# Running From Katrina



## BigLeaf (Mar 15, 2005)

Hey group, 
We live in SE Louisiana, where that monster hurricane has its eye on hitting. We are about to bail out of this area, since we live only 40 miles from New Orleans, which is dead center of the forecast track. The thing is expected to be a category 4 storm, winds about 145 mph before the eye comes on shore. Every since Hurricane Betsy hit in 1965, there has been talk around here of the "Big One", the one that will fill Lake Ponchatrain and flood New Orleans and the surrounding area. We think that THEY think this in the "Big One."

Where we are, we won't get category 4 winds, but probably upwards of 80 mph, so the Outback has to leave, and we are going with it. We are heading west, to Lafayette, hoping that the storm doesn't jog that way.

If anyone else from round here and Mississippi is in the path of this storm, we pray that all goes well for you, that your property and your lives are protected.

God bless and good luck.
V.


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## WillTy3 (Jul 20, 2004)

Good luck and be safe

Will


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## Four4RVing (Aug 7, 2005)

Be careful!


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

High and dry and light on the trees please. Be safe for you and yours.Let us know how you are making out when you make it home.
Prayers are with you.
Jan


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## Howie (Jun 19, 2005)

_*Oh my! Be careful and let us know when your safe and sound back at home*_


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Stay safe and dry.

Of course you're pulling your Outback out of harms way...right???


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Good luck and stay safe!


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Wonder how they are doing and what there home is like when they can return.


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

I've been thinking of them too. I hope they found a safe place to stay. If they did, having an Outback sure can't hurt. It sounds like the flooding is getting worse.
Let us know how your doing once you can get on line again.








Jan


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## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

This kind of thing makes me want to stockpile gasoline- can you imagine stop-and-go traffic for hundreds of miles? It would make me feel a whole lot better having around 40 gals of fuel in reserve!

Kevin P.


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## JOELs28BHS (Apr 25, 2005)

Hi Folks,

1: I hope this is a good place to put this post.

2: I think that all of us that have not suffered the lose that the folks on the Gulf Coast has should uplift a word of thanks and a request for the health and safety to all in that area. This is not to affend any one but only for those people suffering so.

3: Me and my wife have discused this and are offering to any one that needs a place to park for a while the use of our yard. We live on 4 acres out in the country a little north of Savannah, Ga.
We don't have alot of money and we live in a very small home, but we feel a great need to do some thing to help.
The Pastor of our church also said that the church parking lot can be used also for a place to go if needed.

4: We have friends that live very close to New Orleans and have not heard from them yet.
My wife is from MS and she cries at almost every pic she sees from there.

I know that we live a long way away from that area but the offer comes from the heart.

God Bless & Happy Camping---Joel


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

Great offer, Joel! I wish we had a list of all the outbackers who could potentially be affected. I'm sure they all have a trailer in tow somewhere in the south.


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## drobe5150 (Jan 21, 2005)

JOELs28BHS said:


> Hi Folks,
> 
> 1: I hope this is a good place to put this post.
> 
> ...


another reason why this is the best damm forum period. 
thanks joel, i hope someone takes you up on your hospitality.

darrel


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## uoutcampin2 (Mar 3, 2005)

I wanted to let everyone know that Kirk, Myself and the 2 dogs are OK and hanging in there. We packed the TT with everything we could and hitched up Saturday night and headed west to Lake Charles LA and stayed for 4 nights at Jellystone park. We left there yesterday because the A/C in the outback decided to kill out on us. And when the temps here are around 95-100, this is not an option. I was able to find a Keystone Laredo dealer that handles Carrier units in Lafayette LA. So yesterday I dropped off the TT at the dealer and told them to take extra special care of my TT because it is now the only home we have. The compressor went out. What was happening is when the a/c would kick on, the breaker would trip. Well the reason why was because the A/C was pulling 29 amps. But anyway, when you guys look at the news and see where water is to the roof tops, well one of those subdivisions is where our home is. They say that it may be as long as 2 or 3 months before they can fix the flood walls and get all the water pumped out of the city. And then I wonder if our house will be structurally sound after being under water for that long. But I am going to run now. I will check back in with you guys whenever I can find a internet connection again.

Pray for us

Chris


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Wow........Good Luck and stay safe

John


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

You have a lot of people hoping the best for you. If you want to head for the PNW, I have a big house. Joel, in GA, made a similar offer. I suspect you could just about name a place to go and another outbacker will be there to help. Stay safe and let us know if we can do anything.


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## drose (Jul 26, 2005)

The corps annouced today that it will open all the corps parks in the Little Rock district free of charge for anyone displaced from Katrina. You can have your pick of spots in about all of the parks starting Monday after the big holiday. They will be on a first come first serve bias. Stay safe!!!


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Chris,

Thank God you're safe. I'm sorry about your predicament---you and the family are in my prayers. Stay safe and good luck. I don't have a place to park your trailer but would be glad to put you up for a while if needed.

Mark


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

I just realized the one that checked in was not the one that started the topic. By the way he descibed his address, it seems he might be in the same situation.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

uoutcampin2 said:


> But anyway, when you guys look at the news and see where water is to the roof tops, well one of those subdivisions is where our home is. They say that it may be as long as 2 or 3 months before they can fix the flood walls and get all the water pumped out of the city. And then I wonder if our house will be structurally sound after being under water for that long. But I am going to run now. I will check back in with you guys whenever I can find a internet connection again.
> 
> Pray for us
> 
> ...


Glad you are ok. We lived through a flood of our home as well, and were evacuated for weeks. (although a hurricane didn't plow through first) I know what you'll be facing in the future, and it's really going to make you mad. I hope you don't get screwed over by THE SYSTEM as we did. (Like a good neighbor....YEA RIGHT! Don't get me started S.F!)

I will say, stay the course. Keep your head as high as you can, and don't be afraid to ask for help. The whole process moves along WAY TOO SLOW...especially when you need it most.

Our flood happened in 1997, and I'm still paying off debts and losses from it. I'm hoping our FD will send us to help out. I'll be first on the list if it happens. Hang in there.

Good luck.


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## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

We're praying for everyone from the coast. I can't imagine what it must be like. It's great to see all the generousity of the nation coming out. I heard some universities in Missouri are offering in-state tuition to displaced college students. Stay safe.


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## nascarcamper (Jan 27, 2005)

Glad to hear you're ok. My advice on the flood claim is don't give up. I have a cell phone with unlimited minutes so towards the end I called them every day. I ended up with direct numbers to FEMA that came in quite handy. Let me know if you need them. They'll tell you how many claims they have sitting on their desk to try and make you back off. I told them the difference was I only had one on mine. Hang in there and good luck.


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

action Chris,
We are so glad you were able to get out of town with your Outback. I hope that air conditioner is working by now.








We will pray for you and all the folks affected by the storm. I remember seeing pictures of you, your family and your dogs in the gallery when you first got your Outback. I hope they are safe and out of the danger zone.

I'm wondering if Mich State Parks could make the same offer of free camp sites. Only thing is it gets way cold and snowy up here in a few months. Bit, it's very nice in Sept and Oct. Moderate temperatures and rain only. I'm sure you want to say as close as possible to your home and family. Keep us posted. If you have problms with getting services let us know so we can use political pressure to get you the services you need to get home.

Jan


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## uoutcampin2 (Mar 3, 2005)

Well everything is still the same.







We did receive an advance of $2500 on our flood policy and $2000 on our homeowners policy. We have our flood with State Farm and the homeowners with Allstate. So with this money we can start to get back on our feet again. We had seen on the news a guy who went down our street with a boat shooting video and as of yesterday, the water is still at roof level.







But at least by looking at the 2 story homes, it appears the water level has dropped about 2 feet in the last 6 days. So with a 10 foot water level if it continues this way we are looking at least 5 weeks until the water goes down. Then we will have to wait for the debris to be cleared from the roads for us and the adjusters to get there to see the damage.

As far as the outback, we still don't have it back. I am hoping that it will be ready by Tuesday. We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers from everyone. We are staying at Kirk's parents house for the time being but no sooner I get a full check from the insurance company, we are going to rebuild here in the "sticks" where Kirk's parents live. We have both been wanting to escape the city life and move to the sticks so I think the writing is now on the wall in florescent paint.







We both believe that things happen for a reason and this is a sign that we cannot ignore. We still have jobs. I was given 2 weeks pay from my employer, (Winn-Dixie) so when that runs out and I have the outback fixed, I am going to drive to my other office that wasn't affected much from the storm and set up the outback behind the building and camp out there for a couple of weeks. I also will start looking for new employment away from the city. They are telling me that Dow has opened some type of plant in Plaquemine LA and hopefully they may have some IT or Telecommunications positions available. That plant is very close to where we are now. Kirk is a funeral director and embalmer so with the current situation in the city, he will be extremely busy for a long time. At this point all we can do is keep our heads up and keep positive attitudes. We both had a good laugh the other day. I was looking for my little phone book that I thought I packed and when Kirk noticed I was looking for something he asked if he could help and when I told him he sat there for a second then started making blooping sounds of bubbles coming to the surface of water. When I looked back at him we both busted out laughing. That was his way of telling me I left it at home. But hell what else can we do. Got to keep the spirits up!









Well I'm going to run, so I will keep everyone updated as we go but like NDJOLLYMON said, this will not progress quickly.

Chris


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## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

BigLeaf said:


> We are heading west, to Lafayette, hoping that the storm doesn't jog that way.
> [snapback]52085[/snapback]​


Any word from BigLeaf???









MaeJae


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

uoutcampin2 said:


> Well everything is still the same.
> 
> 
> 
> ...










Chris thanks for the update. Very glad you have a place to stay ,money to work with and a job. You also have your Outback







.
I think you guy are way ahead of alot of folks. You sound like you keep your "marbles" too :blink:Humor can go along way helping you in the mental health dept.








You have a plan and your going to work your plan. Hell of a way to get out of town ...















Our prayers are with you and all the folks in Katrina's path.
Jan


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## BigLeaf (Mar 15, 2005)

> 4: We have friends that live very close to New Orleans and have not heard from them yet.


Joel, this is Vicki, bigleaf. I posted separately and we are all back safe and sound. but about New Orleans, no one lives there anymore and no one is allowed in the parishes near, like Jefferson, St. Bernard and on the Westbank. If they are home and even if they have electricity, cellphones are working intermittently, but you can try text messages, they seem to work. Land lines work sometimes. Sometimes they don't. Today is the first day we have internet access which is why no one has heard from us yet. They may not be able to call you or recieve a call if they are home. So don't worry too much. If they evacuated, they are probably fine if they are allowed home. If not, they are still camping is all. Thankx for the prayers Joel and the offer.
Vicki


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