For people who know my former roommate, who I pointed out I didn’t know his condition of when I posted about my mom evacuating. Well I still haven’t heard from him, but I am at least now reasonably sure he is alive.
If I were smart (which I used to be, so long ago when I was young), I would have thought to check this out days ago. Logan’s girlfriend also keeps an LJ, under the name of morrigann. I don’t read it (only even ever met her once), so I had forgotten about it. Anyway, she has posted a series of survivor’s tale posts (mostly in phone posts, which have been transcribed) over the last few days. She never mentions him by name, but she says “we” a lot, and I would think that if the guy she had been living with for the past 3 years had drowned, she would have pointed that out during her “just want everyone to know we’re safe” posts.
Anyway, let me briefly synopsize their adventure for posterity. I know I am prone to embellishment with a lot of my stories, but I’m trying to keep pretty much accurate here. A little background. George, or Logan as I tend to call him, is one of my oldest friends. Met him back in 7th grade in our hometown. After I was living here in Pittsburgh for a few years, he moved here and was my housemate for about 3-4 years. 3 years ago, he moved to Nawlins with his girlfriend where they basically live as fortune telling gypsies. Not a lot of money in it, but he seemed happy.
According to her journal, on the 27th they talked about it and decided that seeing as how they have no money and car (as I said, they’re gypsies), they’d try to ride the storm out. They stayed in their house until they were ordered to leave during the mandatory evacuation. She then posted that they were going to pack a few things and head to the Superdome, since they had no other options. She said she’d make a phone post from there.
Her next post was a phone post from the home of another LJer, whom she says she’d never met before, but they opened their 4th floor apartment to them. So they were in there taking great delight to the fact that they were not in the Superdome (which they had already heard had a hole in it). She made the same basic observation that I did before the flooding happened. The Superdome was a stupid idea. Lets take all the poor people and let them drown together. Anyway, they apparently spent the brunt of the storm and the flooding playing cards in some strangers house.
They somehow verified that their home was now beneath the brand new Lake Nawlins. I imagine they managed this by looking out the window.
They made their way to Baton Rouge and rented a car, which they are going to drive to Ohio (presumedly to stay with Logan’s parents).
So anyway, the important thing is that he appears to be alive. Pretty much without any remaining possessions. But alive. You know… in case anyone was wondering.
In uplifting news, big ups to Detroit. Whose mayor was just on TV offering the city to Nawlins refugees saying they had 3000 hotel rooms to offer and would gladly accept the children into their local schools just to help. I know its not much, but to me that’s about the most touching gesture I’ve heard of throughout this whole thing.
I’m glad to hear your friend is okay.
I’ve been glued to CNN between and after classes.
yep me too… now I can continue to harass him about the money he owes me.
Ok, Yeah, I know that sounds harsh… but I also know he’ll appreciate the humor in it whenever he gets around to reading this comment.
Seriously though, yeah i’m glad he’s ok.
I’m sure he’ll definitely appreciate the humor, especially since I doubt he’s had much to laugh about the past few days.
One of my friends at IUP is leaving in the morning for Mississippi, and my roommates “big” for her fraternity is leaving Saturday morning.
yeah, my brother went back to the house that he shares with my mom and my grandmother in Gulfport, MS a few days ago. They faired better than they could have hoped for, but from what I understand its could be quite a while before they can go back to live there. Its pretty much a mess.
As for New Orleans, I fear its pretty much just a total loss for most people. I don’t think it will ever be the same. I hope for the best for everyone there. We still haven’t heard from my girlfriend’s former roommate who lives there as well.
Yeah, there are a lot of places in MS that are completely flattened, and NO is covered in 25 feet of water. I truly feel bad for everyone down there.
yeah, its weird… and like any tragedy I just can’t stop watching and analyzing. I mean, the destruction and the causualties and loss or livelihood are horrific. the stuff that people down there are going through is horrible. But then when i allow myself to step away from it and just watch with a critical mind I find the entire thing a fascinating social experiment. Kinda cold, but I can’t help it. I’m totally enthralled by both the stories of the breakdown of society and the stories of acts of kindness and amazed at all you can learn about the human condition through it.
I feel similarly with every major disaster.
Yeah I understand. I’ve been looking at it criminologically. Like what makes those people steal tvs and computers? Is it more oppertunity or more survival instinct that they need something of value to barter with?
I think it’s a terrible tragedy.
well, there’s two parts. One, its just chaos. Chaos breeds more chaos. Mob mentality is like that. Some of the people are just bad, and some of the people are just caught up in the craziness.
But then there’s the other aspect. Imagine losing everything you ever owned. Everyone you know also lost everything they ever owned. And you feel like you’ve been trapped and left to die. If you can get out, you’ll be getting out with just the clothes on your back. If it were me, and I could steal a 4×4 truck and load the back up with stolen TVs that I can sell on the street once I get to some semblance of civiliation, I’d probably do that. It might be the difference between being homeless once I get to dry land andd being able to put my family in a Holiday Inn til we get back on our feet.
That said, you also have all the rape and murder going on. I think that’s just people losing their minds. I can’t excuse it, but its understandable. The entire world just went to absolute shit for them in 12 hours time. That’s gotta change a person. Its a shame and its sad.
Yep, those are some of the points brought up in class. At least they’re starting to get help down there.
ooh! your class agreed with me?
woohoo! I’m smart!
Some of them did. And some of them are a little too conservative to agree. lol
ok… I’m smart to liberal people! I guess I can take that.
I wonder if your friend is my brother’s friend. He told me two of his fraternity brothers in the army got called to go and help.
It’s possible. I go to IUP.
Is your friend in ACACIA?
I have no clue what that is. Sorry!