Almost 2 months

Well, it's almost been 2 months since Katrina hit land (8/29/05 to be exact). I thought I would give an update about how things are progressing.

I guess one of the ways you know it's better is that you can drive for the most part without dodging trees or electrical wires. That doesn't mean that it's normal or easy to get around. In Slidell and Baton Rouge (basically the only two places I've been), the population of both cities doubled in less than 3 weeks. One evening, it took me an hour and 45 minutes to go 9.2 miles. As you can imagine, I was not a happy camper. But you learn to leave early, and you also spend as much time talking to the locals learning the back roads as you do talking to them about their claims. To add to the traffic problems, there are constantly tree cutters and large trucks picking up trash. I mean Large Trucks with Large Machinery picking up the trash....and bringing all traffic both ways to a complete halt. I've learned to avoid school zones at all cost. Of course, I've never loved the little rug-rats anyway, but now it's worse since so many families have been displaced. Which means that they are not necessarily on a bus route (if there is a bus route), so hundreds of mothers and fathers are driving their kids to school...and bringing all traffic both ways to a complete halt....again.

Shopping is almost a normal event. At least, they don't have the armed military posted at the doors of WalMart anymore. And they are letting more than 10 people at a time inside the store. I really didn't understand why WalMart was doing that, while next door at Home Depot or Sam's it was a normal shopping experience. I got to where I was boycotting WalMart for their over-dramatic display of force. The grocery stores are open and pretty well stocked (except for real tortillas).

There are only a couple of restrauants open in Slidell. You basically have your choice of Chinese food or Outback. People are so eager to eat out that you can plan on at least an hour's wait no matter where you go. A lot of the fast-food places have only their drive-thru open. A big part of the problem is not enough employees. The last time that I went to Outback Steak House, they still weren't including salad with the meal. They could get the ingredients, but didn't have an ;employee to chop the lettace. If anyone needs a job, come on down. Burger King is offering a $6000 sign-on bonus, spread out over a year. I don't think that I've gone anywhere that doesn't have a "Help Wanted" sign posted. I heard that Home Depot and Lowe's were hiring at about $25 an hour. It seems strange when you know that there are so many people that need a job. But so many people left the area and don't have a home to return to. So it's a catch-22. Plenty of jobs, but no place to live or take a bath.

There's not a lot on the order of entertainment...not that most people have time anyway. There is a movie theater about 25 miles from here. No casinos in this area, which is good for me! The only golf driving range I've seen looks like bombs went off, and was being used as a labor-force application site. If you are lucky, you have television access and that's pretty much it. Of course, there's always the Daquiri Bars.

The sad thing is that this is probably as "normal" as life is going to get for a long time. It will take at least a year for people to be able to get the workers to get their houses and roofs repaired. So as insurance adjusters, we are trying to get them their checks as quickly as possible. And not tell them that dealing with insurance is the easy part of this!

Now for your personal information on me. Years ago when I was working at the hospital in Corpus, there was a little boy who got separated from his Mother (actually, she was getting her mammogram and left him safely in our play area...but he was convinced that she didn't know where he was). As he was crying, and I was trying to comfort/reassure him that Mommy would be back soon, he looked at me with his big eyes and said "My Mommy misses me real bad!"

That's probably how I feel right now. I don't know that my Mommy misses me real bad, but I need a Mommy and Cat fix. So I'm buzzing into Wimberley this weekend. I won't have the time to visit with friends, but know that they will all understand that I'm on a mission. If I was working directly for the insurance company instead of working for Lana, I wouldn't be able to leave at all. So this is a real treat for me.

Until next time.