merh is okay. Her house is probably lost - all of her belongings...

[JimmyJazz]

probably her job, too. But she and her family are safe.

[benito]

1. very glad they are safe

That's all that matters.

[Zuni]

That is beyond awful

She and all the Gulf Coast DUers will be in my prayers.

This is a huge tragedy

[serryjw]

2. I am so sorry

How can we help?

[miss_kitty]

3. Can we do something to help?

[JimmyJazz]

24. I don't think there is much we can do to help at this point, but I will

keep you posted. :hug:

[miss_kitty]

27. Thanks sweetie

:hi:

[cally]

4. I'm glad she is safe

but her losses are tremendous. Mehr, know that you are loved and many here care about you.

[JimmyJazz]

6. She says she doesn't know what tomorrow brings...

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers :(

[cally]

10. I will

Let us know if there are any other things we can do to help.

[Cathyclysmic]

5. That's crappy

Keep us posted and let her know we are thinking of them!

[JimmyJazz]

9. She's asking for chocolate and cigarettes!

Seriously, she's devastated but thankful to be alive. Apparently, she didn't have time to unload what she packed from her truck and her truck floated away - she basically has the clothes on her back.

[stlsaxman]

15. What brand?

seriously, i'll send her a carton or two... what else do they need?

[JimmyJazz]

17. She's a little shell shocked right now and

couldn't really give me an answer as to her needs. Besides, at this point, she doesn't even have an address where things can be sent. The ground floor of the house she is in is flooded and she is looking for an alternative place to stay.

[stlsaxman]

20. Please email my DU box with any news, Jimmy...

so glad they're safe.

[JimmyJazz]

22. I will.

I'm trying to call her back now to see if it's possible to get packages to her. But, I can't get through :(

[greatauntoftriplets]

30. Please let me know about merh, too.

Lord, what a loss.

[BikeWriter]

23. Oh, shit...

[xmas74]

35. When she gets a good address let me know.

MO has really cheap cigs (low taxes) and we are one of the Russell Stover headquarters so I can get both pretty cheap.

[Cathyclysmic]

36. seriously, keep us posted

And IM with any details, if needed.

[Pithlet]

7. I'm glad they're safe.

But, how devastating to lose everything. :(

[jpgray]

8. Best of luck to her and other Gulf Coasters (and it's "merh," I think)

[JimmyJazz]

11. one handed typing - sorry!

i'm talking while typing

[bigwillq]

12. So happy they are all safe.

Fill me in please, what city/state is she in?

[JimmyJazz]

19. She's just north of Biloxi.

:(

[bigwillq]

25. Tell her (if you can)

that I'm glad she's ok and I'm thinking about her and her family. What a shame. At least, they're safe. They could always rebuild, buy new clothes, etc. but they (her and her family) could never be replaced.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. Thank you so much, my dear JimmyJazz...

Please let her know how much we all love her...and how much we wish we could be of some help to her...

She is in my prayers...as is her family...and all the DU'ers affected by this awful storm...

[Darth_Kitten]

14. I'm so glad she and her family are safe.

Is there anything we can do?

[JimmyJazz]

18. There is really nothing we can do at this point but keep her in our

thoughts and prayers. However, she has literally lost everything, so I'm sure that she could use our help in the future.

With everything she has been through, she still remembered to ask about Maddy McCall. :) I love DUers.

[Darth_Kitten]

31. How are Maddy and others?

I don't know which DU'ers are in the path of Katrina. :(

[greatauntoftriplets]

32. trof is fine, but his server is down.

Don't know anything about Maddy or the others.

[jobycom]

46. Maddy's a bit inland, and to the west of most of the storm.

She's probably without power and not without stories, but she should be safe enough. Let's hope.

[FuzzySlippers]

16. I'm happy they're safe...

but the other part is awful. I'm so sorry Mehr. We're all thinking of you.

[BikeWriter]

21. Oh, crap, Doll! That really sucks, but it's great they're okay!

[flamingyouth]

26. I am very sorry to hear this.

If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. :(

[KitchenWitch]

28. merh - I am glad you and your family are safe

I am sorry about your losses.

[KyndCulture]

29. oh god.. thanks for the update....

If you hear from her again please send her my love!

[auntAgonist]

33. Please let Merh know we're thinking about her

and her family. I'm SO glad they are safe. Possessions, while of value do not compare to life, they can be replaced. I hope they will let us know if they need anything at all.

aA

[In_The_Wind]

34. Thank you for the information JimmyJazz!

Please let merh know that I will help her in anyway she needs assistance.

[LynneSin]

37. If you get an address maybe we can send some care packages to her

We could work through you to help her out!! Do we have sizes for her and her family? I have plenty of good clothes that I was going to give away because they were too small but they're all in good shape!!

[Misunderestimator]

38. Thanks for the post, JJ....

and whenever she does need help... keep us informed... Damn.

[fooj]

39. Recommended!

Kick!

[BikeWriter]

42. Good idea, recommended!

[troubleinwinter]

43. Yep!

[BikeWriter]

47. You did good. :-)

[progmom]

40. thanks for letting us know

wow. x(

[troubleinwinter]

41. Thank you, JJ. If you should happen to speak to her...

again, ask after her boss too, please?

[JimmyJazz]

44. she thinks the business is lost! That man has been through so much!

:(

[troubleinwinter]

48. Heartbreaking.

I wish them all well in this hard time.

[GOPisEvil]

45. I'm glad she's safe, but I'm really sorry for her loss.

:(

[no name no slogan]

49. good thoughts and prayers to merh

and to her family and friends, too

[lavendermist]

50. My thoughts and prayers are with you, Merh,

You have been so inspiring. Let us know what we can do to help.

[dajoki]

51. Thank God they are safe...

that is the main thing.

[Chovexani]

52. Please keep us posted!

Thank goodness she's safe, but what a horrible thing to happen...when you get some info let us know how we can help! We evil DUers gotta look out for each other.

[southlandshari]

53. Thanks for the update!

I'm focused only on the fact that she is ok at this point. She knows there are many of us who will be here for her to help with whatever she needs as she figures out her next steps...

[JimmyJazz]

54. She seemed a bit out of it, but was about to make friends with some

tequila :) And, she was laughing a bit at the absurdity of it all. And, of course, asking for chocolate and some smokes. I'll send her the chocolate, but I'm a bit anti-smoking!

[fooj]

64. Tell you what- You get the chocolates...I'll get the cigs!

You are an authentically good person, JJ. Thanks.

Peace.:hug:



((((((((((((((((((((((hugs for merh)))))))))))))))))))))

I love you, girlfriend! Please take good care.:pals:

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo's!

[JimmyJazz]

72. Back at you!

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: I've been trying to call her this morning, but haven't been successful. :(

[Olney Blue]

55. I'm so glad she made it through okay....

please keep us posted on how we can help.

[Gelliebeans]

56. I've been wondering how she

fared this awful storm. I am so sorry for her loss but I am glad she and her family are safe. Please post anything that would be helpful JJ and hopefully we can help out anyway we can.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

57. I am glad she is ok

Gimme an addy..I'll send her some smokes..or a gift certificate so she can get what she needs

[GalleryGod]

58. Nice Work, JJ.

O8)

GG:hi:

[Not_Giving_Up]

59. Glad that they are safe

I can't seem to turn off the coverage.

[Wapsie B]

60. That's good to hear that she's safe.

What a tragedy. So much devastation.

[JanusAscending]

61. Merh

I am so sorry for her loss,and thankful they are unharmed. Because I'm so new to DU, I'm not familiar with that many of you, but I do recall having seen her posts. I can really empathize with her, and PLEASE GET HER SMOKES TO HER !! She is in a state of shock right now, is feeling numb, and worried what the future holds for them. Many things that she lost ARE IRREPLACEABLE ! Family treasures like photo's, family heirlooms,and such. True, most other material things can be replaced, and the most important thing is having each other safe and together. Over my 66 yrs. on this earth, I've learned that anyplace I hang my hat, as long as my loved ones are with me, is HOME! A house is bricks and mortar, but a home is where love is. Trust that her needs will be provided, and she and her loved ones will grow stronger from this. I KNOW, it happened to me! I was a young wife 17 yrs. old, with a new baby just 3 weeks old. My husband was away for his yearly 2 wk. Army Reserve training at Fort Dix. In Ct. in 1955 we had a devastating flood and a lot of my neighbors lost their lives. We were evacuated in time, and we lost our house (our first apt.as a new family.) It went floating down the River with all of our wedding pictures, all the new stuff for the baby. We left with the clothes on our back!! The Red Cross, and the Salvation Army came though for us, and life went on. Since this happened at such a young age it taught me that if I could get through this, I could get thru' anything life decided to throw my way. It indeed made me stronger!! and gave me faith in the goodness of people. Merh will need time to heal,and the worst part is the fear of the unknown. I encourage her to hold onto her faith, and know if there is anything that I can do to help, I'm here for her! Just let me know! God Bless ya'll:grouphug: :cry: :hug:

[khashka]

62. Belongings and houses and jobs can be replaced

People can't.

Thank all the gods she and her family are safe. In the end that's what matters. In the end, that's all that matters.

Khash.

[enigmatic]

63. Be safe, Merh

Posessions can be replaced; you and your families lives can't.

I'm sending all the good vibes I can your way :hug:

[Nothing Without Hope]

65. We will watch for posts of what we can do for our merh. Swamp Rat

is riding this out in a motel and hasn't heard from his mom, doesn't know if his house is still there. All he can do is watch TV, where the extent of the damage is being under-reported. (Of course, if this had been a wealthy area with a higher population of rich white GOP donors, it would have been much more attentive coverage!)

Here's the Swamp Rat news thread - he checks in himself.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4499298
thread title: SWAMP RAT IS IN THE HOUSE!! :-)

Here's the other merh thread in GD:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4500959
Thread title: Merh has called. She is safe but has lost everything. Literally.

[NMMNG]

66. Keep us updated and let us know if there's anything we can do

Let's avoid paypal for obvious reasons. :eyes:

[Hugin]

67. Thank goodness they are safe!

All the rest heals with time... But, merh and family
are irreplaceable.

[Lisa0825]

68. So glad they are safe!

So sorry about the losses... :hug:

[Richardo]

69. Glad they are OK

Very sorry for their losses, though. :grouphug:

THanks for the update, JimmyJazz.

[Taverner]

70. should we start a fund for her?

[JimmyJazz]

71. I've written to the admins for some guidance. merh is not going to

be the only DUer in this position, I'm afraid. :( I will let you know what they say.

[Hugin]

73. Short of that... Give to the relief agency of your choice.

It's important!

[RevCheesehead]

74. Any updates today?

I'm sure the phone lines are down...

(even Brett Favre can't get through to his family. That isn't said to be funny - it's just a reflection of the gravity of the situation.)

Merh, hon - we're praying for you!

[JimmyJazz]

75. No. I have been trying to call all day.

I know she was going to try to reach FEMA today, but even that may not be possible. I understand there is some pretty serious flooding today and I am deeply worried.

However, I did get permission from EarlG to get a list of things she will need so that people can donate items and money, once she can even accept such things. DUers are so great! I received many, many messages from people wanting to help.