[Ted Davisson]

Greetings From New Orleans .
Its just been over two years since Hurricane Katrina had New Orleans in its cross hairs and in some parts of the city you would swear that it blew through just yesterday . When I have to go to the New Orleans , General Anchorage to catch a north bound ship , I pass through areas of the city that still has the stinch , still has no electricty , still has no residents , still has no retail stores , but still does have the residue of a city that bore the full brunt of a Class 5 Hurricane . Now , two years and one month latter , New Orleans is again in the path of another storm , and thank God , not a hurricane but something much less , Tropical Storm Tim . From listening to the local news accounts , the low lying areas of the city and the parish are taking nothing for granted and are opening shelters and closing flood gates . Residents of FEMA trailers ( yes many people are still living in trailers because their homes are still in dis-repair ) are being told to evacuate and are told to bring only the personal items that they can carry . The recent good news is that the National Weather Service is now predicting that Tropical Storm Tim is now heading more of a North-west track than west and is expected to make landfall between Pensacola and Gulf Shores tomorrow . However , they did go on to say that in all likely hood that the storm will by pass the Greater New Orleans area and we will only experience 45 to 50 mile an hour winds and a great deal of rain . Its also my understanding that the Bar Pilots and the Crescent River Port Pilots are still in operation and the same with the NOBRA pilots as well . So , it appears for the time being at least that New Orleans has dodged the bullet and hopfully this will wrap up the 07' hurricane season . Attached to this posting is a few of the pictures I took of conditions on the river after Katrina and hopfully after Tim there will be nothing to either photograph or report . Imagine , if you will , just what it must have took to blow and wash these different river vessels literally out of the Mississippi River and force a storm surge go up the river well past Baton Rouge ???
Smoothe Sailing ,
Ted Davisson