Hello,

     Today, being September 26, 2005, I sit again for the third day in a row in a dark / hot sticky house.  It definitely has been an adventure though.  It all started with the idea to ride Rita out.  I decided to stay simply because I am a stubborn person and did not want to do what everyone else was doing and also because I live next door to the office.  If anyone needed any material I was there to provide.  It also provided a second place of shelter for me.  If something happened to my house I would just walk over there to a safe place and food and water. 

Well the closer the hurricane came, the scarier things got. Already Friday evening a tree had fallen directly on my neighbor’s house, and another tree fell on the power lines three houses down.  Also a tornado was reported to have touched down 5 large blocks away from my house overturning a van on the street.   If things could not have gotten worse, the flood surge was expected to be 14 feet off the lake which is 5 blocks from my house.  When I heard all of these add up, I chickened out and fled. 

Although the winds were a sustained 55 miles an hour at that time, I hit the road and went to Baton Rouge at 7 pm Friday night.  The trip was rough; with winds and rain I made it there safely and took a couple hour nap at a friend's house.  When I woke up I could not stand it anymore and knew if I did not leave early that morning, the police would never let me back in Lake Charles .  So I filled my car up with gas, grabbed a battery powered radio and a couple more cans of ravioli and headed back to Lake Charles .  The trip back was just as fun as the trip out.  The winds were rough and the rain was harsh.  I got back in while Hurricane Rita was still going on, so I was able to get right into town. 

Now that I have been here three days, it has been an experience.  The city is a ghost town, and the damage is devastating.  Just trying to drive down streets is a chore, having to look closely for trees and mainly power lines.  I have spent most of my time just resting on the front porch or working at Graybar, or removing trees from friends' or family’s roads and driveways.  It has helped to pass the time.  It is dark down here at night, and hot all the time.  But God really has provided and blessed my family and I throughout all. 

 One major blessing was, one of my customers drove by and saw me on the front porch and offered me a generator.  I do not know where I would be without it.

Ok, speaking of power, my battery is about to die.  

Thank you Schuyler (my big brother) for updating all of these pictures and for the use of his server space.  And thank all of you for your concerns and your prayers.  Sorry for making you worry, but I had fun doing it.  Well sort of. 

 I love you all and miss all of you.   I still have food and drinks for 2 more weeks, and gas for one more week.  I am doing wonderful.  As you see in the pictures, the party lights are still up and on.   God Bless you, and if you have any questions about the “inside” feel free to call me.

 Will Deitch