Katrina Disaster Relief Camp
September 5, 2005

We left New Jersey on Sunday morning headed for Meridian, MS to work at a disaster relief camp. On our drive we passed numerous Army convoys all from the east coast area, in addition to the army other emergency vehicles such as; utility companies, firefighters, and police from NY and Vermont area. It was one convoy after another. Trucks loaded with generators, portable toilets, portable kitchens, and everything else in between. When we crossed the Stateline into Mississippi we started to notice along the interstate trees (large) were tossed around like Lincoln logs, spilt in the middle like a twig, whole trees roots and all tossed around, road signs bent like a tin can and tossed across the interstate. It was very scary to realize that the weather could cause so much damage. We arrived at the Naval Base in Meridian, MS. We were doing laundry for Fema and the US Forest Service, DOT and several Tribal firefighters from the Arizona area. We stayed there for a little over a week then our camp closed and headed to Hammond, LA where we went to do laundry for the US Army. All Soldiers were armed with semi automatic weapons. You just could not believe that this was happening in the United States and we were right in the middle of it. John and I were eating dinner one night with the soldiers and this particular soldier sitting next to me when she went to get up and she had some trouble getting her rifle on her shoulder and I noticed her rifle was pointed directly at me. I told John I feel like I am sitting right in the middle of Baghdad, instead of Louisiana!! We stayed there a few days. Then that camp closed and all of the laundry trailers were headed into New Orleans. John and I made the decision not to go into New Orleans. We left and headed for the first campground we could find with electric to rest and cool off and clean up!!!

Next adventure we are traveling the Natchez Trace Parkway into Nashville!!