Just am allotted a tiny minute - but needed once again to say how deeply I hold your concern and prayers. For those of you participating in any relief effort - just this thought - the temp here is 106 degrees - if you're doing things to comfort babies - they do not need flannel or fleece -. I'm pretty sure New Orleans (and Houston and where ever they have been moved) is as hot. Most relief effort is funneled to New Orleans - and that is good because lots of them still are in deep water. Cotton diapers, blankets, shirts/gowns I'm sure are needed. We are safe, please do what you can for them. Polly
It isn't quite that hot here in Dallas. We had our 103 & 104 degrees here last week. They definitely do not need flannel or fleece right now. The shelters here are full. They are asking for diapers, baby formula, and summer clothing for right now. Shoes are also needed. So glad that you are doing okay - considering the circumstances.
Our paper had an interview with a new mom--all she had was a baby QUILT to protect her baby from the cement floor. She was grateful for it as it gave the baby some padding and protection. I can also see those in ill health that would appreciate a lightweight quilt to keep the 'air conditioning' directly off of them. We also do not know where all these ppl will end up--some are going as far away as MI and NV----they will need quilts in MI that I know for sure--and it DOES snow on occasion in Las Vegas (first hand experience with that)
Howdy! Over here in Arlington/Ft.Worth/Dallas, where there are 10s of thousands of evacuees, our sister church, Northwest Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has 200 people staying in the gymnasium now. They have issued this list of things needed:
towels wash cloths liquid shower soap shampoo brush/comb toothbrush/paste deodorant (new) underwear & t-shirts & socks baby feeding formula baby food & spoons baby bottles baby clothes diapers & wipes gift cards from Target, WalMart, gas stations (Shell) games & toys for young people bottle water good shirts & slacks jeans cots (flat) sheets pillows air mattresses mats sleeping bags blankets
Arlington school district is not going to require evacuee students to wear the schools' uniforms; nave or khaki slacks and knee-length shorts are appreciated, as are white polo shirts which are acceptable in all the schools.
There are 3 DoC congregations here; we're all pitching in to help Northwest CC; we'll be driving people where they need to go, washing towels, collecting supplies, sorting clothes, preparing and serving meals, and doing whatever else our new friends need.
It was 99ºF here in the Metroplex today; it will remain in the mid-to-high 90s for a number of weeks.
Welcome home, Miss Polly!
Ragmop/Sandy--on the dry, cleaner, cooler front line
polly, sooo very glad that you are okay. wish i could send some a/c for all of the affected areas. will be holding off on the quilts right now. Too many in the works in my room right now that need finishing first!!! Workin instead, on food for the ppl here in Houston. Many of my friends have whole families that have moved in with them. I'm guessin they may need a break! take care! let us know when you need something!
You are right, Butterfly. Every baby needs a soft quilt for a landing spot. I don't know what I was thinking. Thinking power stretched right thin for now. Our last newspaper is dated Aug 28, no mail, pitiful bit of battery tv - and bless their hearts the tv guys don't have a roof on their studio (much easier to forecast the weather when all you have to do is look up and consider the sky). The hospital that is dearest to my heart (they tend abandoned babies, "on drugs" at birth, unwanted babies and angels that were born way too soon) that I am honored to support - they've emailed to see how they could help me. Imagine that. Just imagine. All that we really needed was gas to be able to get "out" to help, and that got close enough today Today, I was offered a "cool" room, a hot bath and a spare grandmother. I declined. I did get the cold beer. There is a very embarassed rooster around the lane who had his feathers blown off. And miracles just at every turn. Polly
Dear Polly, I wasn't criticizing you---I only said what I read and saw a pix of in our paper---that and what is on the TV is all we have to go by. Just can not imagine the stress you all are under. I'm so relieved you are ok. If I could, I would bring you a whole case of cold beer...... I'm pleased that the hospital called. Sure puts a different perspective on this for those of us that are not in your situation.
Only seconds to tell you - pc comes and goes - all of us wanting to talk to ours - tonight - we had our miracle. There was a banging on the front door. DH's dearest friend - and the guy who replaced him at his chemical plant showed up to see what we need. At the very same time, the phone rang - our neighbors saying "we have electricity"... So - DH's friend and DH got our power hooked back up. How very wonderful to have to South Carolina Po Co here in Mississippi / Alabama and how very blessed we were for DH's friend to be here to be sure that DH got everything hooked back to the house safely. How very blessed. We have our miracle. Think prayer ain't powerful? Hoooo-eee. Oh my. Now (!) we can turn loose of our trivial, very trivial, losses and go help somebody with real problems. There is such power in prayer. I thank you all. I am more than overwhelmed. Polly
Polly, not only is it good to hear from you, but it's positively
*fantastic* to hear your irrepressible sense of humor sneaking through your posts! Good news is so welcome right now. Thanks for keeping us up to date on your situation. :)
i always knew our Polly would make it thru in one piece. frankly i expected her to be on CNN as 'the woman rescued clinging to the back of an alligator.' hey, sounded sensible to me. use your resources to their full potential, eh. just so glad she and hers are all ok and continue to keep well in the conditions that exist there for a long time to come i think. i wonder if they will just bulldoze the whole city of NO. how can you ever dry out all the wood in buildings that have been underwater with those conditions of filth for so long. that wood was never treated to hold water for so long without rotting. the mildew created from so much water and following damp conditions will surely take perhaps a decade to rebuild that once and will be again 'great city'. i have been there once back in the early 70s. what a weekend!!!! i wonder what ever happened to... massive hugz and strength of character to those who survived the initial onslaught of that nasty katrina. jeanne
Jeanne, I heard on the news today that they've already begun thinking about this very problem. They say that -- at the very least -- the buildings will have to be gutted and redone. That's the best-case scenario. More likely is that at least most of them will have to be torn down. :(
I have also heard about possibly making it a canal city like Venice, or filling the bowl up so the land is above the water line of the lake. I'm not sure how they'd do the last one unless they took the top off a West Virginia mountain and put it in the bowl. ;-) Most likely they will just re-build the existing levees, bulldoze every wooden structure, gut the others, rebuild as cheaply as possible, and hope it doesn't happen again for a long time. :-( Either way they rebuild the historic buildings will be gone. Debra in VA See my quilts at
If they bulldoze most of the city and bury it in place that should raise the level a bit, though probably not to sea level.
As far as historic buildings, I did read that the French quarter is on higher ground than much of the city. There is a lot of damage, but not the flooding that there was in much of the rest of the city.
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