My sister attends Tulane University (well, not for the time being). She was concerned because her and her roomates house is in the Garden District, adjacent to the university. Her roomate visited the house yesterday and they did not have any water in their home, nor did most of the homes in the area. The Garden District and the University suffered little water/flood damage as that area is built up higher than most of the rest of the city. In fact, the president of the University and about 50 university employees have been on or near campus through the hurricane and to this day. Anyone familiar with the Garden District knows that it is one of the wealthier areas of NO. My sister was told that police force and security has been very strong in the university and garden district area. I am not saying this hasn't happened, but it would be interesting to see if this news makes it out in the news. Many of the homes in the Garden District are well "fortified." We will wait and see! In my opinion, the Manning possesions (or anyone elses) mean little in the wake of the tragic loss. Me and my wife spent a good part of last weekend at the Astrodome and Reliant Center volunteering. We see constantly in the news the flooding, death, and property loss. One thing that I think has been very underreported in the news is the potential for many of these family members to ever find their friends and relatives again. With phone and mail infrastructure having to be rebuilt from nothing, it could be years before some families find relatives. Sorry for the side track, but my expectations before seeing the victims in Houston was shocking. Once I saw it first hand, I relized the media can not even begin to describe the hardship. 75% of the people I talked to and met have no intention of ever going back to New Orleans. The real impact of this storm hasn't been seen yet! Sorry again for my side track, but my experiences over the past two weeks (sister effected by school and volunteering) have really impacted me.
Thanks,
Chris Boyd
http://www.eGameUsed.com
713-385-1155
ccboyd@houston.rr.com
