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When I went in to pay for my gas this morning there was a lady at the counter who I realized was not a customer. She and the cashier were having a conversation:

Cashier: Why today?
Woman At Counter: [some noncommittal answer]
C: Why not yesterday? Why not last week?
WAC: [something about him calling her last night]
C: Why are you getting divorced today?
WAC: I need to find out how much it will cost.
C: You should be able to get it done free, since he's incarcerated.

—Jack

Labels: Baton Rouge

"It's like spending all day thinking about that girl you just fell in love with." — Obama was giving a speech about Baton Rouge, LA. In this "quote" he was referring to viewing the city's architecture, which was admittedly different than the real architecture of Baton Rouge, but not that different. The most striking difference was that all of the downtown government buildings were powder blue with white accents.

—Jack

Labels: Baton Rouge, politics, visitors

There were several New Orleaneans on my bus who had been evacuated before Gustav arrived. They all had on wristbands, presumably so that the proper authorities could keep track of who ended up in which shelter. One of the evacuees said that while the city had been willing to move people to neighboring states at no charge, they would not pay for their return trip. The Baton Rouge bus station had just reopened this morning, but New Orleans was not open yet. I'm not sure how long they will have to stay at the bus station here before they can return, but apparently the power is on in most of New Orleans right now so they'd likely be better off back at home instead of stranded here. Hopefully the New Orleans station will be open tomorrow and they can find their way back to homes with minimal damage.

—Jack

Labels: Baton Rouge, New Orleans, storm stories

I got up at 3:30AM in Mobile, AL this morning, loaded the car, and got on a Greyhound bus headed to Baton Rouge, while Erica and Kent headed to Virgina to stay with my parents until Baton Rouge sorts itself out.

The day that Gustav hit the power went out for the entire parish (county to the rest of you). As of right now, Entergy is reporting that nearly 120,000 customers remain without power in the parish, so there's still a long way to go before things are back to normal. There are lines several blocks long at gas stations that have managed to reopen. Most of the city's traffic signals are out so nearly every intersection is a 4-way stop and big intersections are a little hectic to get through. Several local radio stations are devoting all of their broadcast time to covering the storm, giving out updates on businesses that have reopened, phone numbers to call for assistance, and interviewing local authorities about a variety of issues that have popped up since the hurricane came through. It's been interesting to hear the stories.

When I got into Baton Rouge my plan to call my boss to get a ride up to the office fell through because no one was answering any of the numbers I knew. But, the bus station is about a mile and a half from my office so I walked. When I got there they asked me to sign in and then go home. Some of the other employees are talking about leaving the area until their power is restored (in some of the hard hit areas with lots of downed trees and power lines the official estimated time to restore power is four to six weeks), and more than one person told me I should have just gone to Virginia and come back when things had calmed down, as I'm not an essential employee as far as disaster response is concerned. If only I had known... But, I also came back to look after the cats and I'm sure that they will open the office for normal business by next week.

So after spending a long day by myself studying for my next actuarial exam, cleaning up the yard, reading a book, and occasionally sitting in my car to listen to the radio (no A/C in my car so no relief from the heat) I was about to go to bed when the compressor for our air conditioner whirred to life. I called our neighbors to let them know the power was back on, and at Erica's suggestion called a few friends around town who are still waiting for their service to be restored to offer our home for charging cell phones, taking hot showers, washing clothes, or just hanging out. I think I've got a laundry date for tomorrow. Fortunately, as a non-essential employee I don't have to go to work.

With so many people and businesses still waiting for their electricity to be restored it's sure to continue to be a bit of a mad house here in Baton Rouge for at least a few more days. But, for now, there's a little oasis at our house.

—Jack

Labels: Baton Rouge, storm stories