Thank you for your prayers, seemed they've worked. Below I've posted the email I just received regarding my father and siblings, uncle Gene's and Pops' homes etc.
we are OK and so are Ned & Laura. Electricity is still out in much of Baton Rouge, however we got our power back yesterday about 5:30pm. We had a lot of tree limbs and other brushy trash down in our yard but we came through it with little, we were lucky that the hurricane came to shore east of New Orleans rather right up the mouth of the Mississippi River as they had first thought. Unfortunately what was good for us was bad for Dianne's family. Her Pops' house in Bay ST. Lewis and Gene's house are completely gone, nothing left of either of them but empty lots. That entire end of the town of Bay St. Lewis is gone. No family members were injured or lost however so we are all grateful for that. Di's dad and her Gene's family, had gone to Dean's farm in Kiln, Mississippi which is about eight miles north of I 10 and they were all safe there. They did loose electricity, but he has a large generator and as long as his fuel supply lasts they will be alright. We are trying to find out if there is a road open between here and there so that some of them can come over and stay with us as we have three extra bedrooms and a large study that could also hold five or six people. If worst comes to worst, it may be possible for Dean to fly everyone up here as his corporate jet holds twelve. The problem is whether or not they can fly out of Steins Airfield (just north of Bay St. Lewis) or if its under water also.
The real problem is several million people from the Mississippi Coast and New Orleans are now without homes or JOBS and will be without these things for probably a year or more. Things in New Orleans are getting worse by the minute as the water level is raising and will continue to do so until it is as deep in the city as it is in Lake Ponchatrain, there is probably no way to stop it, water will continue to flow until the surface becomes level. The greatest fear we have now is an outbreak of Cholera because of the dead animals, fish, and bodies, the high heat (it is expected to be in the upper 90's all week, and the inability to get any help into the city except by boat. Both airports in New Orleans are under water and so is the railroad station. The highway bridges between New Orleans and Mississippi are down and so is the causeway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. There are two other routes into the city but I don't know if their bridges are intact or not. In any case these are both old narrow highways and cannot handle a lot of traffic. Of course no one is allowed to go south towards New Orleans, or East towards the Mississippi coast except emergency personnel. I am back at work where we do have e-mail and phone service. Our home telephone is now working however most of the time our cell phones can't get a line out and frequently neither can the land line phone at home.