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Lost in Louisiana Dear editors and readers, I want to thank everyone in the Durango community who has shown Bryan and me such love and concern about having to evacuate New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina. I wanted to give an update on my friend Leo, who is not as lucky as we are. Leo and a friend tried to leave the Sunday before the storm hit when they learned that Katrina had become a Category 5. But the traffic was so gridlocked that they decided they would ride out the storm in Leo’s apartment instead of on the highway. Then came the flooding. Leo’s neighbors, an elderly couple, did not evacuate because the husband was on a respirator. As days passed without rescue and the neighbor’s oxygen supply depleted, Leo and his friend tried to wade their way through the muck to a hospital to get more oxygen. But the water around the hospital was about 9 feet deep with a rip current. Someone was drowning in the water and they tried to save him, almost drowning themselves in the process. They were forced to turn back, and the neighbor later died. On Thursday, the Coast Guard arrived. Leo and his friend did not want to leave Leo’s neighbor Miss Ann, who refused to leave her dead husband and cats. But when the Coast Guard reps asked how many people were in the apartment and Leo said, “Leo and Wolf,” the Coast Guard replied that they didn’t need names, just a number “for the body count.” As a result, Leo and Wolf got on the boat. They fear Miss Ann did not survive. They spent the night on I-10 with about 5,000 other refugees. Leo said water bottles were scattered in the crowd, so people had to scurry for them “like pigs, like dogs.” All they had to eat were cold cans of ravioli. Leo got out because a “Good Samaritan” made a fake FEMA badge so he could shuttle people to Baton Rouge. Now, Leo is in Shreveport, La., trying to find work and a place to live (he and family are staying with an elderly woman who was friends with his deceased mother). But HE HAS NOTHING. His car and all of his possessions are gone. He stood in line for a FEMA debit card today but was told it would be “a week or two” until he received any benefits. He said they are handing out food stamps “like gold” but it is no help if you have no storage or refrigeration. Even $10 would help if you feel like you want to help him. Donations can be sent to: Leo LaCour, 154 Flournoy – Lucas Rd., Shreveport, LA 71106-7327 – Best wishes, Jen Reeder
Crossroads is about communities Dear Editors, For the past several years, efforts have been made on many levels attempting to stop the unnecessary and seemingly inhumane practice of shackling mental health consumers in the back of a Jeep and transporting them over two mountain passes for more than five hours to a treatment facility in Pueblo, especially when those people are in extreme distress. Our geographic isolation combined with budget restraints over recent years has driven us to the reality that we are going to have to fix this problem by ourselves. To that end, Crossroads was developed. Crossroads is the new regional emergent care psychiatric residential and detox unit that is being built on the new Mercy Medical Center campus. This innovative and state-of-the-art treatment facility will help consumers stay close to family and community while dealing with a mental health crisis. Every town, city, county, law enforcement and human service entity has endorsed this regional community partnership, helping to move us all toward a healthy mental health future. Crossroads is about families. It’s about healing. And it’s about communities. For more information about Crossroads, please contact Beth at 259-2162. Our capital campaign is nearing our goal but we still need your help. – Sincerely, Rep. Mark Larson, R-Cortez
A missed opportunity Dear Ed, With the opening of the River Trails tunnel earlier this week, we missed a wonderful opportunity to raise funds for any one of a number of worthwhile charities. Had Parks & Rec been on the ball, they could have confiscated any number of bikes and baby joggers whose owners had torn down signs and construction safety barriers at the new underpass prior to the opening. A live auction could have been held for an opportunity to drive a track hoe over a baby jogger (the baby would be removed first) or a high dollar bicycle. Of course, the construction workers that have been flipped off and/or bad mouthed by the trespassers would have play money for the bidding. It’s apparent that bad biking behavior isn’t limited to County Roads 250, 203 and 240. – Dennis Pierce, Durango PS...Some of the funds raised could be used to remove the graffiti already in evidence in the underpass.
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In this week's issue...
- January 25, 2024
- Bagging it
State plastic bag ban is in full effect, but enforcement varies
- January 26, 2024
- Paper chase
The Sneer is back – and no we’re not talking about Billy Idol’s comeback tour.
- January 11, 2024
- High and dry
New state climate report projects continued warming, declining streamflows