I just spoke with the OPFD. Here’s what I have:
- So far, the only staging operation happening on Algiers Point is the Orleans Parish Fire Department. Until power can be at least somewhat restored (nope – no idea when), larger-scale efforts from the Point probably won’t launch. So no need or request for support housing yet. There is activity on the Point, though. That’s a good thing!
- He says people who made it out of town should not try to come back right now. The conditions on the roads are actually very dangerous (car-jackings, for instance). Try to accept the possibility of four weeks or so.
Some other information I have about conditions (from other sources) for you to bear in mind:
- There is no way to replenish food.
- There is no gas. This one really is causing wider problems for the people who managed to get out (and their hosts). Communities around the ravaged parts of the Coast were not prepared for an influx of a million people. Gasoline is hard to get. People are waiting in line for hours, only to have the pumps go dry before they could get any. Furthermore, stations that depend on electricity to pump the supply may have gas, but have no way to get it into a car.
So – the upshot is…. everybody stay calm, take a deep breath, and try to be patient. Hopefully, four weeks is a “worst-case” scenario.
More later…