The river update

Well, the gates are open and the Mississippi is now flowing into the Atchafalaya. A few days from now it will be arriving down here and we will see what is to happen on the bayou . If the levees and the locks hold up I should only have flooding in my yard and tool building for a month or so. I can deal with that if it stays out of my house. Thank you all for the prayers and good thoughts . I am trying to take this one day at a time but life has been coming at me a bit fast and hard lately . I'm not a materialistic person but at my age starting over would be very hard. Then again having nothing would be a lot simpler as there would be less upkeep and work time . We can only wait to see what life hands us next . I have thought of bright sides to this. With my gut doing the instant bathroom drill , I came to the conclusion that no one can tell if I crap my pants when I am up to my neck in flood water. Also , gators are quick to put you out of your misery and three , I'm old and not a strong swimmer . All things considered this may be a more fitting end for old sniper , to go down with his ship rather than waste away in a home for the mentally impaired . Nurses don't like to change diapers on old sods like me anyway . I'll try to keep you guys up to date but may get real busy in a hurry so just in case I drop off the radar , thanks again for your kindness and your friendship .

I'm praying so hard for you, you old sod. darn the weather and darn the river, but I guess that
wont help will it.

Stay safe both of you, xox

I was sick when I saw the news footage of the gates opening. I can't imagine what all of those affected are going through. Hang in there and stay safe. I'll be thinking of you and yours.

Sending a big truck inner tube down the Mississippi w/your name on it, Sniper. Be sure to grab hold when it hits your area!!!

Thinking of you, Sniper.

You and Cami are in my prayers. Hoping the water stays away from you. Hugs!

Nawlinscate was on the news in NZ last night - showed a chap who had wrapped his house in plastic with sandbags at the bottom - very clever but not sure it will be enough if it floods - looks incredibly scary from here and think of you often. Simply awful to see you all facing the possibility of losing your homes :(

bigs hugs from NZ {{{{{mrs and mrs sniper}}}}

I'm sending you positive mojo snipe, I feel you will be ok,

AG

Oh, and contrary to Kiwi's post, I wasn't on the news in New Zealand last night. New Orleans was, but I definitely wasn't!

No problem, Kiwi12. I lived in New Orleans for 35 years, but I'm no longer there. After Katrina, it took weeks for the city to drain--which meant that everything sat in toxic water for a long, long time, which made things much worse than they would have been if the water had surged in and immediately surged out. Things that we could have saved if we'd been able to get to them within a few days were ruined after all that time--and you weren't supposed to touch anything without full protective gear. It was not fun. I really feel for the people in sniper's situation. I just hope it turns out not be as deep and destructive as they're predicting.

The basin is filling a little slower than the Army corp of idiots thought it would. This is good in a way because it is soaking up more water and the crest will be lower but its bad in a way because we have to wait and wait . When it gets here it will be a real waiting game to see if the levees and man made structures will hold for the length of time it takes to drain it all out. Hey, no pressure , Right ??? ... Meanwhile as it flows through the Atchafalya basin it is pushing animals ahead of it and not all will be fast enough to get away . Some will drown and others will starve but some will end up in peoples yards and on highways. I have pictures of deer gathered up on flooded house porches already and yes unless some way is provided for them to escape , they will starve . I feel sorry for them and for the people that have and will flood and I hope I am not one of them. I know that sounds bad but my old brain is on overload right now when it comes to how much more I can take . To compound the stress we hear false reports of levee failure or lock failure that drive you crazy . I dont know who or why they start rumors like that but some TV stations run that news without checking it out . So anyway, instead of the middle of this week the real bad stuff should be just starting for us aroung the middle of next week and lasting a lot longer than I would hope for. Thanks again for the prayers. There are a lot of people needing them right now.

Thanks for the good wishes, Kiwi12, but I am now living far out of harm's way. My daughter is still in New Orleans, but her house is raised, and it looks as if people in Sniper's area will get the worst of it, by far. Earthquakes are awful, too. At least with hurricanes and flooding, you get some warning.

Thinking good thoughts for you and all those affected. Hugs!