Trees, trees, trees

Everywhere you go. It is hard to drive down my street because of the work crews moving trees and piles of sawed-off, very large limbs. I went to my office today, and was taken aback by the sight of a giant pine tree that had fallen right in front of it. There was mail in the mailbox, too, and a helicopter flying overhead. The traffic in that part of town was light.

This morning, I heard a report about a 14-year-old girl in New Orleans who found herself in flood waters up to her neck, thought she was going to drown, and swam until she found shallower waters. She kept swimming toward the street, and eventually was able to put her feet down. She walked to the Superdome, and is now in one of the major shelters. The report was unclear about where the rest of her family was, but the girl sounded remarkably strong and filled with resolve.

Waveland, Mississippi is gone. Every structure is down. A friend of mine who had a house in Waveland reports that the lower level of the house had been blown away, but the upper level was carried by the waters and landed next door, windows intact. A news reporter in Waveland said that several American flags had gone up amidst the rubble.