The Smart Thing to do

Notice:

Some things make me smile.

Cough-cough

Is this thing still on?

Rice Festival

Smell that? It's in the air.

Still Here

Some of the staff has had the opportunity to leave, on other units. I
have not heard anything one way or the other. Rumor is that Jindal
will say that the city will be declared safe on Thursday. That means
the hospital can then activate the recovery team. I can leave once
they arrive. I would be willing to stay all week if I can be off next
week, which is how it works. The recovery team will match what the
disaster team works.

I can't complain because we have electricity and air conditioning.

Only day #2

The free meals are already getting smaller. Thank God I brought my own food because I guess they expect me to survive on this.

Windy

Outside it is windy and misty. I don't know much about what's going on, but I see no flooding in this area. We can't leave the hospital until the state clears the roadways. There are still no updates on that. Everyone at the hospital is in good spirits, but of course I'm ready to go home.

Missed it

I slept through the majority of the storm. This is what I saw as I looked out my window as I woke up. I'm going to go downstairs and get some free food!

Night View

It is relatively calm outside.

Boarded Up

All of the windows of the unit have been secured. I can't see what is
going on outside. The weather hasn't started to get bad yet. Later in
the morning, we should start hearing things.

So Far...

Here is what the weather is looking pike so far. I'm sitting on the 8th floor of the hospital, looking towards the city. Who knows what is to come!

Getting ready....

Walking around the apartment complex, I noticed that almost everyone has evacuated. The cars that remain are probably health care workers or vehicles left behind. Most people have left the city. Yesterday, I was driving down Veterans Boulevard in Metairie, and it was a ghost town. It's a wise decision. It appears this storm is not going to be anything nice.

It is currently noon on Sunday, and Gustav should make landfall early Monday morning. I have to report to work in 5 hours. I will be there 24/7 for, what I think, at least a week straight. It is likely cell phones will not work; however, text messaging might. I think I will be safe during the storm. I'm just a little worried that I won't have a home when I return.

I have my bags packed. This is just the stuff that I have not loaded in my car yet. I have enough to survive at least 2 weeks on my own. The hospital will provide us with food and water, but I can't trust anyone but myself. This is my stash.