Hurricane Gustav: Not Only New Orleans
Almost three years ago Hurricane Katrina rocked the Mississippi Gulf Coast and changed the look of the coastline forever. Shortly afterward Hurricane Rita gave a double whammy and demolished areas of the state that were spared by Katrina. The majority of the attention and publicity was focused on New Orleans. Many other cities and parishes (known as counties in other states) were completely wiped out.
I had the opportunity to see the damage for myself. After the 2005 baseball season was over, I went out across the state with the money donated to my foundation for purposes of helping families, individuals, schools and other charities most in need.
Once again, a killer storm has made landfall in Louisiana as a strong Category 2 Hurricane with winds reaching 110 mph at landfall, wreaking havoc on a state and a lifestyle that is very unique and important to the rest of the country. It made landfall at Cocodrie, LA and moved at a rapid pace for a hurricane northwest at 17 mph to Baton Rouge, (where I am from and still reside) and where my family was hunkered down prepared for what Gustav was to bring. Baton Rouge is located 65 miles Northwest of New Orleans.
In one of my earlier blogs I mentioned my fishing cabin in Grande Isle, LA. This was a new camp and the All-Star Break was the first opportunity that I was able to spend time in it. I did not mention that we lost our last one to Katrina and the massive storm surge she sent through the small island. Cocodrie is just west of Grande Isle which means the island took a beating again.
I was in contact with my family almost every hour, up until 5 pm eastern time when I had to prepare for last night’s game. I spent the hours leading up to the game glued to the TVs in the clubhouse and a FOX News website on my computer which had a live webcam stationed in downtown Baton Rouge. I could see the rain and wind blowing through the area and shuttered to think of what the residents were going through.
After the game, I called home again and was unable to contact my mother and many other family members. But I spoke with my dad and he told me this was the worst hurricane to ever make its way to Baton Rouge, with wind gusts reaching 91 mph. Several tornados had been spotted and two were reported touching down east of the city and moving at speeds about 70 mph.
I’ve tried contacting my family many times today but phone lines are down. One website reports that over 1.4 million residents are without power and even though the winds have died down, the state is still getting bands of rain which will put even more pressure on the levees and raise the water levels in the rivers and lakes around Louisiana which are already overflowing.
The news stations covering the Hurricane once again are focused mainly on New Orleans and have the majority of the information and stories coming out that area. The residents were evacuated and the city spared. As of now, none of the levees have collapsed and damage was far less than three years ago.
Let us not forget the other areas of the state which, once again, have been severely damaged by the storm surge, winds and flooding but may never get their story out and may never get any publicity or recognition. Cities like Houma, Cut Off, Thibodaux and Morgan City may never get the sympathy they deserve but are equally important nonetheless. Small fishing towns like Leeville, Dulac, Grande Isle, Golden Meadow and Cocodrie won’t have news stations there and may never return back to normalcy but are extremely important to the oil and fishing industry which supports everyone in this country and many in other countries.
Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they have a serious challenge ahead of them for months and years to come. It may take weeks for some areas to get electricity back and once that happens there will be long lines at gas stations, grocery stores, and hardware stores filled with people hopeful to start the restoration process.
Let us also send our best wishes and prayers to the residents in Alabama, Mississippi and Texas who were also affected as well.
I will have close contact in the months to come with family, friends and state officials who can direct me and my foundation and anyone else interested in helping out the recovery and restoration of the Gulf Coast so feel free to let me know if and how you may want to assist.
DD
By the way, as I was walking into the clubhouse, I received a cell phone call from my mother, who finally had phone service, and relayed that my family is ok and our houses have minimal damage from the wind and a few leaks because of the roof damage. We are very lucky. There are trees, fences and power lines down all over Baton Rouge with debris scattered everywhere. She stated that Gustav was the worst Hurricane that Baton Rouge has ever experienced.
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Thanks for sharing the story…glad everyone’s ok!!!
I couldn’t even imagine the fear of not knowing what is happening to my family. I’m glad everyone is ok.
Hi Dave! I am happy to hear that your family is okay. I have a grandmother in Mississippi that was hit hard also. Please keep her in your prayers! ood Bless V.
It’s the worst I’ve ever seen, and to be honest most people you talk to young and older will say the exact same things. Glad your family was fine and the damage was minimal! Thanks for pointing out that New Orleans was not the only place effected by the storm, it caused major damage in Baton Rouge that the news media has not gotten out like it should. Best of luck the rest of the season!
The federal, state and local government response to Gustav was much improved from Katrina. Having anchored six live hurricane specials on the east coast, I am positive the media does its part to educate the public about proper evacuation routes. Social agencies do a fantastic job in the aftermath of a major storm. But governmental agency coordination is still a concern.