Organizing your writing life

NEW ORLEANS IN RUINS: As you can see in this photo courtesy of AP Photographer David J. Phillip, the city of New Orleans is almost completely underwater. Today, levees broke in two places near downtown and water began rising. Eighty percent of the city is underwater. Martial law was declared by the governor as well as an order to evacuate the entire city. Mass looting has taken place in flooded areas of downtown, shootings have been reported near the Superdome, which is also being evacuated. Biloxi and Gulfport were almost wiped off the map, and CNN finally got reporters into places like Pass Christian and Long Beach and found scenes that resembled the tsunami images from Asia back in December. CNN and the brave reporters from New Orleans excellent Times-Picayune newspaper are giving excellent coverage, esp. the galleries of images at the Times site. Startling and heartbreaking. The Red Cross is looking for cash donations. You can donate online at www.redcross.org.

UPDATE: NO Mayor Ray Nagin said refugees would have to stay in the Superdome for maybe a week (!) since there is nowhere else for them to go. CNN estimated there could be nearly 30,000 inside the Superdome, and that it was very tense with the heat, no electricity, overflowing toilets and very little information coming in. Some reports indicate that looting is rampant and that a Wal-Mart was being stripped of big screen televisions, computers and jewelry, while food was left behind. I wonder, while they're lugging their plasma screen home through the hip high water, if they really understand the gravity of what has happened in New Orleans.

Dubya announced he was coming to Louisiana on Friday. Hey moron...keep your sorry ass on the ranch and just send more money and help. Local officials and law enforcement don't need to be worrying about security for you while people are dying.