OK, well, I've returned from New Orleans. I didn't take any pictures because I'd really rather not have to see anything I saw there again.
• There was not any evidence at all of damage of any kind to my apartment. The only abnormal thing was a few cockroaches, which the cats had eaten (presumably after their food ran out sometime in early September), and that the toilet seat and cover had been torn askew by the cats in their desperate search for water. They actually tore the whole assembly right off. Not sure how they managed that, but there it is.
• The cats are A-OK. Completely back to normal as if nothing had happened. They seem more comfortable with each other now, too, after spending a month alone having to fend for themselves. Though they seem OK, they'll both be visiting a vet this week to make sure they haven't picked up sepsis or some other loathesome condition from drinking the ground water (via the toilet). I was expecting to cry all over the place when I found them dead, but they were both alive, if a bit skittish, when I got in the apartment. Jena was thinner than normal, but Pepper still seems pleasantly plump, which I guess helped her survive. Instead, I cried tears of joy and relief at finding them both alive. Since there was nothing edible or drinkable in the place, I hurried out to the only place I could find open after 10:00pm in Metairie; the Walgreens at Clearview and Metairie Road. Bought canned tuna and a bag of Iams and some bottled water, which they devoured ravenously and quickly.
• Stopped at a Wal*Mart in Baton Rouge and picked up a large, portable cat carrier, a small litter pan, and a couple cat beds. Put them all inside the carrier, with some more food, then put the kitties inside, too. Strapped the whole into the bed of the pickup, and we were off home again. Tomorrow morning I'll be going to get them a more substantial litter box, more food, and some toys.
• Though my apartment was untouched by either hurricane, the floor below mine didn't fare as well. Its structural integrity held, but everything inside the first floor apartments was destroyed. The water in the complex's pool was a disturbing shade of yellow and had a few turtles swimming in it. There was no evident flooding, though a few 2 to 3ft high water lines were evident. I didn't see anybody else at the complex while I was there, though signs had been taped to the doors of the damaged apartments with repair-to-come details.
• Metairie itself was a complete mess. Huge piles of drywall, furniture, carpet, and other regular house stuff was piled high along the curbs of just about every street I traversed. The aforementioned Walgreens was open, and I saw a Krispy Kreme, Cane's Chicken, Luther's BBQ, and oddly, many video rental places open. It was otherwise deadsville, though there was a surprising amount of traffic for the area at 10:00pm. Most of the area seemed to have power, too. The city is, however, going to take a long, long time to clean all that shit up.
• Loaded up everything in my place that might've been attractive to looters (though I forgot to grab the PS2), put it into Rubbermaid Toughneck bins, and loaded them into the truck. Locked the place up and headed back to Tennessee, where we arrived about 9:00am Sunday morning. I went the whole time without sleep. Fun!
• Spent approximately $450 (of FEMA's money, and how!) on fuel for the whole trip. The truck has a 50-gallon tank and gets piss-poor gas milage. Top speed of only 100 m/ph, too, hence the slowness of the trip down and the trip back. Managed not to get pulled over.
• The reputed stench of the whole area didn't seem too overwhelming when we got there; not sure why. Mostly it just smelled like powdered drywall and dead fish. Then again we arrived too late in the day to be allowed into the city, so perhaps we missed the worst of it.
• The whole venture took about 24 hours, from leaving Tennessee to returning there. I did most of the driving on two days' sleep deprivation.
Needless to say, it went better than I could've hoped for. No dead kitties, no property damage, nothing stolen/looted. Now I just have to wait until it's safe to move back.
Anyway, thanks for all your concern! It seems to have paid off!
T+24:00 post-rescue kittie pics!
• There was not any evidence at all of damage of any kind to my apartment. The only abnormal thing was a few cockroaches, which the cats had eaten (presumably after their food ran out sometime in early September), and that the toilet seat and cover had been torn askew by the cats in their desperate search for water. They actually tore the whole assembly right off. Not sure how they managed that, but there it is.
• The cats are A-OK. Completely back to normal as if nothing had happened. They seem more comfortable with each other now, too, after spending a month alone having to fend for themselves. Though they seem OK, they'll both be visiting a vet this week to make sure they haven't picked up sepsis or some other loathesome condition from drinking the ground water (via the toilet). I was expecting to cry all over the place when I found them dead, but they were both alive, if a bit skittish, when I got in the apartment. Jena was thinner than normal, but Pepper still seems pleasantly plump, which I guess helped her survive. Instead, I cried tears of joy and relief at finding them both alive. Since there was nothing edible or drinkable in the place, I hurried out to the only place I could find open after 10:00pm in Metairie; the Walgreens at Clearview and Metairie Road. Bought canned tuna and a bag of Iams and some bottled water, which they devoured ravenously and quickly.
• Stopped at a Wal*Mart in Baton Rouge and picked up a large, portable cat carrier, a small litter pan, and a couple cat beds. Put them all inside the carrier, with some more food, then put the kitties inside, too. Strapped the whole into the bed of the pickup, and we were off home again. Tomorrow morning I'll be going to get them a more substantial litter box, more food, and some toys.
• Though my apartment was untouched by either hurricane, the floor below mine didn't fare as well. Its structural integrity held, but everything inside the first floor apartments was destroyed. The water in the complex's pool was a disturbing shade of yellow and had a few turtles swimming in it. There was no evident flooding, though a few 2 to 3ft high water lines were evident. I didn't see anybody else at the complex while I was there, though signs had been taped to the doors of the damaged apartments with repair-to-come details.
• Metairie itself was a complete mess. Huge piles of drywall, furniture, carpet, and other regular house stuff was piled high along the curbs of just about every street I traversed. The aforementioned Walgreens was open, and I saw a Krispy Kreme, Cane's Chicken, Luther's BBQ, and oddly, many video rental places open. It was otherwise deadsville, though there was a surprising amount of traffic for the area at 10:00pm. Most of the area seemed to have power, too. The city is, however, going to take a long, long time to clean all that shit up.
• Loaded up everything in my place that might've been attractive to looters (though I forgot to grab the PS2), put it into Rubbermaid Toughneck bins, and loaded them into the truck. Locked the place up and headed back to Tennessee, where we arrived about 9:00am Sunday morning. I went the whole time without sleep. Fun!
• Spent approximately $450 (of FEMA's money, and how!) on fuel for the whole trip. The truck has a 50-gallon tank and gets piss-poor gas milage. Top speed of only 100 m/ph, too, hence the slowness of the trip down and the trip back. Managed not to get pulled over.
• The reputed stench of the whole area didn't seem too overwhelming when we got there; not sure why. Mostly it just smelled like powdered drywall and dead fish. Then again we arrived too late in the day to be allowed into the city, so perhaps we missed the worst of it.
• The whole venture took about 24 hours, from leaving Tennessee to returning there. I did most of the driving on two days' sleep deprivation.
Needless to say, it went better than I could've hoped for. No dead kitties, no property damage, nothing stolen/looted. Now I just have to wait until it's safe to move back.
Anyway, thanks for all your concern! It seems to have paid off!
T+24:00 post-rescue kittie pics!
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YAY!!!!!!