From Cousin J who is a refugee from Hurricane Rita in Baton Rouge:
J here....I went to Lake Charles yesterday with D, J I, J K, and S. We took 2 vehicles and I was ordered to extract Dad (L) as quickly as possible from the war zone and unbearable heat since his vertigo was acting up. We got there and the crazy man was in the front yard with no shirt on, sweating like a pig, and had just come down off of his roof... laying tarps and removing limbs... and refusing to go with me in the morning. SSSOOOO I had to stay for the day. Oh my HOT HOT HOT HOT HOTNESS!!!! Good thing I did though. The ceiling in our kitchen fell in ... I spent most of the day mopping.. ripping out soaked insulation from the attic and cleaning up as much as I could so it could dry out. D, S and Dad tarped and covered the roof with felt (on all three houses). I ran up and down ladders with water, roof nails, etc....Soon after, D, S, and Dad joined the M N crew (C, J I, J K , J O, J P) to remove the tree off of J K's house....
I must say I cried three times on the way in and cried at my house. It is overwhelming and you just sit there not really knowing what to do first or even how to do it!
Tomorrow Sept. 30, D and his crew are heading back again. More friends and even D's brother from Dallas will be there to help. Since a tiny cool front is coming through, I think they may stay the weekend and "camp out." The civic center has ice, water, and MRE's for all in the area, and they may just rely on FEMA for a few days.
C and M have been there all week. They roam around town finding people who need help with securing their homes and removing debris.
More to come.
Will send link to photos this afternoon.
Love, J
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Dear Family, All our boats are okay.... I love hearing from you , but would like to request that you not send me large attachments for the next little while. I'm receiving my emails through my cell phone and large (pictures) attachments do their own little Rita ramble on my ability to receive. I want the pictures though, just later: when I'm up and running. It won't be long, count on it. Love, M
[Left photo: Lake Street, a main road] [Right photo: The tree on J K's roof has a beehive in it. They are calling it a sting operation. The temperature on the roof is ca 140 degrees Fahrenheit.]
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