Beyond Katrina

Bioneers Topic: Digital Oasis

Well this topic is of course near and dear to the heart -Digital Oasis: Online Networks, Blogging,& Fast Forward Change. A couple of salient points: Blog's are a centerpice of any online activism campaign, but we should be using everything that's availabe, and I'll list the most important web 2.0 solutions later. Tree Hugger,Grist, and Wiser Earth are leading the panel discussion. Interestingly, Tree Hugger is a blog, started as a blog... follows a similar Model as BK - feautured contributors

Hurricane Ike: It's gettin pretty intense around here

From the Dallas News Weather Blog:

As I write this, Galveston has clear, starry skies, a mild breeze, no rain and gorgeous weather. They are, in fact, in the eye of the hurricane. The Other Half is going to slam into them in about half an hour to 40 minutes, depending on which meteorologist you ask, and they'll have hurricane force winds until about 4 a.m. or so. Continue

Galveston Blogger removed from shelter

Galveston reporter was writing about her experience at the shelter

A reporter with The Galveston County Daily News who blogged as an embedded evacuee at Crockett High School was asked to leave the shelter by Austin school officials on Friday.Continue>>>

Networks rushing to cover Hurricane Ike

NEW YORK -- With the second big hurricane in two weeks set to hit the Gulf Coast, the networks are sending a number of correspondents and producers to Texas to cover Hurricane Ike. So far there's no move to send the Big Three anchors, who left the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., for New Orleans when it looked like Hurricane Gustav was going to inflict massive damage on a region that was just getting its footing three years after Katrina. Continue>>>

Hurricane Ike Over My Home...

A live report on Hurricane Ike from a blogger posting from the Turks and Caicos Islands here.

Live from Louisiana: A Hurricane Blogger's Personal Journal 8/31/08 7:36 am

..Gustav's winds have really picked up here in Baton Rouge. The storm cranking up but I'm losing steam...going to go  get some shut eye and then back at the post soon.

MS

The Gulf Coast waits: Will it be another Katrina?

Whew! Great story by Associated Press writers STACEY PLAISANCE AND BECKY BOHRER :

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- With a historic evacuation of 1.9 million people from the Louisiana coast complete, gun-toting police and National Guardsmen stood watch as rain started to fall on this city's empty streets Sunday night - and even presidential politics took a back seat as the nation waited to see if Hurricane Gustav would be another Katrina. Continue>>>

Live from Louisiana: A Hurricane Blogger's Personal Journal 8/31/08 7:14 pm CT

On the post in Baton Rouge, La. I am multi-tasking. Blogging, posting news stories about Gustav,  taking care of biz at home. We are keeping the clothes washed up and dried, dishwasher running 24/7, and I'm trying to get all the cooking out of the way. We do have a back up generator but it is an alternative power source and things won't be biz as usual after the storm, even with that.

"The bear" (my husband, good ole' Looziana cajun boy so  nicknamed because he kind of reminds us of a grizzly bear) worked his tail off (oops no pun) in the yard today - I'm not sure why. It looks perfectly manicured like we're going to have company or something. Just in time for old Gus to blow leaves and limbs and debris all over the yard - it's going to take us a week to get everything back in shape. Go figure.

Kendall, my 24 year old daughter, just returned from visiting friends, Randy, Margie, and Martha Claire Hollis. Kendall went to open the pantry and Randy screamed, "don't open that!". She backed off and then Randy explained that the pantry is so stuffed with food that it would come tumbling off the shelves if she opened the door. He said Margie made three trips to the store for food runs and is now banned. Hurricane Survivors go on "foodie" overdrive in preparation for a storm.

Conner, (teen with 'tude) wants to know why I bought so many cokes. He said, "mom" I thought you were on a diet. I said, "yeah but a hurricane is coming"...and after I caught his stare then I said "I don't want to talk about it". His response:  "You never do".

Kendall and "The Bear are walking the dog. The door is open because we had a grease fire in the oven just now. I am watching the last remnants of the day fade away into darkness and I can hear the frogs singing against the backdrop of a gray Louisiana sky. There is an eerie quiet here - it's just too quiet.  Basically I'm  enjoying the last few hours left of normal.

Margaret Saizan
Baton Rouge, La.

Gustav Survivors please submit your news,  stories, photos, and videos to http://beyondkatrina.ning.com/

Live from Louisiana: A Hurricane Blogger's Personal Journal 8/31/08 6:04 pm CT

6:00 pm. This is about the time I always start personal journaling - It's the calm before the storm, every thing's closed up, people are put, not much news coming across the wires for the moment, nothing much  to do but wait it out now.  Gustav is about 200 miles plus a little out from the mouth of the Mississippi River. All is well across the state. The vibe is good. I am hearing from friends who have evacuated. I am feeling very poignant. I am so moved and inspired by the way the people of  Louisiana - both citizenry and government -  have responded to this storm. And in spite of our colorful politics, our swampy geography and the fact that we live in a hurricane alley I am still so very proud to live in the great state of Louisiana. To all of my fellow Louisianians  who are  bunkered down in shelters, and hotels elsewhere, just know I am thinking of you all, praying for the safety of your homes and possessions and I am wishing for you all to come home soon!

Right now, I am nesting. If you go back and look at what I was doing on the eve of Katrina's landfall it's basically the same. I have a crawfish etoufee cooking - same as I did last time - and it's one good roux, sha...I made a big potato salad, and I'm following that act with magic cookie bars. Hurricanes are synonymous with food for me - it's been a tradition through 7 major hurricanes.

I am tracking four of my friends and colleagues through Gustav. Matthew White and family made it to the Florida panhandle safely, Paul Greenberg is in Alabama bunkered down safe and cozy in a La Quinta hotel, Josh Galasso is sending me press releases and updates hot off the press at the governor's office, and David Murphy is battened down in Metairie - he says he's bored - but inasmuch as he works for Entergy he'll be busy soon enough..

On the Scene

By: Rick Portier

The suits finally pulled the trigger. I made it to Grand Isle, Louisiana at midnight. Right now all the experts are saying it'll be a nice day for folks who are boarding up and the photogs who are shooting them.

Only premium gas to be found anywhere south of my hometown of Thibodaux. When I called that info in to the station, the producers asked me for a phoner about it. (I'm sure it's somewhere on wafb.com.) So I made my first Hurricane report before I even got in place.

I'm headed out to look for something too shoot. Jim Shannon and Joe McCoy are already in upper Lafourche parish checking on evacuations. They're picking up video on the way south for this evenings stories.

Rain is supposed to begin Sunday afternoon. Not sure how long I'll be here, or how much I'll be able to blog. But check in here and the WAFB blog. http://wafb.typepad.com/covering_gustav

Rick Portier is a television news photographer in Baton Rouge. For more of his unique stories and interesting rants see his personal blog at http://turdpolisher.blogspot.com/