Saturday 3 September

Several more people dribbled in last night and today; some from from Women's Hospital, and some just from off the steeet. More horror stories of the looting in New Orleans. Christ. We fed 'em and found a place for them to stay. It's starting to get crowded.

Have received more clothes and food stuffs. Our parish hall looks like a Dollar General store. Many folks come in, and we tell them to take what they need. It is on the honor system, and most (if not all) do only take what they need.

I didn't stay last night, but came back this AM. When I got there, someone had already made biscuits and had breakfast going. We are going to have to redo the sleeping arrangements in order to accomidate the 150 or so temporary students that the Day School is taking in. They need several of our rooms for classrooms, so we are going to put dividers up in the fellowship hall and the library and make that the dormatorry and day room. The family in the Bride's room will stay put. Everyone took it in stride. We also turned off the TV. No sense in being bombarded with the horrors you just went through, or are facing.

A quick word about the reporting from New Orleans. It sucks. It sucks big. So much has been incorrectly reported, blown out of perportion, or just plain hyped to fill air time. Get Heraldo, Williams and the like out of there. Or better yet - TURN THEM OFF!

We are feeding dinner to the people staffing the new calling center the State has set up for the Emergency Operations Office. Last night hamburgers for 65. Doing it again tonight.

The Emergency Operations Center is just a few blocks from St. Luke's, at the Department of Public Safety (DPS) campus. My office has a project in that campus, but it has been put on hold for a while. The DPS campus is abuzz with activity - trucks, vans and HUMVEES from all sorts of agencies, and heliocopters of all types. Large, event-sized tents are being erected for additional space.

We helped many of our evacuees (I hate to call them refugees...) who needed to file paperwork with FEMA, the Social Security Office, their banks, etc., get to those offices. Parishioners shuttled them round and waited with them The wait was, well.... lengthy.

Had a group from California who went to Texas, bought relief supplies, and drove them to Baton Rouge. Someone had a connection to St. Luke's Episcopal, so they came here. Showed up with two SUV's worth. Amazing, this Faith thing.

We sent a trailer loaded with food and several hundred gallons of bottled water with two priests from St. James Baton Rouge, who were going to Washington Parish. Thousands there without any utilities, they said. They got back later in the evening, with a list of more supplies needed.

To all who have contributed to the relief effort.... thank you. Thank you so very much.

Got power at the house today, courtesy of power crews from Michigan! A good thing, as the house was beginning to reek and we really needed to wash clothes. Since we have power, we brought several evacuees back to the house to shower. St. Luke's has no useable shower facilities, alas.

More later,

.....CLIFF