Dear All,
We are in the worst of Gustav until about 12p – 1p. Thank you so much for prayers. And God be praised. Much, much better than we had feared. Moving from cautiously optimistic to optimistic. New Orleans will not see hurricane winds. Some 70mph gusts. But sustained 45mph only. Whipping up pretty good here on the North Shore but still have power.
About 100,000 people without power. Concern now tornadoes.
Dry air from Texas kept Gustav from exploding over the Gulf. The eye-wall is breaking up and approaching the coast as only a CAT 2. Sudden turn to the west, hugging the LA coast, good for New Orleans. Storm surge less than anticipated. The parishioner we are staying with insists that angels ripped Gustav apart overnight.
Word is that power workers will be out tonight restoring the downed lines, etc.
2,000,000 people evacuated. Less than 10,000 people left in New Orleans (50,000+ stayed behind during Katrina).NOPD found only 15 people on the streets yesterday. Handicapped/elderly/indigent all moved to safety. No arrests for looting. Pretty good for an area that is still very broken and knee deep in recovery. Biggest problem was slow traffic flow.
Please keep prayers coming. Pray especially for the folks directly on the LA and Mississippi coast where they’re getting hammered. We could possibly be home by tomorrow afternoon or thereabouts if things hold the same. Know of our prayers.
–The Reverend Jerry and Stacy Kramer, Church of the Annunciation, New Orleans