“THE apartment complex that I lived in, which is on the beach in Ocean Springs, is totally levelled. There’s nothing there any more.

“Totally lost. Totally lost. We actually had to park about three blocks away and walk as far as we could walk to the — where I lived at. And there’s nothing there. They’re gone. It’s all rubble. There’s nothing left.

“There are like 18-wheelers on top of cars and homes in the middle of the streets. And there’s people wandering down the streets with nowhere to go, homeless. They’ve got maybe a bag over their shoulder, and they’re all in the middle of the streets, with nowhere to go. And the homes, houses and boats and cars are just — debris is just everywhere. It’s just — it’s very catastrophic down here.”
Susan Rodgers, of Biloxi, on CNN.

“The house just split in half. We got up on the roof and the water came and just opened up, divided ...

“My wife, I can’t find her body, she gone.

“I held her hand tight as I could and she told me ‘you can’t hold me’. She said, ‘take care of the kids and the grandkids’.

“We have nowhere to go. I’m lost, that’s all I had, that’s all I had. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Harvey Jackson, of Biloxi, on ABC television.

This is probably the scariest situation we've been in

“Water is seeping into the building . . . It has washed away all our rental cars, and everything else [in the parking lot] . . . they are evacuating everyone to the second floor. I’m standing in five or six inches of water [on the second floor]. The power is out. There are a few emergency lights. It’s a very daunting prospect right now . . . It’s a very dangerous situation. I’ve been doing this for 15 years, and [I’ ve] been producer for many hurricanes, and I’ve never seen anything like this. This is probably the scariest situation we’ve ever been in — just the sudden rise of water and how fast. They said we were good here for 27, 30 feet [of storm surge] — never seen anything like it. They thought we were completely safe. We are not even shooting [video] any more. We’re basically in self-preservation [mode] right now. We’re helping people put up boards and sandbags to keep the water from coming in.”
Simon Temperton, producer for The Weather Channel in a telephone call to the station. www.weather.com/blog/weather/8_7288.html?from=blog_permalink_mainindex

“My husband was trapped in a building, 234 Loyola. Please, does anyone know if this building is still standing? Is the area okay? Which buildings have fallen? If anyone has heard from Jason Warwick, please let me know. I need to know he is okay and his wife/children love him very much.” www.nola.com/forums/weather/

“I am looking for my husband, who refused to leave our new house in Slidell, Louisiana. I last spoke to him at 7.30 this am. No news station is highlighting Slidell. We have/had a house in Eden Isles waterfront subdivision.”
Elizabeth www.weather.com/blog/weather

“Can anyone tell me what is happening in the area of Gulfport east of the airport, south of 10 and north of Pass Road. My Mom lives by the bayou and I am so afraid the house could be gone.”
Anna Marie www.weather.com/blog/weather

No power, no AC, just our prayers

“Imagine being in the Louisiana Superdome with no power — well, emergency power — meaning dim lights and no AC.

Let’s hope the field doesn’t flood. At least 9,000 people are there. Normally the New Orleans Saints play there. This morning they are praying to the saints . . . We all got about two hours sleep last night — and a little coffee sure would suit me fine.”
Miles O’Brien, hurricane blog, CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/28/hurricane.blog/

People are ducking as the windows crack

“Katrina is beginning to knock on our door. We’ve already been without main power for about two hours . . . no air conditioning (not to harp on that) . . . flashlights to get around the building.

“The scene out the windows is frightening, and it’s just beginning. Gusts slamming the big windows, and people reflexively ducking, knowing they’ve got to break. Trees whipping as if they’re about to be uprooted.

“There is a tooth-grinding whistle from the wind.”
Anon www.nola.com

Thank the Lord he made it

“My family is stranded the attic of my sisters house at 2117 N. Robertson St. Cross streets are Claibone and Elysian Feilds Please help them there are 8 little kids in this home please help them!!!!!”
Tyra http://www.nola.com/forums/weather/

“My husband called from a hospital in South Louisiana to let me know that he was OK. However, the apartment that he was using as shelter is no longer there. His words to me were, ‘Sherry, everything is gone. Everything is gone.’

“I could hear the fear and disbelief in his voice and all I could think was, thank the Good Lord he made it!”
Sherry, with her husband in Chalmette, Louisiana www.nola.com

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