notes on The Flood

http://www.nola.com/katrina/graphics/flashflood.swf

I found this website while looking for notes on the flood level here. Take a few minutes to see how the water invaded the city. Our campground is on the edge of the Gentilly neighborhood, not far from the US 90 and I 10 intersection. Our host told Stuart that this campground was 6 feet underwater for several weeks. They lost everything. Behind us is the railroad switching yard.(and they work all night!) Two tractor-trailer loads of used tires stored there were relocated to the campground that morning, caught by a very sturdy fence. The cost of cleaning-up the tires and other large debris fell to our host. Eighty percent of the city was underwater beginning the morning of August 29. Those of us who have lived through floods feel the pain; those who haven't had the experience can imagine the pain. The only areas of town that didn't flood are the French Quarter and the Garden District. Both are right on the river, which is the high ground. As our carriage tour guide said, three feet is GOOD! So, the tourist district is alive and well, and we're enjoying that part of our stay here.

Today, we happened past a cigar business in the French Quarter. Inside, there were three men rolling the cover on the cigars. This is not a skill that is learned quickly, I wish you could see them work. The outer leaves are what my daddy called 'in high order'; cured tobacco that has just enough moisture in it to handle nicely, and not too much to make it mold. These cigars were made from a local crop of tobacco, perigue. The crop is planted in late March, and harvested in mid June. It's air dried, like burley, not like the flu-cured stuff I grew up with. About 15 acres of the local cultivar are grown not far from here, 12 acres by one family. The old man is now close to 90, his sons are still running the produce/tobacco farm, and they may be the last. While I can't possibly endorse smoking, it sure was a pretty sight to see such skill at work. The old forms and presses lined the walls of the old warehouse, pictures showed days when 20 more more men sat at the tables, rolling. Several different cigars are for sale. I was surely tempted with the pretty boxes, and if I tell the truth, I was tempted to buy the cigar for the art of the craft. I resisted.

We walked on Magazine street, to the Warehouse/art district, to see the collection of southern art, to find the museum closed today. Well, the sun was out, we didn't need a jacket, and it was a nice walk past all the renovated warehouses (this area had some water) that are now condos, small businesses and galleriers. We passed the Johns-Manville building, the old asbestos manufacturer of early last century. Today, the building houses an architectural firm building 'green' houses and businesses. The circle....

We are one of two transients in our campground. The other guests here are long-term, construction workers. Of course, this week the campground is quiet, they've all gone away for the holiday. Speaking of holiday, did you hear the Paul Winter music program on NPR last night? It was live music from St John the Divine in NY, very nice.