North of Nowhere – Katrina’s Impact

Clyde and I are fine.

Jackson, our home town, has been plunged into darkness. About 95% of our city has no electricity. Right now, I’m in Ridgeland, hoping my laptop battery holds out long enough to make a quick post. (Of all places, the Krystal Hamburger Shop has power … and Internet access! Never underestimate the power of a Krystal.)

Cities south of us, as you probably know, have been devestated or destroyed. In Jackson, we do not have flooding, but:

– High winds have twisted trees like pretzels, bringing down power lines and transformers. Our street is blocked by a tangle of oak and electric cable. There’s not a Bradford Pear in the city that hasn’t been yanked up by the roots.

– With few exceptions, we have no power. At least Clyde and I have a home, with no damage! Others, especially the refugees, are miserable. There are 700,000 people staying in hotels … none of which have power or air conditioning. Imagine walking up 15 flights of stairs to a sealed room with windows you can’t open on a 95 degree day, and you’ll be picturing what life is like for the best off of Jackson’s refugee population.

– Ice and gas are getting scarce. Big trucks pull up outside grocery stores (many of which are closed), tossing out bags of ice or selling high-priced generators. Lines at gas stations are two to four hours long.

– Traffic is a nightmare. The city has doubled in size overnight, and there are no traffic lights. Do the math.

All of that said, Clyde and I are very well off. We have gas in our cars. We have a cooler full of ice. We have bottled water. We have money. We have friends who have taken good care of us, sharing turkey burgers ("Cook ’em before they spoil!") and bringing us ice today. We have managed to find short lines at neighborhood restaurants in out of the way places that happen to have power.

In a time when so many people have no homes, we’re doing quite well.

Given the oppressive heat and dwindling supplies, we may head north tonight to stay with Clyde’s parents. They’re near Memphis, where there are no issues with power or water. A night in a cool bed sounds mighty good just now.

Thanks to everyone for your notes and prayers. If I don’t have the chance to answer you personally just now, it’s only because batteries and connectivity are extremely limited. You should see us right now: parked at the Krystal, laptops plugged into the cigarette lighters, pounding away at the keyboard while soaking up my car’s air conditioning!

I’ll keep posting as often as I can,

Mark