We stand with the people of New Orleans and all the people that stand in the way of the storm. We are Americans, and we will stand with them now, and always. As Americans we shall rise to this challenge, and we shall overcome. God Bless America, God Bless those that face the challenge, and keep them safe.
A great start would be donating blood tomorrow.
Amen.
Alexandria coverage at this link:
http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
The Alexandria Town Talk reports that Rapides Parish schools will be open as usual on Monday, so it's waaaaaay past my bedtime and this will be my last post of the night. It turns out that the school board was trying to judge whether or not the schools would need to be turned into shelters for evacuees before they rendered their decision.
My little girl and I went out for a late dinner and we noticed quite a few construction vehicles parked at Shoney's belonging to a company with a Houma address. Coincidentally, I just purchased a used vehicle this week at an auction, and the title indicates that its previous owner lived in Houma. It's a cute little car that was well maintained, so I'm glad that I rescued it from possible destruction at its former home!
We struck up a friendly conversation with an evacuating family in the Shoney's parking lot, and they told us they had no hotel reservations. I told them about the City of Alexandria's decision to open its municipal buildings and animal shelter to evacuees, and they were very grateful.
MacArthur Drive was full of vehicles clogging hotel driveways even though "No Vacancy" appeared on the marquees. I noticed an Alexandria police car parked next to the office at the Super 8 and wondered whether things were starting to get ugly at the front desk.
Meanwhile, in Pineville, a power transformer had blown out affecting the streetlights running down the length of Main Street and a good portion of the city. We were at a friend's house when she got a phone call from a relative who said was trapped in the dark with a newborn baby, and my friend took off like a shot to rescue them. It was pretty eerie, and I was grateful that it didn't affect the whole town. Still, when we stocked up on supplies, we made a point not to buy any more frozen food in case we should lose power ourselves.
I can't stay awake any longer, so one more time, I'll send prayers to everyone in Katrina's path. Stay safe and dry, y'all -- pleasant dreams!