New Orleans flooded...again!!!

This is the worst, most stressful, un-relaxing weekend ever. I already want today to be done and it just started!

We started out the weekend with a dramatic kitten on Friday. But more on that later. The kittens are safe and sound and I have bigger things to gripe about.

Last night New Orleans was hit with torrential rains and flash floods and suddenly we were all reliving Katrina. I was driving home from the Northshore (across Lake Ponchartrain - about an hour out of New Orleans) after visiting my family. I was on the 2-lane, 26 mile bridge for the worst of it (Which was mildly terrifying). The hubby had called to tell me he was going to mass earlier. The next call I got from him was to tell me his car flooded! The rain was so intense that during mass his car - and others parked outside - flooded out. He drives a 12-year old Civic that refuses to die, and yesterday was so exception. He overrode the transmission to drive it in neutral to higher ground, where he parked it on an angle to drain. He had to walk 2 miles back to the house. Then he tried to guide me home, but it wasn't happening: every avenue to our house was flooded and impassable. I had some narrow misses getting on the interstate, but I made it to New Orleans East and his parents house. Ah! I love you, inlaws! Warm tea and sandwiches! Unfortunately, the worst news was still to come - my sweet and talented sister in law Liz is a wedding singer. She had a wedding that night at Ursaline in Uptown New Orleans. While she was singing preludes someone came up to her and whispered that the streets were flooding. She rushed out to move her car but the rain was so bad that as she drove the water rose and she stalled! She drives a 2009 SUV that she just bought - she had to abandon it and wade in water over her waist.
Basically all hell broke lose from there. The wedding went on once the priest got there - after first his car, then the car of the kind couple who gave him a ride, flooded. David was going to try to come to his sister's aid, and in fact he walked the 2 miles back to his car - which started up without a hitch. Seriously, I don't know if you CAN kill a Civic! However, the reports of flooding were worsening, and he couldn't reach Liz. The water in her area was 4 feet deep in the street! Luckily the rain slacked up enough for the large limo bus to carry all 25 or so people who made it to the wedding through the water to higher ground, where my FIL was able to pick Lizzie up. He took a route that brought him close to my house, so I took notes so I could make it home, too! He picked up the hubby too and they attempted to retrieve her car but to no avail- it was a lost cause and they almost flooded in the inlaws SUV trying to get it. Finally I tried to venture home from New Orleans East. It was a huge mistake. The lull ceased as soon as I got on the interstate and I was in a downpour. The streets started to flood again and for almost an hour I drove frantically, on the phone with hubby, just trying to stay on higher ground. Naturally I ended up in an intersection surrounded by water in a bad neighborhood. In front of me was flooded; both sides were flooded. The way I came was dry, but it was a divided road. If I tried to head back on my side of the road, it was flooded too! SO....
SCION POWER! I took my little XA up on the flooded sidewalk and by the grace of God we made it home. I was so stressed out when I got home! My husband was soaked through and we were exhausted. We had a much-needed glass of wine and headed to bed - but the drama isn't over. My hubby got up at 5 am to meet Liz's dear friend Fr. Jeff at her SUV to push it out of the road (she had abandoned it literally in the middle of the street) and they confirmed that the car is totally dead. The computer system was saturated and sat in water overnight. Hubby crawled home to get some sleep but poor baby, the calls kept coming. Now he's back out meeting the tow-truck by Liz's SUV.
Phew!
What I have to be thankful for:
- We are all safe. Many people had accidents last night.
- My car did not flood and it is a very low riding little thing
- Liz has good insurance
- I have wonderful in-laws who love me

What I am not-so-jazzed about:
- The local news was USELESS about this. Not a word of warning, no helpful weather alerts. We're talking about 18 hours of flooding and no source of info! We had to base our decisions off twitter!
- POOR LIZ!
- David's trade-in value is about down to zero now.
- GAGH! I want my weekend back!

I tried to get a good picture of the water for you, but guess what? Not a single image on any news websites. Because our news sucks.

Tune in tomorrow to hear the much more heart-warming tale of the three kitties who made it through the cold cold night.