Another email from Louisiana cousin who went in with his boat last week:
You are correct about St. Bernard and Plaquemines. No news came out of those parishes because nobody could communicate with them. In fact, when M. and I (and the group of guys who came with us) crossed the Mississippi in our boats to get to St. Bernard on Saturday morning, we brought with us some reporters and a photographer from the Times Picayune. These were either the first, or some of the first news media to make it there - 6 days after the storm. There was just no other way in.
Anyhow, Baton Rouge is dealing with the influx of people. There are thousands of stories generosity and kindness. People all over Baton Rouge (and Louisiana and the nation and the world) have really done so much. Unfortunately, the only stories in our paper and news focus on the price gougers, people complaining of the traffic, people complaining they don't feel safe and so on. It is so frustrating to watch as the media creates and then fuels controversy simply for the sake of selling itself (this is happening at a National level as well)....I can't emphasize enough what a weird time this is in Louisiana. I know y'all have seen the footage from New Orleans, but seeing it first hand, I cannot figure out how parts of the city and surrounding parishes will be rebuilt. Also, many of the displaced New Orleanians are talking about staying in their host cities. It will be very interesting and probably sad to see what happens. Keep New Orleans and Louisiana in your prayers. I haven't gotten all the pictures from some of the guys who went with us yet. M. and I didn't have a camera (or someone with a camera in our group) until Sat. I just was emailed a few of the pictures so I've attached few pictures taken when we crossed the Mississippi. They show the ferry and big tug boats beached. When we were driving on the levee on the westbank, the water line evidenced that Mississippi rose all the way to the very top and was less than a foot from flooding over the levee.
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