Storm Update

Just wanted to let everyone know that Jeremy, Homer and I are officially out of harms way from hurricane Gustav. We arrived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama around 1:30am this morning. To put it mildly it was a sheer nightmare getting out of Louisiana. Because of the amount of people evacuating it took us approximately 6 1/2 hours to travel from Thibodaux and through New Orleans. Just to put this in perspective for you, this drive in normal conditions would only take 1 1/2 hours. The worst part was that every gas station, fast food joint, grocery store etc. was closed until we reached Mississippi so we couldn't even stop for a snack or a bathroom break....talk about taking one for the team! Anyway, as hard as it was for us to leave our house and most of our stuff behind we are lucky to be out of the storm path and in a safe place right now. Not to be a Debbie downer but it was so heartbreaking to watch so many people pack up what few important things they could and head out not knowing what they would be coming home to. I saw one little grannie on the local news station say "I'm just so scared". She made it through Katrina but lost everything and now she was just so worried that she would have to go through the same experience all over again. Very sad! It definitely makes you appreciate the important things in life like family and the gospel. So yeah, I know that most of our fellow Louisianans are trying to remain optimistic as we wait this thing out. It's nice to see that the majority of the residents seem to be taking the mandatory evacuation very seriously this time around, and I don't think their will be a repeat in deaths or people needing to be rescued like their was during Katrina. Governor Bobby J. has already arranged a HUGH relief effort for residents of Louisiana that includes enough food to feed approximately 600,000 people a day (and more if necessary), as well as all of the necessary supplies that will be needed after the storm hits. So yeah, it's good to know that they are preparing for the worst as far as supplies and food go. Anyway, on a lighter note we heard on the news that Geraldo is headed to New Orleans, so maybe he is planning on doing some live coverage in the eye of the storm when it hits. Sweet! I haven't seen Anderson Cooper step up to the plate and volunteer, so props to Geraldo. To track the storm and for live updates you can follow this link for the latest information on Gustav.