“Escape from New Orleans”–mid-day update
Charles Pizzo called at 12:15 pm Chicago time with the good news that he had spoken with Julie Freeman–who had just landed safely in San Francisco. She, Warren Bickford and David Kistle had driven to Mississippi, where they decided to head west to Dallas, rather than to their original destination of Memphis.
David left the group at Shreveport, Miss., to catch a scheduled 6 a.m. flight. Julie caught her flight in Dallas, and Warren is staying with Scott Cytron in Dallas until he can get a flight home.
Charles is getting disturbing news reports regarding his New Orleans home. He heard a report that some New Orleans residents may not be able to return to their homes for up to one month! Some reports are that his neighborhood is under 3 feet of water, and his mother’s neighborhood could be under 10 feet of water. Until police and rescue units can safely enter the area, this won’t be confirmed. In the meantime, Charles may temporarily relocate closer to family in the Fort Worth, Texas area.
Links for news regarding the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and the surrounding area:
http://www.wdsu.com/index.html
http://www.nola.com/
http://www.cityofno.com/
August 29th, 2005 at 10:16 am
Thanks, Tom, for your postings. While we are safe and dry in Dallas, we can’t say the same for our neighbors to the southeast, so I know everyone’s thoughts and prayers are with them.
August 29th, 2005 at 11:11 am
As Tom wrote in his posts, IABC Chair Warren Bickford and I, as well as past Chair David Kistle, left New Orleans by car. We are all safe and sound and I’m now writing from San Francisco.
During the long drive out of the affected area, we knew that while Warren, David and I were headed toward the safety of our homes, most of the people in the countless other cars sharing the road with us were in fact leaving their homes behind, not knowing what they’d return to when this is all over.
To our members and everyone else in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, on behalf of IABC’s staff and executive board, our thoughts are with you, with hopes for your safety and minimal loss of property.
We’ll keep posting updates here in the Café as more information becomes available.
Julie Freeman
IABC President