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Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board
Re: Judge's Prelim Report
Posted By: Vic Roy In Response To: Re: Judge's Prelim Report *LINK* (Matt Holcomb)
Date: Wednesday, 31 August 2005, at 3:54 p.m.
OK, here it is from the horse's mouth - I flew co pilot. We flew from BTR (a zoo being the closes operational airport to the worst areas) south down over Houma, La. then east just behind Grand Isle. The north (bay) side of the island looked intact, and the causeway to the island is standing. Most of the long piers out into the bay are intact. We then flew further east to Port Sulphur, then south along the west side of the river. From Empire (the high rise bridge) south everything is flooded. There are two 200 foot pogie boats in the road at Empire. The water inside the levees at Venice appears to be about 6-8 feet deep and lots of damage. Venice Marina is totally destroyed and all boats and houseboats are either missing or destroyed. Garry, we may have seen your houseboat across Tiger Pass in the woods upside down, but study of the video will confirm. All the boat sheds are gone, including the one Andre's Whaler was in. Cypress Cove a little better, but every boat destroyed. Port Eads is totally destroyed for all intents and purposes. Every houseboat missing, including Andre's. Wayne and another guy were staying on the Taj, a 130 foot steel barge houseboat by the fuel dock. It is still there, but the house part is gone, it's just a barge. Wayne's boat is tied up to it. A seaplane landed there yesterday and looked for them, but no sign. We fear they are dead.
New Orleans airspace is restricted below 5,000 feet, and we flew directly over the Industrial Canal from south to north about the same time as Air Force One carrying our prez. The hi-dry storage building housing AJ is untouched and did not have any water around it since it's outside the flood protection levees. I'm encouraged that AJ is unscathed. The rest of N.O. is totally, and I mean totally flooded. The city will never recover, never.
Flew over my camp and it's fine other than some water in the downstairs, and this was confirmed by camp neighbor who was there yesterday.
A flight of a lifetime, hope never to see this again. If the death toll is not in the many thousands it will be a true miracle.
Still no power or net at home, but saw some utility trucks in the neighborhood. Genset still chugging along altho one of the saftey shutdowns failed and had to bypass it.
UV
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