Word from Baton Rouge

MoveOn.org has set up this site to help people find and offer housing to victims of Katrina:
http://www.hurricanehousing.org/

My old friend John Sykes lives down in Baton Rouge, Lousiana. He works at a newspaper there (The Advocate) and gave me the following update on the hurricane and its aftermath via email recently:

Hey,

If I hadn't been so overwhelmed and busy at work, I would have sent you word sooner.   The hurricane was horrific, even the small portion we got here.  (We were on the west side of the eye.)   Much of the city remains without power, but Jeff & I never lost it.  We have extension cords running to the next door neighbor's house which is full of New Orleans refugees--who have probably lost everything they own.

The city is crowded with refugees, and every city in Louisiana has them.   Since Monday, we've been sharing our offices at the newspaper with the entire AP staff from New Orleans, and until yesterday, the Times-Picayune staff.

They arrived Tuesday afternoon in delivery trucks (no windows or vents) with the back door open----reporters, editors, staff and their families.  Most had been in the Pick's office until the water started getting high, and the publisher decided to pull them out.  They've not been able to do a newspaper since Sunday.   We're trying to figure out a way that we can print their paper, too, but I'm not sure that will be possible technologically---we use a very old newspaper system called Dewar.  Your dad probably met old Stuart Dewar, the scotch heir who developed this now-dinosaur system.

We are printing the Hammond, La. newspaper today...

I haven't heard from any New Orleans friends, but feel surely they are safe but scattered to the four winds at hotels and relatives in various states.  No cell phones from NOLA are working---it's just amazing.  Families have no clue where their relatives are, or if they are safe.

-John

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