A desperate dispatch from New Orleans late afternoon Wednesday captures the chaos created by Hurricane Katrina. CW Stambaugh, owner of the gay Starlight by the Park bar on the outskirts of the French Quarter, e-mailed this reporter a final message from his laptop, which was running on battery power. Stambaugh typed hastily, as the typos show: "this will be my last message out. marshall law has been decleared. they fixed the major levee we heard but the waters are still rising. we shall see. the gas is being cujt off at any moment. we cooked as much food as we cood but there saying now 30 days before electricy will be restored. the bar is closed. we brought people to our home and were making the best here. waterr was shut off last night. the gas to's tonight. we still have a phone but i cannot get local service. . . . there's a strong community still here but were trying to get people out. they announced that boats are are coming.v they will not say what time there loading. were staying to make suer thar ouhers get ourt. i hope4 this geetis to you.b keep the family!!! our love to all. this will be my last message. the battery in ther laptop is going out and the room is dark. forgive the mis-spelling. WE ARE FINE HERE!!! so far. take care and wish us the best!!
As late as Monday Stambaugh thought he had dodged a bullet.
The owner of the popular Starlight bar decided to defy Hurricane Katrina last Sunday night, Aug. 28. He held an impromptu "Hurricane Party" in the bar and kept it open all night throughout the storm. His bar quickly became a makeshift shelter for tourists and locals alike who had nowhere else to go.
"We used the bar as a shelter and the quality of the gay population, local and tourist, was fantastic. We all pulled together and fed and took care of each other," Stambaugh said.
http://www.baywindows.com/media/paper328/news/2005/09/01/News/Gay-New.Orleans.Devastated-973978.shtml
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
