My Mother Is Okay (But The House She Owns, We're Not So Sure About)

Above picture from the AP shows President Bush expressing discomfort at close proximity to the poor.

This is the reason I haven't blogged in a while. My mother, who lives in Gulfport, was one of the lucky few who got out on Sunday. She made it to her cousin's (my Aunt Judy, for those of you keeping track) home in Memphis, after driving 12 hours in stop and go traffic that was further impeded by the storm.

She has only a few days change of clothes and she is still wondering about her teaching job.

My frustration about this situation, and what I can do about it, is palpable. My wife and I sent her a cell phone (she hasn't got one and has never had one) that she should be getting on Wednesday. This will help with her long distance calling woes.

She had to leave behind an old arthritic cat in the house. She was able to take along her dogs.

No one has been able to tell her about the condition of her home, because no one was able to get over to it to check on it yet.

The guy who sold her the home insurance she has, told her she didn't need any flood insurance, because "the house is 17 feet above the flood zone, m'aam". She did get storm surge insurance and has mortgage insurancewhich will pay, for a few months, the mortgage on possibly nothing.

Aaron Neville, on the NBC concert fundraiser for the Hurricane victims the other night, sang Randy Newman's "Louisiana, 1927". As appropriate that is, I would also suggest "Mr. President (Have Pity On The Working Man)" from the same album..