We are all live and well. That is the good news. The pond did
fine. More good news.

Jackson made national TV for the 5 hour gas lines. There are
almost no restaurants or gas stations open.

Our home just got power back. Amazing to see the difference it
makes. I spent yesterday with my chainsaw cleaning up and stacking
the trees that fell in my yard and in my 68 yr old neighbor's yard.
Pine and Oak. Today I will use my tractor to pull the big logs I
couldn't move be hand. One tree is 40+ inches thick, so I can't
cut it with my 14" chain saw. Eventually, I will have to rent a bigger
one.

I have a large cedar leaning on my power line. Hasn't broken it nd
we are way way down on the power company's repair list. We will
just wait to see if the house power mast and the transformer pole
can hold the strain.

The schools here are scheduled to start the day after Labor Day.
They are not sure whether it can happen. NO kids will lose their
whole term.

The seminary does not have water or power. The faculty with either
are housing students. We have four with us. My colleagues in the
MFT department are housing up to 11 people (including other faculty
members). We have all made our homes available for wash and
showers. Kind of like a college dorm.

The New Orleans flooding from Lake Pontchartrain ran directly
through our son Jim's neighborhood . Remember the image of the
yacht club on fire? A quarter mile from my my son Jim's home. When you
see the shots of
the break in the canal, his house is on the East side, where the
water flooded. He and I shared a boat that was in his back yard.
Probably not existing now... The copter passed over his home. A
small part of the roof was visible. That is all. Bulldozer or
contractor? We shall see in a month or so. He is safe in Baton
Rouge with friends.

Some of our friends had houses down by Biloxi in Pass
Christian...now a slab. Hard to believe!

Jim Hurley