Thanks for dinner America

Tonight, Barbara and I dined on MRE's, Meals Ready to Eat. Our soldiers know all about MRE's. I have to say, they are pretty impressive. Barbara went to one of the distribution sites and they gave her 2 cases of MRE's which hold 12 meals each. She also got 2 cases of bottled water.

My MRE was menu 22 jambalaya. Did you know these babies were hot meals? The MRE comes in a plastic pouch. A small cardboard carton contains the entrée. The entrée is removed from the carton and placed in a plastic bag along with a pouch that is a water activated heater. A little water is poured into the envelope, the entrée and heater is lowered into the water, then the bag goes back into the carton while it heats. The chemical reaction causes heat and steam rises from the pouch.

After a minute, you remove the envelope containing the entrée and knead it to distribute the heat evenly. Next step, eat.

Along with the entrée is a little condiments pouch complete with Tabasco sauce. I also had a piece of bread and some cheese / jalapeno spread. Dessert is pineapple cake and there is a packet of powder that promises to make a thirst quenching orange drink.

It was a nice hot meal without cooking.

Good news: My hospital is open again and we admitted some patients today. The powers that be are expanding our census and we will serve more patients - up to 26. I am going to be busy. I have so much to do in the yard and around the house and work is going to be very busy.

I am not complaining. I would much rather have this set of circumstances than more time on my hands and no money coming in.

The best news of all is Barbara was also hired by the hospital, so we both have jobs. Many more people are less fortunate. I saw something on the net that said 400,000 jobs have been lost because of the hurricane.

Running: My running has gone to the dogs. I have not run since last Thursday. I think not getting to run the marathon took the wind out of my sails. I need to get back at it, because I am going to Huntsville, TX October 22 to run the Rocky Raccoon 50K, my first ultramarathon.

I am going to be on KTVU TV 2 in San Francisco Thursday AM at 9:40 AM CT. I have been going through my emails and found messages from MSNBC, The New York Times, Bloomberg Radio, and the BBC. When I began blogging in July of 2003, I never dreamed this would be possible.

Brotherhood: For whatever reason and no matter who is to blame, people are suffering, people have lost everything, people are in shock, and their lives are shattered. How can it help to blame them for not leaving the city? How can it help them to blame someone else for not preventing it or helping them sooner? They suffer now and they need our help now. The Bible talks about the value of a cup of cold water given in God's name. The simple things do a lot.

In my own case, I have been energized and strengthened by all of the emails and comments I have received. Even if I don't know you, your kind words and prayers have given me strength. I did not go through this alone.

If you witnessed a traffic accident and someone were lying in the street bleeding, would you tend to their wounds, or debate whose fault the accident was?

Katrina is like an accident and the streets are full of people suffering. Blaming and descending into political debate is to ignore the wounds and to prolong their suffering.

Power is still about 2 weeks out, but each day seems easier and easier.

Until the next time
John Strain

Katrina: Rewriting history in only one week

It has been one week and one day since Hurricane Katrina hit the United States. In that week, fingers of blame and accusations have been pointed in all directions. Most of this finger pointing is counter productive and uninformed. I am not surprised; I expected it. I do believe that a rational systematic debriefing is needed on all fronts. The process should examine what all involved parties did or did not do to determine what they could have done differently to improve their effectiveness.

We should examine the roles of individuals, governments on all levels, the media, and emergency responders.

This would be the thing to do if we were interested in learning from this disaster. Now, if your motive is political, then it is not necessary to be rational, you only need to spew accusations at your opponent. If your agenda is race and you are Jesse Jackson, then you say that the people were not helped quickly enough because they are black. These political agendas are more emotional than they are logical.

Let me recount some facts and I will begin on August 28th in the morning.
• The hurricane was forecast for the first time to hit New Orleans. What was only a category one storm was gaining strength. Usually when hurricanes are in the Gulf, folks are well aware. This hurricane was in the Gulf, but initially forecast to go up the west coast of Florida. I think most people figured that even if the course shifted, it would hit Pensacola again. Saturday was when the New Orleans area took this hurricane seriously.

The main thing to do then was pack up and get out of harms way. Evacuations were being ordered for extreme southern Louisiana. People were paying heed. Grocery stores and gas stations developed lines and supplies were vanishing.

It was the normal way folks prepare for a hurricane. Everything seemed right on course.

• Saturday around 10 PM: Mayor Nagin came on channel 6 the NBC affiliate and made me nervous. I will paraphrase what he said:

I was enjoying a relaxing meal with my wife and daughter when I received a call from Governor Blanco. She told me I needed to call a man at the hurricane center. (I do not recall his name, but I think the first name was Max). Mayor Nagin continued. Max strongly encouraged me to order a mandatory evacuation of the city of New Orleans. The man from the hurricane center told the Mayor, he would not be able to sleep if he had not spoken to someone directly about this. He feared a major impact on New Orleans, THIS WAS THE BIG ONE.

Mayor Nagin had a strange affect, he was subdued and I thought troubled. He said his attorney advised against calling a mandatory evacuation citing legal complications. His attorney's point was if the city says it is mandatory to get out and someone lacks the means to get out, they could hold the city liable for damages. Then Norman Robinson, the Channel 6 anchorman, questioned the Mayor about this and one could sense his surprise. You mean the hurricane center advised you to make the evacuation mandatory, but you won't because you are afraid of getting sued?

Nagin rightfully said, that he at this time is very strongly warning people to get out of the city and that if they stay because he has not ordered a mandatory evacuation and suffer harm, it is on them not him.

The bottom line is that on Saturday night, Mayor Nagin was more worried about a law suit than to make the evacuation mandatory.

I bet if the Mayor had it to do over again, he would have told the lawyer to screw himself and he would have ordered a mandatory evacuation.

• On Saturday, President Bush declared Louisiana a disaster area enabling governmental agencies to mobilize and freeing monies for aid.

• On Saturday at 4:00 PM, the contraflow began in which motorists used both the northbound and southbound lanes to evacuate.

• On Sunday, the emphasis was still on evacuation. Everything I heard in the media was about evacuation and getting out of harms way. We expected the weather to begin deteriorating in late afternoon, so time was growing short.

There was a sense of tension that was palpable. The news was on 24 hours a day. Reporters were in shirtsleeves and had shifted into disaster mode.

NOBODY knew what was about to transpire. We thought it was a strong hurricane, but we did not anticipate the scope of the destruction. From Baton Rouge to Panama City, Florida and 200 miles inland, Katrina left her mark.

• On Monday, Katrina came ashore jogging to the east at the last minute. We all thought we dodged a bullet, but slowly the destruction became known revealing a decimation no one had ever before seen.

• Katrina's magnitude began to sink in on me when Mayor Nagin was back on television Monday night at 11:00 PM. He looked somber and his voice was low and subdued. The Mayor began reading a list of destruction that left me feeling as though I were just told someone I loved just died. The I-12 twin spans were gone, a 12 mile section of Interstate. The city was full of water. There were no ways into the city because of the high water. Emergency personnel could not drive in and set up shop.

The many people who stayed were on islands separated from help.

Those who thumbed their nose at the warnings and stayed for whatever reason now knew why they should have left. If they had it all to do over, I bet they would have left when they were told.

• The flood waters continued to rise and for three days, man power was diverted to fixing the levee. New Orleans remained inaccessible.

The rest of the mess slowly came to light. Texas in its generosity opened up the Astrodome for the homeless New Orlenians, but many refused to board the busses. Others began to pillage and loot. This threw emergency workers a curve ball they had not contemplated.

Those who were searching for survivors and trying to rescue them were pulled to deal with the mayhem. It only worsened. By Thursday, Governor Blanco, Aaron Broussard of Jefferson Parish, and Mayor Nagin were on the radio leveling charge after charge at the federal government for not being prepared. They saw no fault in themselves.

Aaron Broussard especially was very disrespectful and I thought did a public disservice by inciting the public, almost excusing the unrest for lack of help.

These accusing local leaders were guilty of the very thing they accused Washington of, not being prepared.

I would counter that it is difficult to prepare for something outside your frame of reference.

All systems were stretched and overwhelmed. I also think the local leaders were very frustrated because they were powerless to help their people. They eased into the blaming, but took it to the heights.

I bet if they had it to do over again, they would have been better prepared themselves.

There are many questions that should be answered. What about the funding the federal government pulled relating to the levees in New Orleans?

Why were troops delayed?

Why did it take so long to get the evacuation under way?

I was listening to the BBC last night. The correspondent raised some questions:
• Why was there not enough food and water at the Superdome?
• Why was there no medicine and other services?
The answer is simple. The Superdome was never intended to provide provisions at all and the people knew it going in. As a matter of fact, everyone in south Louisiana knows the policy regarding shelters: Bring food for three days, there will be no food there. Bring your bedding and clothes. Nothing is provided except a safe place from the hurricane. No pets are allowed.

The Superdome was designated a shelter of last resort, a far cry from a special needs shelter. The Superdome was a contingency way down the list. It was a place to run to to save your life.

I bet those who stayed in the Dome wish they had listened to Mayor Nagin.

We can blame all sorts of people and agencies, but that will not undo what happened. However, if we take an honest look at what all of the players and pieces did and did not do, we could go into the next disaster better prepared.

I am an optimist. I believe this will be done, but don't expect to see it hashed out in the media. This process would be too boring. People working together to learn something doesn't command ratings. Instead, Jesse Jackson will rail against the white conspiracy and the democrats will say the hurricane is only another illustration of President Bush's ineptness.

It is up to you on which process you will focus.

Until the next time
John Strain

Who's going to clean up this mess?

It is 10:00 PM and I have been about the business of trying to put back what Katrina rearranged.

The photo is of me and Bear on a break from the yard work. I guess I should have given him more of my sandwich, because he ran off shortly after. Barbara and I were working in the yard when we noticed Bear was not around. We walked around could not find him. Barbara got in the car and looped around the neighborhood looking for him. I walked around and looked, but no Bear.

It was getting close to 6:00 PM and I feared not finding him before dark. I was worried he may spend the night away from us. While Barbara was driving around, I made about 10 signs that read: "LOST BLACK LAB ORANGE COLLAR CALL ###."

My friend Brian showed up just as I finished the signs and he offered to drive me around to post them. I nailed signs to brand new utility poles, a pristine surface. When we got home, Bear was looking out the door, Barbara found him.

She went to our vet who told her another vet called him about a black lab they had brought into another animal hospital. Barbara went over there and Bear was waiting for her. He was running down one of the busy streets in town. I wonder if he got wind of a female coming into her fullness.

The vet that had Bear asked Barbara to donate to the Red Cross in lieu of payment. What payment? He is already my dog. Also, I told Barbara this is one disaster we can sit out on the donation front. Oh well, what's another $40. If you know me, you know this was supposed to be a funny paragraph, I'm just kidding.

Tomorrow I have to go pull down all of those signs.

I spent a lot of the morning trying to get my Directv working. A tree hit my dish and trashed it. I hate it when things disrespect my Directv. Marty had an old dish and I installed it, but never could acquire a satellite signal. Oh well. The good news is Directv is not charging for September and no service call charge when they bring out the new equipment. The girl I talked to was from Oklahoma and kept apologizing to me for Katrina. I finally said, "It wasn't your fault." So hat tip to Directv.

This just in from the Parish Government:

EFFECTIVE AT 6PM. YESTERDAY, THE SALE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN IN ST. TAMMANY PARISH UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT: If you remained in St. Tammany Parish during the storm and are returning to a flooded area to check your home, beware of snake infestations. Water snakes may have entered your neighborhood and home with the flood waters. Anti-venom is available at hospitals.

(It used to be really fun here.)

My BBC appearance was postponed. It will be rescheduled sometime next week.

It is bedtime. Tomorrow is a meeting at the hospital to discuss the reopening of the hospital. If I get off early, it is back to the yard work.

When it is all said and done, I feel lucky. No major damage, no physical damage, just some excess yard work and an unexpected and extended camping trip to enjoy.

Until the next time
John Strain

A Trip to Lowe's and Katrina Photos

A view of my backyard from the roof
Click photo for lots more Katrina photos
Follow the links at the top of the photo page to see all four pages

This is connected to the post last night about my neighbor complaining about my generator. I woke up this morning and decided to move it to the other side of the house, see web cam. To do this I needed longer extension cords. John and I headed to Lowe's and of course they were out.

Next step, make your own. I bought a 75' and a 60' length of 14-3 wire. When I got to the plug section, they had the male ends, but no female ends. Damn, another female problem. The guy on the aisle said a truck had just arrived and as they unload the truck, he would check to see if the female plugs came in. Every 15 minutes or so, he went to the back emerging in a few minutes with a shopping cart full of boxes. Each time, no luck.

Several men were standing around and I said, "This figures, here we are standing around waiting on some females." They laughed knowingly and we shared hurricane stories.

One of the strange things is many people are armed and patrol their neighborhoods to guard against looting. This is not complete paranoia as generators have been stolen and homes have been robbed. I do not think there are pits in hell deep enough for such individuals. I would hate to be the one who gets caught.

The female plugs were not on the truck, but I had an idea. I cut the cord on a power strip. Then I used the male end on one end of the extension cord and the power strip itself on the other end of the cord. It works great and my computer is plugged into one of them now and I am enjoying DSL again.

I also bought a heavy chain and lock to make it difficult for someone to steal my generator.

Odds and Ends:
It has been so long since we have had electricity I don't even flip a light switch when I go into a room.

Bear is back and happy. We have played tennis ball and I took him on his first walk this morning. He had a lot of peeing to catch up on.

Electricity is coming back on in some parts of the city. Marty may get power tonight or tomorrow. If he gets power, I have dibs on his gasoline cans. Our electricity will not be on for a while yet.

The guy who waited on me at Lowes, lives in Chalmette. His house has two feet of water in the second floor.

Barbara may be out of work. More than likely, the agency she works for will not reopen. I've got to get that girl working. I am hoping to get her working for the company I am with.

I am going to be on the BBC Monday night between 9 and 10 PM Monday. A producer got in touch with me and asked if I would appear on a late night radio show in the UK. They will call me and we will do it over the phone. Too bad I can't do it live in London.

My neighbor came over today and offered an extension cord and gave Barbara three bags of ice. He said he did not like the way things ended last night. I am still mad, but I don't like conflict. I did move the generator. Making extension cords the way I did wound up costing $120.

Got to go.

Until the next time
John Strain

People connections and property

I have had hundreds of emails requesting I help to contact friends and family members in this area. People have also inquired about property.

I know many of you have made contact or gotten the information you were looking for.

If you still need help finding someone or info about property, comment here and I will see what I can do.

I also may have DSL. I will try to connect tonight. If that is true, I will offer a hot spot to anyone with a wireless computer. People are so happy to be able to email.

Until the next time
John Strain