<p>Thinking of you all --- Concerneddad, especially worried about your son as things continue to spiral out of control. Please keep us updated.</p>
<p>Carolyn: He is fine. He is working in Baton Rouge with the rest of the TEMS kids, triaging and transporting the sick and wounded as they come off the helicopters. They are looking out for each other, and FEMA is housing them in dorms at LSU. Right now he is content to continue working in Baton Rouge and will later decide what he will do about school this term/year when Tulane gives him some options. My wife and I stand behind his decision to do what he is doing, and to trust that Cowen and Tulane will do what is in his, and the other students best interests. For him there could be worse ways to spend his soph. year other than learning to care for his fellow man.</p>
<p>The emotions evoked by this continuing disaster are overwhelming. Where is the relief? Where is the food, the water, the medicine? If the reporters can get in, if Harry Connick Jr. can get in, why can't the Red Cross trucks? At this point, people fear that trucks full of supplies will get swamped by the desperate folks (a fear that the news media are now trying to dissuade), but the longer this drags on, the more frightening it will be for drivers to go in with supplies. What a horrifically vicious cycle.</p>
<p>Just 2 weeks ago I drove across I-10, through Biloxi, Gulfport, and around New Orleans to take my son to college in Houston. We marvelled at the highway causeways running right through the water, and my son took photos with his cellphone and digital cameras. We were going to take pictures of the riverboats/floating casinos in the water, but he couldn't get the camera out quickly enough, and we decided we'd take those pictures "next time". Of course, there now is no "next time".</p>
<p>I just read that they were able to transport dolphins and sea lions from a marine park in Gulfport, MS to water parks in Florida. Surely if this can be accomplished, we can get the mass of humanity out of New Orleans.</p>
<p>My son is keeping me posted of the situation in Houston. There are many students at Rice volunteering to help out at Reliant Stadium/the Astrodome, but now the facilities are full. Some busses just dropped people off and left them there stranded when they heard they were going to have to keep driving, perhaps a few hours longer to Dallas. These people will of course be taken in, but the situation grows more desperate. I can only hope that things will get under control soon. My prayers are with everyone-- as we are all directly and indirectly affected by this.</p>