Estee's Blog
Silver lining over Lake Pontchartrain
| It's Thursday evening and we just got the Internet back. We are cleaning and packing to move mom out to California. We came home to electricity and an intact house. We are very lucky because many people are suffering in the heat with no power. I have to get back to work and keep mom focused. I will continue to post on my blog with more details of what's happening here. There is plenty of news that is not making it out to the national media. Estée |
We got some of the rain and wind up here, but nothing serious. There were tornadoes north and south of us. The eye of the storm has traveled north and the bands have stayed over the Gulf Coast. It's weird.
We are leaving in a few minutes to attempt the drive home. There are still severe weather warnings along our route. None of us want to stay in the hotel room another day. Many parishes are closed including ours, St. Tammany, but we are going to try anyway. If we can't get through we will go to Tangipahoa Parish where King lives. King is a good family friend and he has a generator.
I know there will not be electricity, internet, or phone service, but I am not sure how long that will last. I will be filming and interviewing as much as I can. I'll be in touch.
Estée
Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is having a good day. I am exhausted but relieved the storm has hit land. We decided to stay in our air conditioned second story hotel room and not drive towards California. In the mornings we're going home to check out the house.
New Orleans is safe and reports from the Northshore sound good. Baton Rough got hit real badly, and the bayous as well. I may end up going down the bayou and filming some. I have a lot of family down there and a piece of land on Bayou Dularge.
I am tired of Hurricanes. I wish my mom's house would sell so she can move out to California. I don't want to have to go through this again.
There will not be electricity when we get home, but I will try to post again with details of the region.
The three other storms in the Atlantic better stay far away.
We arrived in Vicksburg at sunset. We are staying on the Mississippi River at a Casino. I just wrote a long message and the computer lost it. I am tired and I can't rewrite all that information. We're safe and I'll post again soon.
Estee |
| We are on our way to Vicksburg. It is not out of the cone, but it is further north. We will either come back here or head to California after the storm depending on the magnitude of the of the destruction. The birds are no longer chirping and the sky is gray. I can hear lawnmowers in the neighborhood.There is a hot wind blowing intermittently and the pressure is building in the air. The satellite image of the storm shows it coming together and building strength again. It could still shift to the west. We have a full tank of gas and a hotel room in Mississippi. I will text updates if I can not get to a computer. Goodbye, Estée |
| It is 11:22 am and the winds are picking up here. Gustav is just below us and the east side has weakened. We are going to Vicksburg Mississippi and we will be leaving soon. I think I heard a sea gull outside. The sky is getting creepy. We will be taking back roads up to Mississippi and the traffic is moving. The are saying that anyone who stays is "on their own." There will be no resources available for south central and southeast Louisiana. They are calling this the perfect storm. I still don't know if I believe it. I do however believe that the West Bank and Houma will have significant flooding and devastation. The whole state is much better prepared for this storm. I am happy to see all the preparations and emergency agencies in place. I have to get back to packing. More to come... Estée |
| It's 7:00 am and the storm is weakening. The millibars are rising and that is a good sign. Even though we are on the bad side of the storm it's looking like we are not in the such a bad spot. Bob Breck, the weather man, is sounding positive. I am not sure if we should leave anymore. The sun is up and the heat is already kicking in. I know we will lose electricity and it will be hellish, but driving in all that traffic sounds hellish as well. Mississippi has closed off Interstate 10 going east and that is unfathomable. If the storm is going west how can they close down the main artery east bound? It's crazy down here. The contra flow on I10 west out of New Orleans is moving and that is good news. Bob Breck has a feeling like the storm will weaken even more before it hits. I am thinking of going back to bed. Estée |
| It's 5:30am and I am awake. For anyone who knows me, that's a miracle. I just kept dreaming about packing and flooding. It sounded like my mom stayed up all night. I think she made brownies. The storm has not changed. It's still dark out, but I am going to pack. I will write again before we pull out. |
| It's 1:00am and I am going to bed. Contra flow begins in three hours and we will be heading towards Dallas in the morning. I am already exhausted. The news is getting more bleak. Thanks for all the support. I am hoping that when I wake up in the morning the storm will have shifted to the east and we can stay put. Wishful thinking. Estée |
| It's time to go. This will be a monster and we now know it's heading right for us. They say get out and I want to leave. I feel like tomorrow will be too late. The otter bands will be reaching us Sunday around 4:00pm, and the traffic will be bumper to bumper with no gas. Mom and I are packing up to drive towards California. If this thing hits like they say, it's going to be weeks until we get electricity. It was three months until we got power after Katrina. I don't want to go through the aftermath again. The officials say the levees will not will hold up to this storm. The mayor of New Orleans just held a press conference and said "get your butt out." And if you stay, make sure you have an ax to cut your way out of your roof. It does not look good for the West Bank, Jefferson Parish, or New Orleans. According to the local government agencies, Terrebonne Parish, where I was born, (the bayou country) will be wiped out. They are saying this one will be worse than Katrina, because we are on the east side of the storm where the winds and the surge are the strongest. There is a lot to do before we can leave. Mom wants to leave tomorrow, but I think it's a mistake. We need to leave tonight. It's 10:40 pm. Estee |
I am a documentary filmmaker currently living in Monterey, California. A full-time student attending California State University at Monterey Bay, I will be graduating next spring. In September 2005, I returned to my home state of Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina to film the aftermath and record the stories of the people affected by the storm. Two years later, it's shocking to see how little progress has been made towards recovery and rebuilding; I continue with my efforts to help the Gulf Coast.
