Here is what I know about the whereabouts of our friends and family in New Orleans.

Jack is here with Leslie and me in Atlanta. He’ll be staying here as long as necessary, until he can make it back to New Orleans. His house in Lakeview is near the levee break on the 17th Street Canal, and we assume his house is underwater. We’ve been stocking up on supplies; he’s now the proud owner of a very heavy gasoline-powered generator. To give you an idea of how long he may be staying, today we went to Ikea to look at foldaway beds. His cell phone doesn’t work: he can dial out, but can’t receive calls. Text messages will go through, though. We don’t have a land phone line in the house, but we are calling BellSouth tomorrow to get one installed. His cats are also with us.

Marnie is now in Ft. Worth, staying at her mother’s house, with Susan, Mike, and their children. Sybil is also with them. Both their houses are ok, they just suffered some wind damage to the roof. Bob is in Terrytown now with the fire department, which is how we got the report on the houses. He says Terrytown looks like a war zone, and has spent most of his time trying to get the old people out of the Timberlane subdivision. I gave him a list of neighborhoods to check on, but communication is difficult within the city. Marnie doesn’t have a plan to return yet. You can reach her at her mother’s phone number. She is having the same cell phone problems.

Grant was never in harm’s way in Houston. Marnie and Susan stayed with him for a little while before they headed to Ft. Worth.

Dave is on his way to Enid, OK to stay with his folks. I talked to him tonight from his hotel room in Denton, Texas. He will be looking for work in Omaha and Atlanta. He lives Uptown, and it seems his house is right on the edge of the flooding.

Brent Joseph is with his parents and the Laboises in Hammond. His house in Mid-City is most likely flooded, but it is pretty high. The last time I talked to him, he was up in the air about what to do. He is thinking of trying to get a construction job, and filming the cleanup in the city.

Paul left for New York before the storm, and is heading to Oakdale/Lake Charles to stay with his parents.

Jamie is heading for St. Louis to stay with his parents.

Ashley evacuated with Jamie and Dave to Dr. Joe‘s house in Oakdale, and is now with her mom in Houston. She left me a message last night that said “Dave, Jamie, and Dr. Soileau saved my life.”

I know Claire evacuated, but I’m not sure where she is.

That’s what I know so far. I’ll keep updating as I find things out.

WDSU is up now at: http://mfile.akamai.com/12912/live/reflector:38843.asx

The storm took a turn to the east. This radar image looks bad, but supposedly its better for New Orleans if the storm hits east of the city.

Gulfport and Biloxi are screwed, but they aren’t 6 feet below sea level.

There is a house in New Orleans, not the house you’ve heard about, I’m talking about another house.

A lot of houses, actually. A lot that won’t be there.

What we’ve joked about for years looks like its finally going to happen. We’ve all known that the Crescent City has been due for a long time. We’ve taken pride in it, we’ve laughed at the possibility. That’s the New Orleans attitude.

Now, here in Atlanta, I feel completely helpless. All of my people have gotten out (at least as far as Baton Rouge so far, even if it took them 8 hours). On one hand I wish I was there with them, on the other, I’m glad I’m here.

Good luck and be safe everyone.