotional one. Unfortunately for the city, so have a great many other people, and it'll be a long long time, if ever, before it gets back to what it was.

Pat

[Bill K]

As someone who has lived in the suburbs of New Orleans for over 22 years, I was astonished with the destruction in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast when I returned from my lovely summer vacation in Iraq. That being said, I am again spending my summer vacation in Baghdad, and will be back in the States in mid-October, to my house, which will hopefully withstand another hurricane season.