Tired of Rumors

I'm having a lot of trouble staying focused these past few days. On 9/11, when the rumors were swirling out of control and I could see the smoke from the Pentagon and hear the boom of fighter jets in the air, at least I was able to go — along with hundreds of other people — to a blood donation center. Even though they ran out of blood bags and I was asked to come back in a week or two, at least it was something small that I could do.

Monday, yesterday, this morning ... it's all just calling into the affected area only to get "out of service" or "all circuits are busy" messages, if that much; surfing Flickr, the forums at NOLA.com, Metroblogging: New Orleans, WDSU's Internet feed, etc. It's driving me crazy that the Daily Star, Tangipahoa Sheriff's Office, and other sites nearer my folks have no information up.

I know my folks are okay, but not being able to get first-hand information is getting to me. I hear things third/fourth hand and one moment it sounds like things are okay, the next is sounds like there's real trouble. Earlier yesterday, I got a reply to a post on the NOLA boards that the independent living place where my grandmother lives is fine; a few hours later, my brother calls with word that my grandmother had been told to evacuate and had made it to Hammond.

I ended up last night leaving a message with the insurance company (my folks and I have coverage through the same company), knowing that privacy rules would keep them from being able to tell me anything, but asking if they could put a note in my dad's file to see if they could pass a message from him to my and/or my brother in case he hadn't been able to reach us yet. (I guess I am thinking that if the insurance company has someone going in on the ground, and phone lines/cell sites remain down that maybe a message could get out that way.)

As it stands, here's a list of relief efforts (scroll down a little) if anyone wants to figure out where to make a donation.

UPDATE

(Things are changing before I can hit post.) My brother just called; he's talked to my dad. They're okay. My grandmother and her brother are in Hammond with them and are fine, although they're all working on arranging to get them moved up to Alexandria where my aunt and some of her family evacuated to. Big sigh of relief, although a lot of questions remain ... I hope others out there are also getting good news as this whole situation progresses.