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Posted By: <b>Darren</b><p>Hurricane Gustav is threatening to bear down on us in 3 or 4 days. Most predictions have it coming agound our way. Things are crazy here in coastal Louisiana, people are already evacuating--not to mention going NUTS!<br /><br />We are busy concluding business, tending to affairs, and securing property. It's early but better than too late....

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Posted By: <b>Ed Hans</b><p>Here's hoping for the best, Darren. We'll say a prayer for you.

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Posted By: <b>paulstratton</b><p>Better safe than sorry. Hope it misses you guys this time DD.

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Posted By: <b>ramram</b><p>Hope everybody down there takes care of their Ebay business before they get NARU'd by the unsimpathitic clowns of Ebay. <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br /><br />Rob M.

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Posted By: <b>Iggy...</b><p>Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. It is an old saying, but it applies to Hurricanes.<br /><br />Growing-up here in Miami and born in Cuba, I can greatly sympathize. Just remember, those five-day "cone of death" forecast are extremely volatile, and none of the tracking algorithms can accurately predict where these things are really going. Direct hits can be devastating, but miss it by 50 to 100 miles and life will probably continue as before. Stay informed via the weather channel. But stay away from the "local news" 24-hour media hype (which seems to thrive on the doomsday senerios).<br /><br />Keep yourself and your family safe.<br /><br />Lovely Day...

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Good luck with everything Darren.<br /><br />Hopefully the storm will weaken and veer in a different direction.

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Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>Our collective prayers will be with you and all others during the storm. Hopefully it will bypass you......

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Posted By: <b>Jodi Birkholm</b><p>Have you thought about mailing your collection to a trusted friend to get it out of harm's way? I'm sure the backup at all your local postal outlets is beyond ridiculous, but it might be a good thought (after your friends and family are safe and secure, of course).<br />

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Posted By: <b>Craig W</b><p>I just talked to my brother who's a border patrol officer in Arizona ... they just received a warning order that they could be deployed to the gulf coast to provide security. And the company I work for has several plants in southern Louisiana, so my thots and prayers are with you and many others.<br /><br />Craig<br />

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Posted By: <b>Jim VB</b><p>Darren, <br /><br />Good luck and stay safe. My son goes to Tulane. They just closed up and sent all students home. So two days of college classes and he's back on the couch taking a nap again. <br /><br />Our thoughts are with you.

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Posted By: <b>Darren</b><p>Well we took a direct hit. Luckily it was just a category 2 when it made landfall. My family and I are safe. My mom has fallen ill with the stress, physical and mental, of it all.<br /><br />We are without power and reports are that it'll be at least of couple of weeks before it is restored. I'll have to replace my roof. My medical clinic, a manufactured building, lost its entire roof during the storm. Its contents went through the spin cycle. All paper items were lost.<br /><br />We are going to rebuild.<br /><br />My cards are safe.<br /><br />Thanks to all for your words of encouragement.

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Posted By: <b>Matt</b><p>Wow Darren - the sense of relief perceived from casually following the reports makes your experience a shock; <br /><br />I wish you and your family all the best as you rebuild as best you can.

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Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>Very sorry to hear of your devastation.....please keep us as informed as you can and good luck....and our prayers will be with your mom...

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Posted By: <b>Tom Boblitt</b><p>We have 2500-3000 transplantees here till they clear things up down there. Like Matt, I didn't really think it was THAT BAD.........till you hear something like your situation. Guess the human aspect of it like your mom's situation isn't really reported on too heavily either. We'll keep you guys in our thoughts and hopefully these other 3 storms lined up there stay away from all of us..................<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>barry arnold</b><p>Dr.Darren,I sure wish you all the best as you get life back together again.<br />We actually went north a bit to Birmingham when it was a 4 down by Cuba but were fortunate<br />that nothing really happened in our hometown of Pensacola. I did think about you<br />as we talked to a number of folks from Mississippi and Louisiana who had come<br />north a bit.<br />take care,friend<br /><br />Barry

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Posted By: <b>Debra Johnson</b><p>Darren, I've been thinking of you the last few days, knowing you 'won' the hurricane lottery this round. So sorry to hear about your Mom. This is a large retirement area here on the Mississippi side of New Orleans, and the fact that Gustave showed up so near the three year anniversary of Katrina has thrown everyone, especially the elderly, in a nosedive stress-wise. (Personally, I'm guiltily elated because we only ended up with five feet of water downstairs instead of 18. It's a mess but very manageable. Losing your office building roof is a whole other world of problems, and I'm so sorry.)<br /><br />One point of interest to report from the MS gulf coast: Hundreds upon hundreds of muskrat, nutria, and huge pigs were swept from the Louisiana 'boot' just to our south, and beached at Waveland and Lakeshore here on our coast. Folks that are trying to clean up down there can hardly bear to step outside due to the smell.<br /><br />Hang in there, Darren -- hoping for a smooth and quick recovery for you...<br />Deb

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Posted By: <b>Paul S</b><p>Truly sorry to hear about how hard you got it and all miserable repercussions. Hang in there, buddy.<br /><br />"<i>Just</i> a category 2."? Geez, I know it's all relative but I echo Matt's remarks about the media seeming to play it down. They must have more important matters like the verbal bluster of political conventions.<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>John S</b><p>Darren,<br /><br />Glad to hear that you are safe. Sorry about your losses. Take care.<br /><br />John Spano

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Posted By: <b>boxingcardman</b><p>Hang in there!<br><br>Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: <b>Scott M.</b><p>Darren,<br /><br />Thanks for the update. Glad to hear that you and your family are safe and sound. <br /><br />Scott<br /><br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Leslie Westbrook</b><p>I live in Lafayette, LA, and I'm a photographer for the Daily Advertiser newspaper here. I rode out the storm at the Vermilion Parish courthouse in Abbeville and was honestly a little relieved at the relative "calmness" of Gustav compared to what was being hyped and predicted. Darren, it sounds like you were a little closer to landfall (what city?). Glad you made it through ok.<br /><br />Since the storm, I've been working almost non-stop traveling from New Iberia to Opelousas to Mamou covering storm damage and relief in the area. Although the storm passed without wreaking too much havoc other than making a big mess, a spate of tornadoes spun from the tail end of Gustav really shook things up around here yesterday. Three people were killed in the Mamou area, and being there to see it really made me stop and consider priorities.<br /><br />I still love this hobby, but sometimes life gives you a little wake-up call that reminds you how privileged we are to get to have the joy of something like baseball card collecting. <br /><br />Now, to everyone on the east coast and Florida in the coming days...be safe!

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Posted By: <b>Richard</b><p>Darren -<br /><br />Glad to hear that you and your family are safe and that only replacable things were lost. <br /><br />Best of luck to you on the rebuild.<br /><br />Richard<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Darren</b><p>Mom's doing better--back to normal.<br /><br />I believe history will show that Hurricane Gustav will have caused as least as much damage as Katrina. The "relief" as reported by the media is that Gustav did not hurt New Orleans. What it did do is devastate rural Louisiana towns from Grand Isle to Ragley. Baton Rouge sources say that Gustav was the most damaging storm in its history. In Houma and the rest of Terrebonne parish they were just allowed to return home today--with no electricity, water, and sewage. <br /><br />I live in Cut Off (in southern Lafourche Parish)and next to Terrebone we took the biggest hit. You won't hear about us on the news, nor will you hear about Leeville, Barataria, Golden Meadow, Raceland, Gray, Montegut, etc or the countless other small towns that were pummeled.<br /><br />About 85% of all Louisiana parishes will get a federal disaster area label as a result of Gustav.<br /><br />In reality there is so much more to Louisiana than New Orleans.<br /><br />Currently there are about 1000 out of state power company trucks in our parish of Lafourche. I can't express enough our gratitude for the help they are giving us. <br />

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Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>Thanks for the update....we are with you in spirit.. So glad to hear mom is doing better....

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Darren- sorry to hear that Cut Off got hit so hard...it's a nightmare that you have had two major hits in the last few years. Very frightening.

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Posted By: <b>barry arnold</b><p>darren,<br />glad that your mom is better but so sorry to hear of the devastation.<br />do know that your friends here have you and your family in our prayers.<br /><br />best,<br /><br />barry

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Posted By: <b>Lance</b><p>Darren,<br />I am glad you and your family are doing as well as you are. I am actually heading to Kenner, LA for work next week and have already started praying for Ike to break down. I hope we all make it through what looks to be a very tough remainder of the hurricane season.<br /><br />Lance