The other fuel shortage

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With Katrina making a mess of the gulf coast and the resulting shutdown of facilities and property loss there has been a lot of talk of gas prices rising even more. Los Angeles already has reported prices in the 3.00 to 3.15 range. So anything higher is quite insane.

Crude oil is not the only shortage being reported from the destruction in New Orleans however. Apparently upwards of 25% of the nations coffee was in storage in the city. I can do without gas, but I don't know what my body will do without it's gas. **cries**

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Katrina - Helping and Getting Help

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This is a quick post I may add to as more comes in. Here are some places to offer assistance and get assistance if you need it.

FEMA has a page detailing ways you can help. The red cross page is getting hammered at the moment so you may want to use the hotline or an alternate donation site. Amazon.com has also set up a page. For Red Cross donations.

If you are looking for friends and family from the N.O. area you may try looking at some of the resources here.

As a lot of you know my birthday is saturday, I've had a couple people ask me what I want over the past few weeks. Well here's your chance. I want you to donate to the American Red Cross. $5, $10... I don't care. Just open your heart to your neighbors. Locate a church or a local drive and offer clothes or a blanket if you're close. Make a post on your blog detailing ways others can help. Heck send them to this post if you like, but try to help in some way.

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The Chaos Spreads

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As we continue to watch and wait for news from New Orleans it just keeps getting worse. Rescue workers are not wanting to enter the area because it is, for the most part, a war zone. There have been reports of gunshots throughout the night from a lady in contact with the radio stations here who refuses to leave New Orleans because they won't let her take her dog on the helicopter. The evacuation of the Superdome seems to have been delayed by trash fires on the pavement outside the dome and by someone apparently firing at one of the rescue vehicles.

The chaos does not seem to be contained to the worse effected areas. Baton Rouge, which weathered the hurricane as it does most others, with downed power lines and tree limbs but no major damage, now has to control a constant flood of refugees from New Orleans. Some of these folk are desperate for shelter and simply looking for a place to stay. Some are looting the area malls and stores and massive reports of people breaking into cars and other theft. We had an advisory last night to be sure to lock all doors and windows. When I went outside to check out the neighborhood there was a guy at the end of the road going through the trash bins, he started walking toward the street and left when I walked toward him. I had simply hoped to offer him a sandwich but thought better of yelling it.

Louisiana being the "Sportsman's Paradise" I really do fear for the thought of people attempting to take the law into their own hands against the looters and criminals. The amount of guns to angry rednecks here is staggering, and restraint has never been the word of the day here.

Adding to the resulting panic from looters moving outwards the gas stations here are being pounded as the scare of a fuel shortage and rising prices has people at the pumps with 2 and 3 hour wait times. Pasing the station by my house the line stretches well into the road. I can't imagine this is helping peoples anger any at all.

We have two ways of going as a community here. We can lock down the hatches and selfishly ride out the storm, or we can react as the country did to the Tsunami across the world. With money, donations, and our hearts and prayers given to those in the greatest need. I hope to make a post here shortly with ways we all can help.

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Katrina 1AM

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The hurricane is interesting thus far, especially as I watch the local media coverage unfold. The first thing to note is that while you often see TV reporters and TV stations report on-site during the worst of events this is not one of those occasions. To the best of my knowledge there are no operational TV or Radio stations operating from within Orleans Parrish. The local ABC affiliates have combined to put their best people serving the news, the local weather takes on a back and forth format as the local weatherman and the Orleans weatherman go back and forth explaining the issues. Everything simulcasts to both markets. This, for the most part, has gone over well.

The second thing I've noticed is the tone of the interviews and the interviewees. During storms of the past you would always have the people interviewed before being the tough soloist "This is my home I ain't going nowhere". This time the recurring theme in all the interviews, both with local officials and residents, is that lives are much more important than possessions. Possessions can be replaced, lives cannot. This seems a little more sensible to me as well. Not only does that help penetrate the thick skulls of the people who think nothing could ever happen to them it helps to pass that message along to the community. And it is without a doubt the correct message.

The thing in this situation that I admit myself to being a little detached from is the other message that they are trying to send. The last reports have said that the storm surge facing New Orleans will overwhelm the levies with ease. Those of you who have never been to New Orleans may well never see the city as it was before this storm. 3/4 of this city is below sea level, the levies were built (and never tested) with a category 3 storm in mind. The talk here is of New Orleans being under 15-20 feet of water with ease, of tall buildings collapsing, of power outages running into months. Of a complete disruption in the power grid.

The hurricane will continue past New Orleans, moving northerly at it's own pace. The worries will move from what will happen to N.O. to how will N.O. recover and how much will the rest of the country suffer while it is doing so. Port Orleans and LOOP shutting down is one million barrels of crude oil not making it into this country. Add this to the incredible rainfall from this storm having the capability to overrun dams as far north as New York and Pennsylvania and likely no one in this country won't feel the effects of Katrina.

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Katrina

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I'd like to thank everyone who has been calling and emailing today, it's touching to have so many people worried about ones welfare. As most of you know I live in the New Orleans/Baton Rouge area and as such am in queue for an ass raping of a category 5 magnitude. The closest I've come being Hurricane Andrew I'm somewhat sober over what can happen, but I have an extrodinary amount of luck so more than likely I will get through this without issue. :)

The electric company has issued statements saying to expect the power to be out for days, be realistic to acknowledge that it could be out for weeks, and not to be too incredibly surprised if we lose power for upwards of a month. I don't know what the hell I'll do without power for that long... Cry more than likely.

On the off chance that we do have power I will jump on here and try to keep everyone updated, either by IM or posts here. Those of you who have my phone number are welcomed to call, I've even gotten out to buy a corded phone so as to be able to talk with no power. Teh Yay!

Again, thanks for all your messages and calls. It really felt great to have such support. :)

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