Friends:

My husband, Antonio, commuted to work again today. Around 11:00 a.m., my mom and Clay found out that they had power. They decided to stay in Mississippi one more day to allow the house to cool down and give more time to the Parish to restore sewerage services. So they got their townhouse rental keys and moved out of our condo. They have a 2-story, 2-bedroom townhouse. Both bedrooms have en suite bathrooms and queen size beds. Mom and Clay got the master (of course), the three girls (Camrynn, Ashlynn & Jasmynn) are in the other room, and Jourdan sleeps on the sofa downstairs. This is a picture of the girls’ bedroom.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - The Girls' Room - 9-5-08

For most of the day, I was alone in the condo. Soleil and Eliana went with my mom. So I napped (a luxury) and worked (a necessity). Lots of news from home came today. Our power was restored around 6:00 p.m. Yay! There is still a sewerage conservation order in Jefferson Parish, where I live. Residents are asked not to flush, take showers, wash clothes, or allow any water to drain. This could cause sewerage to back up into residents’ homes and businesses. New Orleans has a curfew in place – 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. for most of the city. Several sites are distributing ice and MREs. There are still people in shelters that are unable to go home.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Shelters on the News - 9-5-08

I spoke with my best friend, children’s musician and children’s book author Johnette Downing. She evacuated to Central Louisiana and got trapped by flood waters and had no access to Internet, television, or phones (land or cell). Fortunately, she is now home, safe and sound, in New Orleans. Her house has power and essential services. Here is a picture of Johnette in March 2008, at our house for Antonio’s Surprise Birthday Fiesta.

Johnette Downing 3-1-08

This evening, my mom called to let me know she had cooked garlic fried rice and homemade spaghetti. Evacuation means nothing to this woman when it comes to cooking. She can cook an awesome meal, any time, anywhere! The great thing about my Mom’s townhouse was that it had a washer and dryer. So we all washed clothes (who knows when we’ll be able to do that again?). Here I am waiting for my laundry to finish. This is a self-portrait. Say cheese!

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Dianne's Self Portrait 9-5-08

After dinner, we watched Georgia’s State Superintendent of Public Schools become the first person ever to win $1,000,000 on Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? Here’s a picture of Soleil and Eliana, snuggling on the sofa.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Soleil & Eliana 9-5-08

My mom caught Soleil by surprise and attacked her. I guess you’re never too old to be a kid!

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Nana & Soleil 9-5-08

We’re just an ordinary family making our way through extraordinary times. Hurricane Gustav has been a big, expensive disruption of our lives but at least we still have our lives and each other. We are blessed. Wishing you and your family many blessings…

Hurricane Gustav Evacuat9on - Sweet Dreams Eliana! 9-5-08

Good night and sweet dreams!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Girls on the Cart 9-3-08

Friends:

Last night, I left Birmingham, Alabama around 12:30 a.m. I said goodbye to the kids (Eliana, Camrynn & Jasmynn picture above with Clay) and headed out. I was on my way to Diamondhead, Mississippi, migrating south to be closer to New Orleans. My husband had to report to work on the 4th so this was the reason for the decision. We are unable to return home yet because there is still no power and sewerage services are very limited. Jefferson Parish Officials have asked residents not to take showers, flush the toilet, wash clothes, or allow any water down the drain. This may cause sewerage to back up into people’s homes.

We decided to rent a condo in the resort area of Diamondhead, just a few miles from Gulfport, Mississippi. I only stopped twice, at a rest area and to gas the car.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Stopping for Gas 9-4-08

It was smooth sailing all the way. No traffic, thank goodness. My cousin and webmaster, Heidi, kept me company on the phone the whole way. (Thanks, Heidi!) She set up a service for me on Jott (turns voice into text messages) so that I could Twitter by voice. Unfortunately, Jott to Twitters aren’t always so accurate. One of my Twitters said, “Ran over a dead gunk. Hey you.” It was supposed to say, “Ran over a dead skunk. Pee yoo!” It also misinterpreted “I-59″ into “Aisle 59″ and “Just passed a rest area” into “just packed a guest area.” Heidi and I laughed until the tears rolled! I traveled I-59 South to US-98 East to US-49 South to I-10 East. I arrived around 6:30 a.m.

I was surprised at how nice the condo was. Very tastefully decorated. It’s a two bedroom – perfect for a family of four. The master bedroom has an en suite bathroom with a large soaker tub. The smaller room has a pair of twin beds, perfect for our girls. There is a full kitchen, living/dining room combination and two balconies (we are on the second story).

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Condo Living Room 9-4-08

Just as I was going to bed, it was time for Antonio to get up and go to work. He had driven to Diamondhead ahead of me because he had to report to work in the morning. Mom, Clay, Soleil, and the kids stayed one more night in Birmingham to get a full night’s rest and breakfast in the morning before hitting the road. They left Birmingham around 10:00 a.m. and arrived about 6:00 p.m.

While Antonio was at work, I worked as well. My friend and fellow professional storyteller, Rachel Hedman, interviewed me about my new book, The Story Biz Handbook, for her blog, Storytelling Adventures.

The Story Biz Handbook: How to Manage Your Storytelling Career from the Desk to the Stage

Rachel told me about a new service on the Internet called Ping.fm. What it does is link all your social networking sites so that when you update one, they are all updated simultaneously. It is genius. I pinged Twitter, Facebook, Plaxo, LinkedIn, Blogger, Hi5, and MySpace. When I update my status on Ping, it automatically updates the status on all my social networks. Ping is absolutely free and takes just minutes to set up! You should try it!

Heidi and I also worked on updating my website and blog. The front page of my website has new boxes and my blog has a new background. While it was a very productive day, I managed to slip in a trip to Dairy Queen. Yum! Eliana caught a picture of me working in my room.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Dianne Working in Bed! 9-4-08

While Antonio was in the city, he went to the West Bank and checked on our house. My brother, Gary’s, preliminary report was pretty accurate. We lost a tree, a 10 foot section of fence in the backyard, and some roof shingles. In addition, we lost the front window shutters and the patio ceiling is sagging from roof damage. There was no flooding and no broken windows. Hopefully, our insurance will be more cooperative this time.

When Mom and Clay arrived with all the kids, they went to the rental office. The office staff was supposed to leave the keys to the townhouse they rented in the mailbox. When they checked the mailbox, there were no keys! So they had to bunk in our condo. There are 10 of us in one small two-bedroom apartment. Soleil and Eliana are sharing a single bed. Clay is in the other single bed. My mom is on the sofa while my brother’s four children are sleeping on the floor in their sleeping bags. Antonio and I are in a double bed in the master bedroom.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Girls Sleeping on the Floor 9-4-08

It’s nearly 2:00 a.m. and here I am blogging, late as usual. Perhaps tomorrow will bring more good news. News that we can head home soon…

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

It is Day 4 of our Evacuation journey. Today, I slept in. Exhaustion finally engulfed me. I skipped breakfast. My husband woke me up to tell me that he had to return to Louisiana by tomorrow morning. He works as Parking Director of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and was ordered to report to work. He has to ready the campus for returning doctors, medical staff, and students.

But we can’t return home yet. There is no power, no sewerage, no fuel, and no groceries available. City services are minimal. So we are migrating south to Diamond Head, Mississippi. Diamond Head is about 50 miles from New Orleans. We rented a 2 bedroom condo. It will be our “home away from home” until we can go back to Harvey. My husband will commute to work from there until we can return home. So he left for Diamond Head ahead of us at about 8:30pm. I will leave as soon as I finish this blog so that I can drive in the cool of the night (no AC in the van). Hopefully, there will be less traffic on the road as well. Mom, Clay, Soleil and the kids will leave in the morning. They need a full night’s rest. We will see them later in the day.

To add to all the chaos of having to uproot again, I had to finish a book. I reviewed the copy edits to my new book, Tangram Tales: Story Theater Using the Ancient Chinese Puzzle.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Tangram Tales Revisions 9-3-08

When I finished, I celebrated with a bottle of Johannesburg Riesling from V. Sattui Winery in Napa Valley. My husband and I picked up the bottle on a recent trip to San Francisco and a tour of Napa Wine Country. And yes, we evacuated with our wine!! Wine is good for relaxing, de-stressing, and pain relief. LOL

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Celebrate Good Times! 9-3-08

Yes, pain relief… I pulled a muscle in my right foot. I don’t know how I did it but it hurt like Hades! I had to apply pain relief cream and ice it down. The bad thing is that it’s my driving foot.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Icing Sprained Foot 9-3-08

Soleil was hard at work too. She had to complete an assignment from art class. The picture is of Cane and Abel. She is a freshman at LSU in Baton Rouge (most of the city is still without power). Not only did she finish her drawing, she had extra work to do as her teacher assigned “evacuation homework.”

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Soleil's Artwork 9-3-08

The highlight of our day was the “Mother of All Storms” – “Cooking Storms,” that is. My mom, using two small portable electric burners cooked a HUGE meal.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - The Kitchen 9-3-08

Now check out this spread. Mom cooked chicken adobo (a Filipino specialty), jambalaya, and lo mein, all on those tiny little burners. Clay and Mom fed the front desk (3rd night in a row) and hotel guest passersby. One of the guests from New Orleans, Angelle, said, “You guys taking camping cooking to a whole new level!” LOL

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Cooking Up A Storm 9-3-08

The kids went swimming today and tore up their toes on the rough pool bottom. It still doesn’t quell their unbridled energy. Several of the hotel guests commented that they were so “well-behaved.” That’s funny – they don’t get to see them inside our rooms! Hahaha Actually, they are pretty well-behaved in public. That’s where it counts, right? Here, I caught them having a quiet moment with Soleil, watching music videos on her laptop.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Kids Chillin with Soleil 9-3-08

Okay, now it’s time to get on the road to head to Mississippi. Let’s pray for a smooth, uninterrupted, safe journey there. It’s supposed to take 5 hours. Here’s hoping…

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

When I woke up this morning to catch the news, I was so dismayed to see that most of the stations halted their coverage of Hurricane Gustav or provided only brief sound bytes about the damage Gustav caused. I guess an impending catastrophic storm and mass exodus makes much better news than a weakened storm that left little “catastrophic” damage in its wake.

At home the story is much different. 13 out of 14 power grids in Louisiana were damaged. Louisiana residents may be without power for days. Evacuees anxiously awaited news as to when they could return home. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced that residents would be allowed into New Orleans on Thursday, September 4 at 12:01 a.m. Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard announced residents could return on Wednesday, September 3, at 6:00 a.m. Bad weather pummeled parts of South East Louisiana – tornadoes touched down in Abita Springs, Franklin, and Westwego, Louisiana. A waterspout spawned off Lake Pontchartrain near the 25 miles Causeway Bridge.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Waterspout Over Causeway 9-2-08

Clay and Antonio decided that the kids needed to get out of the hotel and have some fun. I stayed behind to work. They took the children to The McWane Science Center, a hands-on science museum in downtown Birmingham. This is Eliana lying on a bed of nails!

Hurricane Gustav Evacuati9on - McWane Science Center - Eliana on a Bed of Nails 9-2-08

The children had a ball shadow dancing, experiencing hurricane force winds, watching a show on combustion, and hunting for dinosaur fossils in the archaeological dig. Below: Ashlynn and Eliana enjoying their new “digs.”

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - McWane Science Center - Eliana & Ashlynn Digging for Bones

I spoke to a good friend who expressed such anger over the fact that the national news coverage didn’t include stories of “real” people – the plight of the evacuees. She said that reading my blog was so enlightening because it shared so much of what the news didn’t cover. She said that she preferred reading the story of an ordinary family’s evacuation journey over Al Roker being blown around a little bit by the wind (Thank you, Sue. I appreciate it!).

After talking to Sue, I decided to head to the library so that I could focus on getting my book done. The final review of the edited proof for my book, Tangram Tales, is due tomorrow (Wednesday, September 3, 2008). I went to the Fultondale Public Library, just down the street from the hotel. Very convenient. Here is a picture of the dragon hanging over the Children’s Section. So cute!

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Fultondale Public Library - 9-2-08

The library was very quiet and I thought I could get some work done when I met with — frustration. I was unable to open the zip file that contained the edited copy of my manuscript. Ugh. So, I tried to personally answer all the emails and messages that have come in over the past few days. That was harder than I thought because I had so many messages, and from all over the world – Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Philippines, Japan, China, Canada, India, and even Ethiopia! I am so extremely touched by everyone’s care and concern for my family. I just want to say that if I didn’t respond to your message, I apologize. Know that I am sincerely grateful for every word, every hug, and every prayer you send our way.

When I returned back to the hotel (after a trip to Target), my family had laid out the most delicious meal — grilled steaks, pork chops, chicken breasts, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, and rice. Again, the food was scrumptious, as usual. Look at the kids enjoying their dinner.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Kids Eating Dinner 9-2-08

Once more, we fed Miyoshi at the front desk, along with new front desk clerk, Melinda. Miyoshi could not stop talking about the steak. She said it was one of the best steaks she had ever tasted – “It needed absolutely no steak sauce!” Go Mom (the seasoner) and Clay (the griller). Miyoshi said she gnawed the steak to the bone. LOL

After dinner, I needed to work. So I took my laptop to the hotel’s business center. Eliana, Camrynn & Ashlynn came over to give me a shoulder massage and hugs. They were so sweet and comforting.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Dianne & the Girls 9-2-08

The day ended with great news. I spoke with my brother, MCLNO Police Officer Gary James, who was able to drive to the West Bank to check on my house. He said that a 10 foot section of fence in the backyard was blown away, we may have lost a Crepe Myrtle (leaning and uprooting), and we may have some roof shingles missing. He inspected our house at night in the pitch black (no electricity) so we can’t be certain but it’s a great preliminary report. No flooding, very minimal damage. Yes!

My brother suggested that we stay away until power is restored. He said that it is pitch black on the streets and in the neighborhoods – it is unsafe and uncomfortable. We don’t want to return until power is restored anyway because we have small children. In addition, essential business such as gas stations and grocery stores will need to get back in business.

The children are out of school until Monday so that is a relief. LSU Baton Rouge will resume classes on Monday so we have time to get Soleil back to college. Hopefully, power will be restored by this weekend so that we can return home and resume life as usual. I am concerned about the journey home. I hope it is not fraught with the same perils we encountered on the way to Birmingham – heavy traffic, no gas, no food, and no patience!

In the meantime, we will make the best out of our displacement and try to enjoy the Birmingham area. The people here have such beautiful Southern hospitality and the city is gorgeous.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Birmingham, AL 9-2-08

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

It’s been another long day but at least we were in the comfort of the hotel. The day started out like any other – we all gathered for breakfast around 8:30 a.m.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Breakfast 9-1-08

Except this was no ordinary day. We ate breakfast in the hotel lobby with tons of other evacuees, all glued to the television for news on Hurricane Gustav.

Once breakfast was finished, we headed back to the room. We watched national news capture Gustav’s fury. Making dramatic camera footage, news media caught New Orleans’ industrial canal levees overtopping. Because of storm surge and winds, the canal filled up quickly. Roaring winds caused surf-like white caps and spillage over the top of the levee, splashing into the 9th ward. Fear gripped us as we remembered Katrina. It was an eerie feeling to see the same levee that caused such heartache just three short years ago. Around 11:30 a.m., Gustav’s eye passed over the Houma area (Terrebonne Parish).

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Industrial Canal Overtopping 9-1-08

To get my mind off the news and because I had to, I prepped to remove stitches from Eliana’s (my 8 year old) knee. Last Monday, she had a little accident at school. Her foot got caught in a drainage ditch and she fell. A gash in her knee required a couple of stitches.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Eliana's Knee Stitches 9-1-08

Today, her doctor was supposed to remove the stitches. Since we were away from home, there were only a couple stitches, and it was an easy procedure, I decided to remove them myself. They needed to be removed otherwise, there was a risk of skin growing over the stitches and scarring. I used surgical gloves, created a tent over her knee, thoroughly sanitized the knee area with iodine and antiseptic cleanser, and sterilized my instruments (tweezers and scissors). There was a lot of drama at first, Eliana crying fearful tears. But once I began the procedure, she stopped crying and watched intently, Antonio behind her for support. Camrynn “documented” the event by taking these photos. In less than a minute, Eliana’s stitches were gone. No pain!

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Eliana's Stitches Gone! 9-1-08

Once it was over, I cleaned her up, applied some antibiotic ointment, and covered her knee with a non-latex fabric bandage. She was good to go. Later in the day, she even went swimming with her cousins. Thank goodness for military first aid kits. I felt like “Dr. Dianne.” LOL

The kids played games while we watched Hurricane Gustav make landfall midmorning in the Houma area (Terrebonne Parish). He came roaring into Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane. We watched news coverage and I Twittered what I learned, the live updates posted to my website.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Dianne twittering 9-1-08

My brother (MCLNO Police Officer Gary James) called to let me know that he had spoken to Antonio’s cousin, Lt. Cdr. Alex Norman of Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The West Bank was doing well. The Harvey Canal was holding its own. There was no flooding. We sighed with relief but still continued to monitor the news, both national and local, for information on the effects of Gustav.

Around 2:00 p.m., we had lunch from Zaxby’s Real Chicken. We set up our own little “restaurant” in the hotel lobby dining area. Here is a picture of Soleil, enjoying lunch.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Soleil Enjoying Lunch 9-1-08

Again, we watched media coverage on Gustav on the hotel’s large screen TV. Around 2:30 p.m. Gustav pounded Baton Rouge as a Category 1 hurricane, packing winds of 90mph. It is the strongest hurricane to hit Baton Rouge in quite some time. There was fear that the Mississippi River might crest and spill into the city. Baton Rouge was a staging area for medical teams and local and state government officials. We were concerned because my mother-in-law chose to stay in Baton Rouge with Antonio’s sister, Pam. We were able to get in touch with them and they were okay, albeit without power.

During all of this, my mom had to switch rooms. So they had to move all of their stuff into our room. Our room was stuffed with stuff. It’s a strange feeling to pack for evacuation, choosing what to take and what to leave, knowing you may not see your house again. What’s important? People are, of course. But after Katrina, we evacuated more purposely, choosing items that would help us in the event we had to be away for a while – sleeping bags, an air bed, folding chairs, kitchen ware, games for the kids, blankets, pillows, and of course, clothes and food.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Room Stuffed with Stuff 9-1-08

Here is a picture of Mom in the new room, which happened to be right next door to the room she was in previously. LOL

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Mom in the New Suite 9-1-08

Around 4:00 p.m., Clay decided to take the kids swimming. Antonio and Soleil went to Barnes & Noble to pick up a book for school. I decided to take a nap. I was so exhausted.

After I woke up, we decided to cook dinner, grilling steaks, hot dogs, Italian sausage, and hamburgers. We divvied up the tasks. Antonio went to the store to pick up dinner supplies. Mom prepared the meats for grilling, seasoning and marinating them. I cooked the side dishes in my makeshift kitchen consisting of two portable electric burners.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Makeshift Kitchen 9-1-08

Clay grilled the meats on the outside patio adjacent to the hotel lobby dining area. The steaks came out sooooo good. Mmm, mmm, mmm!

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Clay Chillin' n Grillin' 9-1-08

I cooked chunky mashed potatoes, green beans with real bacon, and corn. Dinner was delicious.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Dinner 9-1-08

We ate like royalty and had enough to save for lunch on Tuesday. We made a friend at the front desk, Miyoshi, and fed her dinner too. All the staff at this hotel has been wonderful. Miyoshi is a sweetheart. This is Miyoshi, who lives up to her Japanese name which means “kind-hearted.”

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Miyoshi at the Hotel Front Desk 9-1-08

Soleil spoke with her at length and the kids really took to her. I can see why.

Speaking of the children, last time, the children all suffered with post-Katrina stress. My brother’s children lost everything, including their dog. They lived in Meraux, a town in St. Bernard Parish. Eliana had 4 kindergarten teachers while we lived in Houston, apart from my husband for a year. This time, we tried to keep a sense of normalcy while letting them know the truth, but not allowing them to dwell too much on the media coverage. While swimming at the hotel’s heated pool, I was told that they were invited to join another evacuee’s birthday party. So they had cupcakes and fun. On Tuesday, we plan on taking them to the McWayne Science Center.

All in all, today was paradoxical. We were nervous and relieved. By the end of the day, the levees held. Levees that were breaching or overtopping were repaired and water seemed to be receding. Still, Hurricane Gustav packed a punch and many Louisiana and Gulf Coast residents will have to deal with damage to their properties. I hope that damage is minimal. Hopefully, Tuesday morning will bring more good news. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin held a press conference today and I Twittered it live. We hope to be able to return home by week’s end.

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne