September 1, 2005

Quota International Hurricane Katrina Update

Dear Quota Members,

I am writing to update you on what we have learned about the impact of Hurricane Katrina on Quota International's District 21.

Of the ten clubs located in District 21 (in the U.S. states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas), one club only was situated in the area of Hurricane Katrina's direct hit—Quota International of Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mississippi. Thus far, two members—Vicki Miller and Tamara Morrison—from that club have communicated that they are safe and awaiting the chance to return home to assess the damage to their homes and property and make plans for their future. Because of the devastation in this area, and the outage of telephone, electric, and cable lines, we have not been able to communicate with the Mississippi Gulf Coast club president or other club members.

I have also communicated with two Past International Presidents who reside in other parts of District 21 (and farther away from the Hurricane's direct hit area)—PIP Bobbie Carey and PIP Rosemary Patterson—and five presidents of clubs located in District 21: Diane Eubanks (QI of Jackson, Mississippi), Karen Rudy (QI of Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Donna Cherry (QI of Bossier City, Louisiana), Linda Roy (QI of Galveston, Texas), and Carol Ortiz (QI of Southeast Texas). They all are reporting a similar message: While they are concerned about relatives and friends in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, they are fine, their locations did not experience any dramatic damage, and they are trying to help the refugees seeking shelter and support in their respective towns.

To our many friends and members in District 21, please know that the thoughts of Quota members around the world are with you as you rebuild your life, your towns and cities, and the lives of those who face the most dire of circumstances because of the loss of their own homes, belongings, jobs, and even family members. I invite you to contact Deputy Executive Director Nancy Fitzpatrick (nancy@quota.org) or me (kathleen@quota.org) to share your experiences, stories, and photographs so that we, in turn, can share them with the members of your Quota family around the world who care deeply about your health and welfare.

Any future updates on the status of our members in the areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina will be reported on www.quota.org. We will be adding a direct link for Hurricane Katrina on our home page.

And now, I would like to share what PIP Rosemary and PIP Bobbie have to report about the Hurricane and its impact on the lives and livelihood of their friends, neighbors, and fellow South Area citizens.

Warm regards,
Kathleen Treiber
Executive Director

PIP Rosemary Patterson, QI of Bossier City, Louisiana:
I live too far north and west of New Orleans to have been directly hit by wind and water. But I do have great concerns. I serve on a State Commission called LSED that takes care of the New Orleans Superdome, Basketball Arena, Baseball Stadium, a large community center in Jefferson Parish, and the Saints Training Facility. All of these are owned by the State of Louisiana and administered by this seven-person commission. As you've seen on television, the Superdome skin gave way in the wind, over 20,000 people are inside in horrible conditions, as there is no water, sewage, or power. So I'm sure it will be a wreck when this is all over. I have no knowledge of the other facilities that we oversee. So, I guess we'll be busy having meetings when this is all over to plan the repairs to this huge facility. This is way down the list of things that need to be done, with life, health, housing, and food first. But these structures are vital to Louisiana and the income they produce. We will be a long time digging out from this one.

PIP Bobbie Carey, QI of Baton Rouge, Louisiana:
I know many Quotarians are concerned about our members in District 21 in light of the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina came into Louisiana below New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish (County)—some of you may know the names of Grand Isle (a nationally known fishing destination) and Port Fourchon (the departure for the oil exploration and extraction industry for the country). Grand Isle was not totally destroyed, because some homes were built very solidly and on stilts; however, the other structures in the area were very badly damaged. The storm came in with steady winds of about 135-145 miles an hour ("Category 4" hurricane) on Monday morning (August 29). Note that because of coastal erosion (we lose 25 miles of coast a year)—winds are stronger now when they hit our cities and populated areas.

The storm then took a slight easterly turn—this helped New Orleans somewhat and Baton Rouge greatly. The worst part of a hurricane is the northeast corner. The storm barreled into New Orleans. The mayor had previously ordered evacuation and many people left—we had them all over the state and in Texas.

The area slightly below and to the east of New Orleans— St. Bernard, the 9th ward, and Chalmette (where the Jackson Barracks and the battle of New Orleans took place) got the worst of it. The storm surge flooded this area and the wind battered the structures. However, the other parts of New Orleans had damage, but it was not catastrophic.

After the storm passed, the worst happened—a containment levee at the 17th Street Canal not far from Lake Poncetrain gave way, and water from the lake started pouring into the city, causing flooding in 80 percent of New Orleans. Once they stop the water from flowing in and the lake drops, they can start the pumps and get the water out of New Orleans. This, however, will take a minimum of 30 days. Once that is complete, they can clean up and turn on the power, although they have to rebuild the power grid.

Pray for the people in New Orleans—they cannot go home for a month or more. This impacts one million people—one quarter of the population of our state of Louisiana, U.S.A. There will be no commerce, no water, and no electricity for at least a month. Most structures in the flooded areas have been severely damaged. The French Quarter and Canal Street were really not damaged until the flooding started, so hopefully these areas will be up and running before many of the residential areas. Harrah's was not damaged to any degree.

Pray for New Orleans and the North Shore—Slidell, Mandeville, and Covington. When the storm turned, Gulfport and Biloxi took a direct hit—they are only 90 miles from New Orleans. Casinos there are heavily damaged and all you can see for miles are foundations; the structures are gone along the coast. The storm surge was 20 to 25 feet. I don't know how far inland the damage is—I know that Vicki Miller and Tamara Morrison of QI of Gulf Coast evacuated, and I am sure many of our other Quota members did—I haven't heard. They will have to rebuild these communities as they did after Hurricane Camille in 1969.

My hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, got the storm about 9:00 a.m. on Monday, and it stayed around until about 3:00 p.m. But our steady winds were 25 to 30 mph with gusts at 50 to 60. This caused trees and power lines to fall, but we didn't get much flooding at all. Some areas are still without power, but I have power in my home and office. By and large we got off easy.

We are taking refugees from New Orleans, and the emergency command center is here. Louisiana State University is housing refugees and has cancelled classes and its first football game (a first!). Shreveport, Bossier, Minden, and Ruston (they are 350 miles from Baton Rouge) did not get any storm side effects, and they are all helping with people from New Orleans and the parishes around New Orleans.

New Orleans is important to our whole state—it is our economic and cultural engine, and this storm will have bad effects for a long time for Louisiana and for the country. The port of New Orleans transports goods out of the country and into the country and boats and barges are sitting in the river. Some oil platforms were heavily damaged and oil is not being pumped offshore due to equipment and manpower issues.

However, our state has survived the 1927 flood (told in Rising Tide by John Barry). We have survived plague, malaria outbreaks, and wars. We can do this. Pray for us. Maybe there are ways people can help in the future, but right now we just need prayers.

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