Another post-Katrina update

First, the say-what? FEMA announcement of the day: That $2,000 that everyone gets--oops, it may just be a loan, not a grant.

The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was re-opened today, and is jam-packed with vehicles trying to get to Metairie, one presumes, since it is illegal to go to the east bank of New Orleans unless you have a business in the Central Business District.

The citizens of St. Bernard Parish, which--for all practical purposes, no longer exists--were told they could return to the parish today to assess damage (the most common assessment is "Where did my house go?") and salvage any remaining items. They have to leave the parish by dusk, which presents a problem because the traffic jams and the checkpoints are making it very hard to enter. They are sitting on the bridges that connect to St. Bernard for more than two hours.

Some Red Cross centers in Louisiana did not distribute aid yesterday or the day before because they were closed for the weekend.

Michael Moore has been seen (not by me) in my city, helping out with the Camp Casey distribution center that was set up here by Cindy Sheehan's attorneys, who live here.

Several years ago, some people restored and re-opened an old movie theater downtown in my city. They showed really good films, but their customer service was appalling. A couple of years ago, they stopped showing films and began doing live theatre only. Since we have returned to the parish, they have been showing old classic things like Laurel & Hardy, The Three Stooges, etc. non-stop, free of charge. A nice gesture for people with transportation who are living in shelters and in campgrounds, or people nearby who have no power and want a break.