From the middle of my junior year of high school until the end of my second year in college I lived in the South, mostly in Mississippi. My first year there, they had over 144 inches (twelve feet) of rain! The lifestyle and climate in the part of the country is very different from ours here in the Sacramento Valley.
The contrast between Mississippi and Louisiana has grown since my time there. Louisiana has not changed; it is still an area of graft, corruption and political cronyism. Mississippi was just starting to become a Republican area. It is proof the competitive elections will result in better government for citizens.
I think Eric Hogue deserves a broadcasting award for his excellent coverage of the hurricane damage this week. He has made a far away tragedy into a personal experience for us all. See SactoDan”s review of the coverage.
Besides the debris, the smell and the devastation that we hear about in the news coverage, there are a number of unpleasant critters in that part of the country that are living among the rubble. Three are at least three species of poisonous snakes and plus alligators that call Mississippi and Louisiana home.
My heart goes out to the folks there.