“And the Lord said unto Noah, come thou and all thy house into the ark … And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.” — Genesis 7:1-24
Reminds me of … me in a way, dry in txyankee’s home for a hundred and fifty days now, in the company of another human, two dogs and four cats. And, no, I have not suddenly memorized the Bible. Looking up appropriate quotes is what the internet is for.
Thank goodness it didn’t take these many days for the dewaterification of New Orleans. But, areas like the Lower Ninth Ward don’t look any different than a few months ago. People ask me, “What’s Lower Ninth Ward? What’s so Lower, Ninth and Ward about it?”
Start by reading this Wikipedia article on the largest ward of Orleans Parish, which houses the Bywater, Upper Ninth Ward and Lower Ninth Wards. Follow along on a Google map of the Ninth Ward. Also, see the Lower Ninth Ward and its boundaries on this GNO Community Data Center map.
Keep in mind that school districts, police districts, planning districts and wards are not the same areas in southern Louisiana.
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More Photodocumentation: My friend and punster extraordinaire, Michael Pemberton, whose beautiful Marigny home survived Katrina just fine, has been busy documenting New Orleans through pictures. Here is his collection. Be warned: quite a few of the Lakeview and Gentilly pictures are overwhelming. “Wow, the flood did that? Oh lord, the flood did that.”
This was a Lakeview home
I looked at Michael Pemberton’s photos. Can you ask him if he’s been down the 1400 block of Moss Street, next to the Bayou St. John, and if so, how are the houses there? I still don’t know the fate of the B & B, and I’d love some good news.
Joel, I know for a fact that Moss St. and the banks of Bayou St. John suffered minimal flood damage as they are raised (natural levees). The 1400 block got a maximum of a foot or two of standing water, inches in places. That’s really great compared to their neighbors mere blocks away from the bayou, some of whom received 8-9 FEET of water.
Thank you for that news. The house has so many memories, and so many irreplacable personal things; I would hate to see anything happen to it.
You see, my dear, THIS is the power of your weblog: putting people’s minds at ease, and keeping them close to events far away. Thank you.
J
You’re welcome. Any time. If your friends have a raised house, they may have been lucky enough not to get any water inside the house. Some folks I know in Mid-City had water come up to the top of their front steps and none got inside because their houses (like mine) are raised. If you want me to check on your friends once I get back, I’ll be glad to go out there.
My friend and seamstress in Metairie had just 1.5 feet of water in her ranch-style house and lost all of her furniture, including some specialized sewing equipment.
I might just take you up on your offer to visit the Penfield house. If nothing else, I’d love for you to meet them. They’re wonderful people (and, pssst, so are you!) and I figure wonderful people should meet.
I’ve wanted to meet them since you told me they were the inspiration for two of the characters in FQ. If they can somehow … introduce me … to Johnny Depp … at some point, that would be a double bonus. Swoon!