Here's a note from my best friend from Law School, who was on vacation in New Orleans:
Dear All:
As all of you are probably aware by now, A and I have arrived safely back from our glorious excursion to New Orleans--it was a rather unusual vacation to say the least.
In the end, we are only back because of the kindness of some wonderful people from New Orleans that, despite losing everything in the hurricane, seemed more interested in our and others' welfare than their own. Although we cannot say that our experience in New Orleans was typical for those caught in this mess, we saw a community of people, in desperate and deteriorating conditions, react with kindness, caring, and compassion. There was certainly looting (heck, I broke into our hotel mini-bar...) but the stories of "anarchy" and "chaos" seem, to us, greatly exaggerated by government officials and the media. Many will not be proud of how they acted during these days, but their plight is every bit as awful as the coverage implies and they (including A and myself) felt entirely abandoned by those in authority--it was only family, friends, colleagues, and our fellow "refugees" that seemed interested or able to help. It was this network that helped us through the past few days and that was ultimately responsible for getting us out. We know how lucky we are to be out of New Orleans and how lucky we are to work with all of you.
We thank everyone for the many kind words and concern expressed for our well-being and safety over this past week. We are extraordinarily happy to be home. Thank you all once again.