The Boot 10/13/05

I read today that The Boot is going to open tomorrow, so, in honor of this re-opening, for a day or two, I will leave the picture of The Boot under the water that Katrina brought to New Orleans as my little picture (not exactly an avatar) that appears with my comments and on my profile. I do this in honor of such a fine institution (read: dive) that has so faithfully served so many generations of Tulane and Loyola students (as well as locals) Uptown. It's a sad sight indeed and I am happy to know that the beer will once again be flowing.

In addition, it was announced today that the eastbound lanes of the "twin spans" of I-10 that cross Lake Pontchartrain will be opening tomorrow for two-way traffic, months ahead of schedule so it will soon be considerably easier to get into and out of NOLA from the east. It amazes me that this was accomplished so very quickly.

While bouncing around my blog's innards today, I re-read my post from last fall entitled "New Orleans Braces for Ivan" and it brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. On Tuesday, September 14, 2004, I posted:

New Orleans is extremely, perhaps uniquely, vulnerable to hurricanes, and it was presented to us matter-of-factly during Orientation. The city sits, quite simply, below sea level, wedged between the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico, and is kept *dry* by a system of levees that could not hold up against a major hurricane. The level of damage that the storm surge associated with a direct hit would cause to this unusual and wonderous city would be devastating in a way that really doesn't exist anywhere else in the US.

So, this morning, I pray that God is riding with these young people on their drive [home], and ask for His blessing for all those who evacuate and especially those who remain behind, for whatever reason, to face Ivan. Finally, I pray that God keeps a protective watch over the city of New Orleans, so that these young people, once safely home (and, yes, Ivan could make his way up here eventually!), will have universities and a town to return to after this storm has passed.

Now that it has happened, I feel a strong desire to be down there, to see what's happening, to be a part of this historic event. I know that my son wants to return to Loyola, but I don't know if I feel right about sending him back to live in New Orleans without seeing it myself. We will go soon.

*This picture was sent to me in an email by my friend, PR. My thanks to PR and to the photographer.