Post #187451 by purple jade on Sun, Sep 18, 2005 3:49 PM

OK today we were able to get past the checkpoints and into our area even though it's officially still restricted. The Nat'l Guard is being merciful to the desperate and frustrated Lakeview residents.

We kept hearing differing reports of the water levels, toxicities, and general devastation, so we weren't 100% sure what our house would look like. But now it's official...we've lost everything.

The area looks like it has undergone a nuclear assault. All vegetation is dead or dying from the water and/or toxins, and the landscape (such as it is) is a grey-green accented by areas of brown and black. There's no way to describe it. The smell of death and decay is indescribable. It's like every apocalyptic movie you've ever seen.

My house looks like a disgusting sno-globe, everything has been picked up and tossed around. (Note the side-by-side refrigerator lying on its side in the kitchen.) The french doors in the back were apparently blown open by the force of the water. I found a box of my sewing notions halfway down the driveway. All my bookshelves fell to pieces and every single book is trash (including my padded cover BOT).

The water level from the ground was approx. 8 feet. That means about 5 feet in the raised part of the house, and 7 1/2 in the slab part.

There is still about 4-6 inches of quite putrid water in my den, and the rest of the house has about 3-4 inches of slippery, tarry black yuck on the floor. We had to climb in a window because we couldn't open the swollen door. I'm not sure what I imagined I'd see, but my imagination could not come up with anything nearly as horrible as the reality of it.

This Shutterfly link shows the Lakeshore area, en route to my house, and then my house. (Anyone who's been to Kiliki's website may recognize the Lakeshore bus shelter pic.)

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AYuXLRo3buXJA