An important message from a friend...
Quote:
Hi Everyone,
I have some really close friends that live in Louisiana, about 10 miles south of Baton Rouge that I finally got an email from last night. I just wanted to share this email with you all because I think it shows some of the good that is happening in that area of devastation that we aren’t seeing enough of on the news.
Thank you
Sheila
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey Sha,
I have been trying to give you a call on the phone, however the circuits have all been busy. Then all of a sudden I realized I could email you.
I just wanted to tell you that we are all safe and have very little property damage. Now that we have electricity again we are getting a little back to normal.
We just got back from a hurricane shelter set up in White Castle for hurricane victims from the east side of New Orleans.
We have been trying to locate mattresses and bedding essentials for 62 people that drove from New Orleans in the back of a Ryder moving truck (like the one we used to move your belongings to Idaho. The stories we are hearing are similar to what you would hear from any disaster from any other part of the world. Unbelievable in some cases and disappointing to know it could happen so close to home.
It is true that rescue workers have come under fire from gangs and disgruntled victims. We will have more death recorded from this disaster than anything we have witnessed. But out of disaster there can be some good.
I wish you could have been with us just a few minutes ago as we met some of the finest people in the world that have lost everything except the clothes on their back. I just volunteered to take off tomorrow so Arlene and I can cook a pot of beans to feed the shelter. This shelter is so unique because it is not handled by the Red Cross.
This moving truck happened to come to White Castle at noon today and stopped to give the people a break, it was over 100 degrees in the back of the truck. They were spotted by policeman, the mayor was notified of their dilemma and the old high school gym was opened up for them to seek shelter. Their past 4 days have been such an ordeal.
It was such a blessing to be part of making them feel comfortable and assuring them that they are not alone. You talk about some folks that can hug! They were so appreciative; you just can’t seem to do enough to help them.
Even now writing to you I have to hold back tears thinking about my new friends.
Our lives will never be the same. The destruction is magnified 100x what is actually being reported, and yes I have been watching the news and I know what they are putting on TV.
New Orleans will never be the same.
Most of the people I met today tell me that they will not return, they don’t have anything there and there is no reason to return. Looks like White Castle is growing. Baton Rouge has doubled in population in just a couple days and no the resources were not in place to receive them. We now have policeman in Baton Rouge patrolling the downtown streets with shotguns and machine guns.
Please keep us in your prayers, as we are really facing some trying times.
Ray Seneca
|