I got a call from Iris around 6:30 pm last night. She and Chuck were on their way out of New Orleans after spending the afternoon at their house assessing damage and clearing out the refrigerator. The basement was a loss — standing water in it. But as Iris said, they suffered that kind of loss 7 times out of their first 9 years in NOLA (in two different houses, both on lower ground), so that was to be expected. An oak tree in their yard was split in two but mercifully hit the ground and nothing else. Their roof was intact and the house had only one broken window. Their aged second car which they had parked on higher ground near the house appeared to be ok. (image is detail of a satellite picture they found showing their house (red square, bottom) and location of the car (red circle))
Iris described the landscape getting into and out of the city as hellish. Trees and power lines down everywhere. Armed soldiers everywhere. But the soldiers’ presence gave them a feeling of safety. And in fact, they got a lift on an army jeep to the door of their house.
Chuck took pictures of their neighborhood to share with their neighbors on an online list serve. They’ll be in Baton Rouge at a friend’s house until tomorrow when they return to Philadelphia. They want everyone who’s written in and offered help to know how very thankful they are.
