In case anyone is interested, I live in Baton Rouge, LA.
We are the "refuge" for all of the people who are (still) evacuating New Orleans.
How to make a city double in size in three easy steps:
- Build city that's below sea level, and then build high levees around it so it's bowl-shaped.
- Have major hurricane with big storm surge.
- Have major housing projects for that city's poor, resulting in many, many people with the collective mindset, "It won't get that bad." who won't leave until after the storm is gone and the water is rising in the city.
And now, the list:
- The state government has done a wonderful job with the resources they have, but the federal government has been completely absent.
- The president, in an interview yesterday morning on "Good Morning, America", while laughing over the whole thing, said, "No one knew New Orleans would flood." Sorry, that's all anyone has ever said about New Orleans for the past hundred-something years.
- It has been a big embarassment. Federal help is lacking, people looting and shooting at rescuers in New Orleans forced many search-and-rescue missions to end.
- Baton Rouge has taken on many of the refugees from New Orleans, and the city has doubled in size in a matter of a few days.
- Because of some of the more dangerous refugees, many of Baton Rouge's state offices and many shops were closed yesterday. Some were locked-down because things were getting dangerous for awhile.
- Houses and stores are being broken into or looted.
I'm safe, but I've had to move out of my house because we're still without power, and being there in the dark is no longer safe. It's also hot as hell, temperatures being in the 90s (that's Fahrenheit for you Canadians). I'm kinda floating around right now, living with my mom and sister at my grandparents' house or with a friend and his family (several lost their homes in Slidell and New Orleans).
Everyone in the still-half-dark (I swear, the power company, Entergy, is worthless) city is on edge. With all the extra people here, streets are even more congested than usual, restaurants and stores are running out of supplies and food, and gas stations are running out of gas (for which the price is rising still).
The United States can rush to help any other country, but when something happens in the country, it turns into a major disaster because they don't give a shit.
Not trying to turn it into a political thing, but the mayors and governor are pleading for help from the federal goverment still, because it hasn't arrived yet, and they should've been at the ready the instant the hurricane was gone. Louisiana's resources are spread few and far between.
I'm still interested in Ropetown, but I can't really commit to it until things here settle. I still would really like to have the chance, and I hope this doesn't affect it.
Thanks and stay safe,
~Tatsumaru