Wildman800,

We to (Old Hammond hwy, Flannery road in Baton Rouge) suffered little damage, minor roof issues,turbine blown off, fence downed, One Tree toppled,lots of tree limbs in yard etc.

We lost power for about 4 hours, have lent standby generator to friends still without power (hope this turns out to be a good choice).

Several hospitals are still without power, stores are mostly closed, ones that are opened are largely bare, what's left people are waiting in long lines (we have lots of stores,food,water,tons of stuff including various BOB's and kits).
Have two battery powered TV's, which on February will be useless as digital broadcast is mandated.

Maybe we will buy yet one more generator, (can't have too many backups right?)
Fuel can be a problem unless you store several days to a weeks worth (We do).

Cell phone (voice and text messaging) has been somewhat spotty, I have both a personal and work cell phone on two different providers (ATT & Verizon).
The voice has been weaker on Verizon, but Data weaker on ATT.
Line lines also have a fare amount of call can not be completed.
Internet not available on either of my two networks for 6 hours yesterday (DSL & Cable).
Note: I did not make excessive calls for personal use, mostly work, related to Oil and Gas infrastructure.

Gustav was reported to have greater winds than Betsy (which I remember as a kid), but the damage seems to be lighter.

Funny thing about Wind damage; one yard has nothing, the next a tree down, shed destroyed etc. Could be elsewhere in Baton Rouge damage is more extensive.

All and All not as bad as Katrina for local impact.

Oh well several more chances to test our prep, this is the most active part of Hurricane season.

One additional observation, before the storm really had the wild eyed look of panic, the media really hyped the downside potential (Cat 3 maybe 4), statements by Government about the same, it really gives a good feel of how people cope with emergencies. It certainly gives a person some comfort and serenity to have prepared (years ago and constantly) with equipment and training, also reading ETS makes me feel less like OC/OCD, even wife no longer complains.

Blue Skys and stay dry.
MarshAviator