The Hurricane Gustav Diet Worked for Me!!

Well, we made it. Gustav passed through Louisiana, causing massive infrastructure damage and more or less kicking Baton Rouge in the crotch. Though he's dead now, Gustav left an innumerable amount of downed trees in his wake. Those downed trees have become the bane of existence for most residents of the Baton Rouge area. Why? Because those downed trees sliced right through homes and power lines by the hundreds. Maybe even by the thousands. I have lived in Baton Rouge (off and on) since 1975 and have never, ever seen so much destruction.

The first couple of days after Gustav were surreal, to say the least. There were no traffic lights working anywhere in the city. There were no gas stations open. There were no grocery stores open. Many roads were impassable due to the aforementioned downed trees. No one had electricity; not hospitals, not government agencies...no one. All most of us had was the bottled water and granola bars we purchased prior to the storm and a small battery-powered radio. Other than that, the citizens of Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes were cut off from civilization.

The electricity was restored here at my home yesterday and, while I am exceedingly happy about that, there is a part of me that feels very guilty about having electricity while many of my fellow Gustav veterans are still without electricity as I type this.

Not having electricity in south Louisiana isn't quite the same as not having electricity in, say, Minnesota. July/August/September in south Louisiana is an endurance event for all who live here, with static temperatures in the upper-90's and humidity levels in the 80%-+ range. It can be unbearable sometimes, and electricity provides air conditioning, which provides the only relief from the hot, sticky atmosphere.

Without electricity, no number of cold showers can wash away the stench of a day's sweat. Eating granola bars, beef jerky, and peanut butter sandwiches for days on end dulls the senses, as does the never ending search for ice to cool the bottled water and keep the packaged lunch meat from rotting.

What about a generator, you ask? Wouldn't a generator provide an energy source to run a refrigerator? Sure, a generator is an amazing machine to have in a situation like this, if you can afford the hyper-inflated price tag and $3.75-per-gallon gasoline to run it. I was able to borrow a generator, and I'm thankful for that opportunity. However, after spending over $200 in gasoline in a weeks' time to run the generator, I realized I could not afford such a luxury. So, into the storage shed went the generator, and unfortunately, I know I was not the only one to find himself in this situation.

This past week hasn't necessarily been a complete disaster for me, I must confess. Since last weekend, I have lost nearly 10 pounds, ostensibly due to the constant sweating, sleeplessness and lack of nutrition. I call it the "Hurricane Gustav Diet".

So, if you find yourself squinting against a bright, sunny blue sky tomorrow, I hope you'll be reminded of the many families here in south Louisiana who are still shell shocked in the aftermath of hurricane Gustav. We covet your prayers...