HumidCity

Let us see now….

First Dean pounded the lovely island where my wife and I honeymooned a few short months ago:

In Dominica, a woman and her 7-year-old son were killed when a rain-soaked hillside gave way and crushed the home where they were sleeping, said Cecil Shillingford, the national disaster response coordinator. Dominica’s government reported at least 150 homes were damaged.

But at least this time if it heads this way we can take solace in the fact that someone will be watching….

Hurricane Dean’s every little ripple will be reported by the oil industry flacks and their willing mouthpieces in the media. The crescendo of ominous events will be forecast and analyzed, all with a unanimity of purpose leading to higher and higher oil prices. Whether the storm actually hits or not, one thing is sure. The mere specter of the event will have the oil industry and the oil trading community cheering, “Go Big Dean, Go”.

So what are the latest specs on our unwelcome guest in the Gulf? (No, not Dubya this time)

With sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km per hour), Dean was a Category 4 storm, the second-highest on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. It was expected to smash into Jamaica on Sunday.

It could become a Category 5 storm after roaring by the Caymans in two days, with winds of over 155 mph (250 kph).

At 8 p.m. EDT (1 a.m. British time), Dean was located 405 miles (650 km) east-southeast of Kingston and about 165 miles (265 km) south-southwest of Santo Domingo. It was moving west at 17 mph (28 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Almost in time for the two year anniversary of the Federal Flood. Gee……

From the Third World Country of New Orleans to the Third World Country of Dominica and back, the last week or so has been amazing. There are so many parallels and yet so many opposites. You will see poverty there, a few buildings that reminded me of the flood zone, and a seeming distrust of local government. You will also see brightly colored houses, people you don’t know who wave at you on the street, and architecture reminiscent of some of our own.

Those similarities are counterpointed by the differences. There is a higher literacy rate than in the US, there is no crime to speak of, the environment is a top priority to the people and the government, and the cities are not smashed to pieces.The air there is also the cleanest and clearest I have ever breathed, unlike the dust and mold laden atmosphere of NOLA.

So why come back at all? Well for those Scrooges across the US who ask things like “hasn’t Congress paid for all the damage,” and “why build in a flood zone,” I highly recommend Bob Marshall’s excellent article in yesterday’s paper. I also advise it for anyone travelling as you will encounter these questions and it is always good to have the facts with which to fuel an informed response. We are still NOT okay, but it is home.

One thing in particular I found quite telling was a conversation with a rural farmer in the interior. This guy was working over a fire extracting bay oil out in the middle of nowhere, someone who empathized more with our situation than most Americans I have met. After trading a few tales of the last sixteen months his response was that America had treated us the way it treats the rest of the world and that it was thing of evil. Hmmm …

The trip was just what we needed, a respite from the obsessions of modern life in NOLA. We have returned with more fortitude having been reminded of the beauty that remains to be seen in this world. It is a good time to be back, despite the ongoing trials, Mardi Gras preparations are in swing as Twelfth Night aproaches. In addition Liquidrone is playing tonight at One Eyed Jack’s, a treat I get far too infrequently (If you have a love of music this is a MUST SEE!). We will wring some joy from this holiday season in our own self-satirizing way and continue to do what we have done since The Storm: persevere!

This is year two with blue tarps on the roofs and the National Guard in the streets for Xmas, think about that. Consider the people who are facing the cold in buildings with no power or heat, simply to be home for the holidays. Forget the marketing and the ubiquitous merchandising and remember the real spirit of the season. Be kind to someone. Find a New Orleanian, here or in the diaspora, and help them locate the joy misplaced by the Corps of Engineers and FEMA. Embrace this season with the values that are a constant in most religions - be a brother/sister to your fellow man/woman.

A bumper sticker we saw in Dominica says it all: “God Has NO Religion.”

We are sitting in the airport at Melville Hall in Dominica waiting for our flight to San Juan. Almost gt stuck here in the third world when we got hit with a $55EC ($22 US) per person exit tax. We had just spent the only cash we had on the way to the airport and there were no money machines or any other way of obtaining $$ closer than an hour drive away. Fortunately we were able to borrow some cash from a fellow traveller until we hit Puerto Rico, otherwise we would be stuck here. This could give a person a drinking problem. Hope my cat sitters are taking god care of the beasties….
Be worried, for we shall be back in the  rubble of the Crescent City  tomorrow.

Well, by this time tomorrow evening we will be setting down in San Juan, our first trip out of the country together. The morning after its off to Dominica, a near complete opposite of New Orleans: ecologically pure, primarily organic, and not buried in neglected rubble. Dominica is home to Morne Trois Pitons National Park, UNESCO’s only designated World Heritage Site in this region of the Caribbean and is a prime eco-tourism destination. If you’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean 2 you have seen the island.

We will be out of touch until the 7th when we return to the US, so you will have to hope PH Fred goes easy on you! Many thanks to my father in law, this trip is his wedding present to us!

In the meantime everybody keep a candle lit for that shining star of vitriolic insight and justified rage, Geg Peters of Suspect Device. Some of you may be unaware, but he is undergoing heart surgery up in Cleveland right now. The one thing about our trip that sucks is that we will probably note be able to get word if he makes it until after we return to the states. (Any NOLABloggers with my cell number who get word before 3pm Wed call and let me know, after that I have to turn it off and won’t have access again until I return)

Upon my return the usual yearly array of sick holiday humor and Crescent City Commentary for the middle segmet of that 4 month long holiday monster known as Thanksmasgras. Be ye warned……

Well in the midst of all the various chaos, confusion, corruption, blogging, and green chartreuse we have gotten word of our escape. There will be a few absences coming up where I will try to have guest hosts keeping the data flowing here at HumidCity while I take some much needed breathers.

Firstly in early Oct I will have my first time away from the rubble since returning late last Oct, two weeks shy of a full year since my exile. Thanks to a very generous gift from my future mother in law Lex and I will be attending Lotus Fest in Bloomington, IN (the city that brought us B.Rox). Then in early Nov we will disappear for a few days for an as yet undetermined Honeymoon, followed in late Nov by a trip to Dominica!

I am looking for some guest bloggers to keep things online while I am absent from the city. You may see a few posts from out of town, but frankly I need to get out for a bit. (Notice the deterioration in my spelling over the past few months, good indicator of personal exhaustion. Don’t worry Maitri, I will use a spell checker from now on to keep you and Alexis from beating me over the head with various objects.).

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging…..