Hurricane Effects

Mike and I had plans to go to Disney World Sept. 9 for 5 days. It was going to be his birthday/graduation gift to me. Then Katrina came and now that is at the bottom of my priority list. Mike works at one of the Shell refineries and was told to go home and fill up on gas and use as little of it as possible because there would soon be a gas shortage. There actually seems to already be one. Right before the storm we had to go to 4 different stations before we could get gas. It's amazing the rumors that are flying around Baton Rouge. Supposedly there was a riot downtown and the S.W.A.T. team had to be called in. Two different rumors of people being shot and riots taking place at two different Wal-Marts. Wow. I was terrified for a few hours, but then these rumors are investigated and found to be false. Rumors are dangerous. Look at the bridge stampeded that just killed hundreds in Baghdad. It's just amazing how fast they spread and how widespread they become. As far as the way people are acting, these kinds of things bring out the best and the worst in people. I plan to volunteer at LSU this weekend. As far as work, it's not business as usual. We have locations near New Orleans and in Plaquemines Parish and have no word on them. We have more than 200 employees at those locations and are trying to locate them all and establish communications systems. So far we've only located about 20 thanks to a single telephone we plugged in at the office when there was no electricity and then a message board we were able to set up, but these are mainly top management and sales people. We've had two families of our employees show up at the office asking if we could help them and several calling us asking the same. We've been tracking information and trying to find jobs at other locations in case they have nothing to go back to. It's times like these that I wish I had more resources. If anyone local knows of places for rent PLEASE pass that on to me!