New Orleans

Well I have been here for about 4 days. You cannot even believe the devastation that is still present. Entire blocks and blocks and blocks of neighborhoods wiped out.... Not from the hurricane but from the levy breaks. I am hoping to be able to download pictures to my computer tomorrow to post. It is overwhelming to see the kind of devastation every day. Where we are staying is sort of back up to speed, but there are lots of businesses still down. People still living in the Embassy suites I am staying in and navigating around the city is quite an adventure. Downtown is okay, but there are either no street signs or they are turned around backwards so you really can't read them until you are past. Lots of street lights still out.. and stop signs temporarily posted to help control intersections. can't tell you how many I have missed and gone right through as well as how many left hand turns I have ended up making from the right hand lane. There are several different areas of the city that look like an atomic bomb hit.... still after 5 and a half months. Folks have given up waiting for some kind of government help and are trying to rebuild themselves. Been really encouraged and heartened by a couple of schools I've visited that have had whatever staff returned to help clean up the mud and water damage. Tear out walls to get rid of mold and start to rebuild, so people can return to some normalcy by continuing their college education. Truly incredible.