Hurricane disaster in the Gulf

[Terry Bond]

Have any of our AACA members been impacted by the hurricane?  Marty-can you check in and let everyone know you are ok, and do you know anything about others in the path of the storm?  Thoughts and prayers are will you-all.

Terry

[Robert G. Smits]

I haven't been in contact with Marty but good friends living in a western suburb of NO didn't get a drop of rain from either hurricane. Still waiting to hear from a member in Beaumont,Texas.  Wife's niece in Texarkana had 3 feet of water in her house and lives 400 miles north of where the storm hit land.

[Billy Kingsley]

Hope everyone made it through ok. Saw footage on the Weather Channel and it looks like total devastation. A friend who lives in the area expects to be without power for a month or more. 

[John_Mereness]

1 minute ago, Billy Kingsley said:

Hope everyone made it through ok. Saw footage on the Weather Channel and it looks like total devastation. A friend who lives in the area expects to be without power for a month or more. 

Sort of like this:  Water is hot and food is cold 

[Marty Roth]

Thanks to all for your concern-

Our area immediately west of Downtown New Orleans received belated but only moderate winds maxing out at about 40-50 mph, along with some mild, but occasionally infrequent heavy rain bursts after the storm passed north to between Lake Charles and Alexandria. We got some of the outer bands, but not terribly serious amounts of rain.

 

Our members of Lagniappe Region Louisiana AACA in and around Houma, LA (60 miles southeast of New Orleans, seem to have had no notable issues, at least from those I've contacted so far.

 

I've checked with the few of our more distant members I was able to contact. The folks around Beaumont, Waller, and Houston, TX and farther west seem to have fared well.

The member I was able to contact in the Westlake-Sulphur area are safe, and the member in Lake Charles I was able to text has trees down on his home, shop, and garage, but the cars appear OK.

I understand that much of Lake Charles is without electricity and running water. 

I've not yet heard back from folks farther north in Alexandria and Shreveport, but know that much cell service is out or otherwise limited.

One of our members in Texarkana just let me know that other than a few inches of rain they are OK,

but his friend in Natchitoches, Louisiana suffered substantial damage from trees falling on his home and modern truck which had the roof mashed down to the seat. They had heavy rain and 80+ mph winds there and experienced multiple sides of Laura's eye wall. Just a month ago we moved our grandson Nate, from Natchitoches where he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northwestern State Univ, to start grad school  at Western Illinois University at Macomb. Some of you have met Nate over the years when he judged, and also when he drove AACA tours.

[wayne sheldon]

Good to hear. Been wondering, even my wife asked about you yesterday. Thanks for letting us know not all is as bad as has been reported.

[kings32]

Chris and I where thinking about you ,was going to call but know you have alot to do . Glad to hear about the Grandson ,we all know him well Howard

[trimacar]

Marty, glad to hear you're doing OK. 

 

It's my understanding that parts of Louisiana will be without power for weeks.  Alexandria had some high wind gusts, lots of trees down and wind damage. Power has been restored there. Had a total of 5 to 6 inches rain according to a friend there, so only water damage is when some trees went through roofs in Alex.

 

Lake Charles really took a hit, would be a number of cars there were water damaged.

[Walt G]

Marty

So happy to read that you are safe as are most of the people you know .

Stay well

[TerryB]

1 hour ago, Walt G said:

Marty

So happy to read that you are safe as are most of the people you know .

Stay well

Yes, glad to hear all is ok.  Hopefully those affected will get the attention they deserve to rebuild their lives.

[TerryB]

Just now, TerryB said:

Yes, glad to hear all is ok.  Hopefully those affected will get the attention they need to rebuild their lives.

 

[Marty Roth]

Update on one of our friends in Lake Charles:

A crane was used Saturday to lift five trees from the roof of the house ,

ceiling has fallen in-

Hopefully the tree was also removed from where it came into the garage/shop,

cars are OK.

Sunday - house roof now covered with a tarp-

using a generator and has a window A/C -

the heat and humidity are extremely overbearing there,

especially with no running water, blocked roadways, power outage likely for weeks to months-

Salvation Army is on-site, serving residents and First Responders, requesting cash donations as they know best how to effectively utilize resoources.

City is asking for 18-wheeler donations of bottled water.

Cajun Navy volunteers (Fantastic Informal Group of Louisiana Folks) are on-site, assisting in multiple functions - mostly search and rescue since flooding has mostly subsided-