That's what happened during Floyd, here in NC- I was in college and lived in part Eastern NC that got hit hardest with flooding. Having been in college town, and college neighborhood, there was always a party once it started getting dark. We couldn't leave the city, because the highway was underwater, and this really strange sense of community sort of rose out of everything. I remember playing Spades, drinking beer on my porch at 10 AM with neighbors I'd never met before. So surreal, but it wasn't like we had class. Last one I actually pointed my webcam outside and webcast the hurricane to friends in Maine and back home.

All the Canes I've been through have become these iconic memories for me. The damage and destruction, death, my bedroom in high school almost became a fireball of natural gas, just the awe of weather. It's not good by any stretch, but I always have this anticipation about them. Everything stops and becomes this moment to moment experience. The raw nature, the perspective it throws on life, and the mundane crap, and it's probably a low level fear thing too, I like being scared, but the only way I can explain it is like a snow day when you're a kid, but with the potential for a horrible down side. It becomes a point of comparison for every other day you're lucky enough to around for.

Anyway, babbling... But fear is defintitely the best bet, Stay safe. Be smart. Thoughts with you and everyone down there. Good luck.

Take care, Toni -- my thoughts are with you and everyone else in the path of this monster.

(And I apologize for being so slow on replying to email; this week!)

Toni, I hope the whole experience is interesting enough to be used as color for your next book, but only if you are writing comedy. Good luck to all of you in the path of Katrina; thanks for letting your readers know what has been happening so far.

Annie in Austin

My thoughts & prayers are with the surviors, the deceased and any of those affected. I live in Iowa, if some one or family is in need of housing from Katrina I have room to share. Also I can drive near the disaster to bring water & food, but I don't know where to go.
Jacque
jakeandbubs@iowatelecom.net