From Channing Joseph, a New Orleans native, and classmate of mine from the Class of 2005:
I’m in New York, and most of my immediate family was able to evacuate before the storm hit. They are now scattered across the country but physically unharmed. Not all of our homes fared as well, though. The house I grew up in is beyond repair, and my uncle lost one of his dogs (whom he had left behind, thinking it would just be a temporary evacuation). I called a cousin of mine whose house was spared (and who has since moved back in), and she tells me that even my little suburb looks like a war zone. The water may not be potable for years to come, and the new New Orleans may have to make do with cuisine sans shellfish — a staple — (which easily absorb the toxic chemicals now polluting the waters). But we are trying to be optimistic, and we appreciate being in your thoughts. So far the plans are to rebuild what we can, since our property has been in the family for generations, and it seems a waste to abandon all our history.
