I asked Dad and he would prefer not to, but said I could share with SI any part of his story I wanted to
this hotel was bad and prolly why it was the only hotel room left in the city, but it was a room on high ground
they gave guests no direction or information
during the hurricane people were screaming and running up and down the halls - the roof was leaking and windows were blown in - people were huddled in the halls - there was a constant siren going off in the building
tuesday morning the hotel was pitch black as he searched for food - no staff - he found two bagels in the breakfast room from the day before - Dad had taken a transistor radio - he heard on the radio all guests were to leave their hotels and go to the superdome for rescue and evacuation - he went down to the front desk to inquire what they were spose to do - the desk and part of the lobby was cordoned off with what looked like that yellow crime scene tape - the front desk was abandoned and he couldn't find any staff, so he trudged on out to walk to the superdome - there was only about 1 foot of water outside the hotel - it got deeper the closer he got to the dome and that's when he fell [and his bagels got soaked]
at the dome many people were outside, shouting, fighting
he went in, same thing - wet, filthy and a horrible stench - no one checked his bag - he never saw one national guardsman inside the entire 5 days he was there
he felt intimidated by the unruly people, so searched out and found two other men that were his race - they made a pact to stick together
they found three stadium seats on the second level and sat there for the 5 days, never leaving their seats except to get water - never went to the bathroom - he said the sweat ran down his body nonstop from the minute he walked in till he climbed on the bus - the stench was like ammonia and made your eyes burn and tear - later in the week there was food, mre's, but it was a two or more hour wait in line and the stench made you so nauseated you couldn't even enter the thought of eating food
he saw two people shot and killed - one man was running towards him when he was shot and fell to the ground
bodies were laying around
saw people go into seizures
people who were struck down with heat stroke
constant fighting, verbal and fist
screaming, crying, moaning, shouting - people calling each other the basest names
people drunk or on drugs
people fighting over children
trash, garbage and human waste all over the floors
Dad took his camera out at one point, thinking he should record some if it - a man ran up to him and said if he took a picture he would beat him to within an inch of his life [that wasn't how he said it though] - he never took his camera out again
other groups of 5 or 6 men would come and sit near his trio, not say anything, but look them up and down and stare, then finally move on - that happened many times - it was intimidating, frightening
towards the end few people were inside, most were out around the dome - a few stragglers left in, zoned out or drugged, some picking through the trash strewn floors
pre-dawn sat, Dad asked the men to go stand in line with him, they didn't want to move - so he went down in line alone - the odor was so strong it permeated the outside too - he waited 6 hours and finally got on a bus to Texas and safety
I honestly don't know how he kept his sanity or where he found the strength to endure
I have nothing but admiration for his resolve to make it through that nightmare
soft spoken yes, but an absolute power house inside
he is resting, gaining physical strength and unwinding - I can see his face relaxing |
