Depressing . . .

The thought of these increasing river levels is getting more and more frightening.  Here's the latest press release on the Morganza Spillway opening schedule .  Jindal is saying it will open sometime between this Saturday and next Thursday.  At least it sounds like Morganza WILL be opened anyway.  I hope that drop in river level will be enough to keep us safe.  But I feel bad anyway knowing that no matter what they do or don't do, SOMEONE will have to suffer. 

I'm incredibly grateful that my friend Janet just e-mailed me to say we could bring our horses out to their place if it starts to flood down here.  That's one less thing to worry about anyway.  But having the house flood after spending the last 8 years renovating it is just soooo demoralizing.  We JUST spent thousands having the underside of the house insulated.  Wouldn't you know?  Even if the house itself doesn't flood, even low levels of water are going to ruin that insulation.  I keep telling myself that I should be grateful that this disaster isn't the kind that you can't prepare for like an earthquake or a tornado.  At least we have time to get everyone out to a safe place.  But we aren't kids anymore.  It would be so hard to start over again at this point in life.

Here's a picture of the levee at Baton Rouge where the USS Kidd is docked.  The level came up enough this week that the ship has floated up out of its position already.   Normally there IS no water between the levee and the ship.  You just walked down the steps and onto the ship.  Now all but five of those steps are underwater.  This picture was taken on Tuesday afternoon 5-10.

Someone I work with walked down to the levee at lunch today (Wednesday 5-11) and took the picture below -- note that there is one less step visible than in yesterday's pic above.  So the river is about a foot higher today than yesterday.  It's rising more quickly all the time.  Gulp.

Here's an aerial view of the river at Baton Rouge taken yesterday, May 10.  (Something to compare to photos to be taken next week.) 

Okay, enough . . . time to kick back and appreciate what we have while we have it.  One day at a time.