Another update from New Orleans (by Zuul)

[zuul]

I do not expect to have power or internet for at least a few weeks. I do have running water but we’re on a boil advisory. But it’s nice to be able to shower. It’s amazing how fast you get used to cold showers (I’m sure there’s a joke in here somewhere but I’m too tired to think straight.)

Sleeping is tough because of the heat. During the day I can usually find a breeze on the balcony or the patio. There’s a big piece of siding hanging off the house next to me and it slaps around in the breeze, so the noise makes it hard to sleep. My neighbor and I have tried to pull it down, but it’s too high and we can’t reach it. Ugh!

The 6 outdoor cats were pretty spooked by the storm, but seem to be getting back to normal. The 4 indoor cats are loving the 24-7 access the the balcony. They don’t seem to mind the heat. My family wants me to evacuate, but I don’t have anyone I trust to take care of the outside cats. Most of my neighbors stayed, but some are starting to evacuate.

I have found only one business that’s open, a grocery store just across the city line in Metairie. It was nice to be inside a building with air conditioning for a few minutes. Getting prescription refills is going to be tough.

That’s it for now. - Zuul

[Spazito]

1. Thanks for the update...

stay safe!

[Sherman A1]

2. Glad you are safe and have water

my family in Metairie is lacking both water and power. They will be traveling North to stay with family until those services are restored.

[MLAA]

3. You are a very good person caring for your outdoor cats 😻

Fingers crossed you get electricity back soon!

[SheltieLover]

27. +1,000!

[emmaverybo]

49. Simply wonderful to care this much about your little (wild) friends.

[malaise]

4. Look out for the mosquitos

Stay safe

[wnylib]

5. 6 cats were outdoors during a hurricane?

[femmedem]

8. Very possibly ferals or strays.

I tried to bring a community cat inside for Henri but this usually fairly tame cat turned into a hissing, angry demon who was literally charging me, teeth bared. Also community cats need to be quarantined from the indoor cats, which isn't always possible. People can only do what they can do.

[wnylib]

10. I'm impressed that the cats apparently found a place to survive.

[zuul]

19. All sorts of critters survived.

I’ve seen all kinds of birds, including some blue jays who were trying to steal cat food.

Tons of lizards, many of them young. I love them! Glad they made it.

Possums, squirrels, raccoons, you name it. They find places to ride out the storm.

[zuul]

18. This is a semi-feral colony.

All have been neutered/spayed and vaccinated.

During the hurricane, they had access to my garage, where they have dry beds, food and water. They also like to go under the house. It’s dry and they feel safe there. There was no flooding in my neighborhood.

I tried to get the tamest of them to come inside the house. Nope. They wanted to stay outside with their buddies.

[wnylib]

48. Glad they had shelter.

Of course, all kinds of feral creatures survive storms. But it's good to know that they had a place to go.

[niyad]

6. Thank you For the update. Glad you are still safe. And thank you for caring for the cats,

[zuul]

35. Thank you.

[ancianita]

7. Wow, thanks!

You made it through the storm, now to make it through the post storm. There must be federal government help somewhere in NO, so if you can get it without being forced to move, please try.

Stay badass, Zuul.

[zuul]

21. Mostly I need internet access.

I’m dealing with the heat okay and I can charge my phone when necessary. There are a couple of things I’d really like to finish for work. No pressure from my boss, but I’m bored and I’d like to get some things done.

As soon as we have internet service, businesses can open. Right now the only open business is cash-only. Everyone’s going to run out of cash at some point.

[femmedem]

9. I'm so glad to hear that you and the cats are all ok!

I actually logged into DU on my lunch break to see if there were any updates from you and a couple of other DUers who were in Ida's path.

[zuul]

23. Thank you.

I’ll only be on DU for a short time. How did others fare during the storm?

[femmedem]

46. Roy Rolling and Cheezaholic haven't checked in yet.

I think Roy's in New Orleans and Cheezaholic was holed up in a hotel in Baton Rouge with his 93-year-old uncle from Grand Isle, whom he came to evacuate.

Hoping they came through it as well as you have.

And I wouldn't be able to leave the cats either. Hell, I'd have a tough time leaving the young 'possum that comes by every evening for cat food.

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

11. No power is the worst, that means no gas stations, no stores, no food...for weeks? I'd leave.

No AC, is brutal. Secure the property. Come back when the power is on if at all possible.

Its going to get worse before it gets better.

Civilization ends when the power goes out

[zuul]

24. I will not abandon the outdoor cats.

They have to be fed.

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

36. How about a couple deer feeders, 100lbs of food, timer to spray every 12 hrs, should last a month

[zuul]

40. Might work if I could find a deer feeder.

There is only one business open, a grocery store. Thank dog they also sell wine and liquor.

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

42. Wonder if FedEx can deliver, Amazon Prime gets there in 2 days, they have them

[zuul]

56. I don't think anybody is delivering anything for a while.

The shipping companies have no way of knowing if the customer has evacuated. I doubt they would drop off packages that might easily be stolen by porch pirates.

Not sure they could even get to New Orleans. I’ve heard there is a lot of traffic on the main thoroughfares because of fuel trucks, emergency vehicles, emergency supplies, energy companies from other states, as well as residents who evacuated (coming back to check on property) all trying to get to NO.

I don’t think city/state officials would allow them in right now. Downed trees, power poles, electrical lines make it too dangerous.

I haven’t seen one FedEx, Amazon, UPS, or USPS truck. They’re usually driving all through my neighborhood all day.

[relayerbob]

12. Your insurance company probably has Rx by mail

[zuul]

25. I don't know when we will have mail service again.

[relayerbob]

34. I bet it's before you get electricity, sadly enough

Hang in there!

[Haggard Celine]

13. You're a tough one, Zuul!

I don't think I would stay there if I had the option to leave and have air conditioning. I understand how it is with pets, though. And at least you have running water; it would be an unbearable situation if you had no electricity and water. Good luck with getting your power restored. Hope the time between now and then passes quickly for you.

[zuul]

29. My daughter told me to sit in a tub of water all day.

That’s not a bad idea!

[Haggard Celine]

39. Do they still sell those kiddie pools?

You could get one and put it on your living room floor and drink beer while you catch up on the shows. That wouldn't be so bad.

[zuul]

41. Good idea.

The only store I’ve found that’s open is a grocery store. They have a generator. Everyone else is without power, and lots of their employees evacuated. So I don’t expect businesses to open for a while. And the water pressure is really low.

[Haggard Celine]

43. I don't know what I was thinking!

You can't just run down to Walmart and pick up a pool. I hope that store stays stocked for y'all. At least there isn't standing water everywhere like there was after Katrina. Supplies can be brought in. I hope the Red Cross and FEMA and anyone else who can help will be there for y'all soon. Even if they're just distributing water, ice, and MREs, that would be great!

[mountain grammy]

14. Thanks for checking in

Sending a prayer to the power gods.

[zuul]

37. Thank you.

[Kimber432]

15. Thank you for your compassion

for taking care of the animals who have no voice. I wonder if you could tack that piece of siding up with a nail, to keep it from moving? Sending good thoughts and prayers for utilities - and soon!!

[zuul]

30. I would if I could reach it.

The tallest ladder in the neighborhood is 8 ft. Still can’t reach it. Can’t reach it from the upstairs windows either. It’s in the perfect location to evade humans.

[onetexan]

16. Glad you're safe & well. I told my niece to convince her mom & dad to evac to her sister's out of

town for a couple weeks till the power comes back. They have a generator but runs on gasoline & that is hard to come by right now, not to mention it w still be very warm even w the portable fans, and access to the grocery stores with working refrigeration w be an issue as well.

[MineralMan]

17. Thanks for the reality check.

Most of us are not in the circumstances you are. We need to know and understand.

[Behind the Aegis]

20. Glad you are safe.

I used to live outside the French Quarter and took care of several feral cats. We became the crazy cat house. LOL! I was so happy when a local group started catching and releasing many of them.

It is great you have water, but given how humid it is going to be, you might not need a shower.


Take care of yourself and thank-you for looking out for the cats!

a former NOLA resident

[zuul]

32. I start sweating 2 minutes after I get out of the shower.

And I’m in menopause. Pretty sure that I stink!

[Behind the Aegis]

38. The cats will still love ya!

[Niagara]

22. My thoughts are with you during this challenging time.

I realize that you're conserving power on your phone so I don't expect a replay back.



I'm curious to know if your family is willing to house you and your 6 outdoor and 4 indoor posse of cats. I understand, we just can abandon them no matter how terrible things are.





Hang in there and thank you for the updates.

[zuul]

26. I might lose a hand if I tried to put the feral cats in carriers.

[Niagara]

31. I understand that.

I have an indoor cat that has a no touching/handling rule.

[Random Boomer]

55. House a feral?

By definition, a feral cat isn't house-friendly!

My wife and I talk about moving out of our red state when I retire, but my heart sinks at leaving behind the feral cat who lives in our backyard. I've been feeding him since he was a kitten, and he still won't let me touch him. Getting him to the vet (when he lost an eye) was quite the challenge, even once he was locked up in a room in the house. He would hide under the furniture and hiss and snarl if we got near him. I can't imagine dealing with 6 feral cats.

[druidity33]

28. Is there anything DU can do to help? nt.

[zuul]

33. No. Thank you for asking.

I really need internet access. I would take that over electricity. But AC would be nice too.

[cadoman]

51. thank you for sharing a small bit of your internet to update us! [nt]

[calimary]

44. Thank you for the update, zuul. Oh man...

Thank you for checking in. Glad you're okay, and all the kitties too. I hope things start getting better for you sooner than expected.

[Solly Mack]

45. Hey you! You hang in there!

I grew tired of cold showers even though they offered some relief from the heat. I need a little warmth to my bath water.

It took a few days but more and more businesses did open here after Laura, so hopefully more will open for you. Use of generators helped them to open.

I'm thinking of you. Keep up the check-ins, please!

I'd be happy to send you a care package of treats and goodies. Just let me know.

[electric_blue68]

47. Keep staying safe. What a rough situation!

[crickets]

50. So glad to hear you and the kitties are hanging in there

and that you have running water and a store open nearby! Thanks for checking in to let us know you're okay, and I hope things continue to improve.

[mcar]

52. Blessings on you zuul

[lark]

53. Glad you made it through the first part ok, and glad the ferals are ok as well.

I can empathize with the high heat & humidity after a hurricane/tropical storm and no power. When Michael hit us as a tropical storm (thankfully didn't get the brunt of it) we were without power for 4 days and it was the longest & hottest 4 days of my life. Day 3 we were finally able to get out of the neighborhood cause some downed trees were removed & went to daughters & hung out by her pool and bbq'd. They didn't have power either, but the pool felt so nice and we needed to use the meat!

The best part is when the power finally comes back on, that is such a joyful time! I hope it happens for you sooner rather than later. Hope the infrastructure wasn't badly damaged!

[peacebuzzard]

54. thanks for checkin! great news you & cats survived

I understand the circumstances, worked animal rescue after Katrina, and helped with the remaining survivor critters b4 the state shut down the animal rescue camps. Even a month after the storm it was brutal, deserted and dire. hoping this recovery is quicker and less stressful. thanks for your rescue work.