Update 3: 9/3/2005: For every 1 comment left on my blog, i\'m getting 5 emails via \"contact me\". Unless you know me or know one of my friends, i honestly don\'t have any information for you, so i\'m going to start posting all inquiries for love-ones on this post as a comment (Scroll to the bottom to view). Please just click \"Post a Comment\" (and scroll to the bottom of the page) to leave a message for everyone to see. If you use \"contact me\" no one except for me will be able to view your message.\r\n\r\nUpdate 2: As much as i\'m hoping this blog will relay information to people, please check out other, better sites for trying to connect with family. For example, GulfCoastNew.com has several mirror sites to search for hurricane Survivors like http://www.bergedalen.com/katrina/survived.aspx. \r\n\r\nUpdate: If you are visiting this page from a search engine, please go to my main home page at http://blogs.msdn.com/saraford for latest information, as i keep posting what i hear and found out. Also check the comments, as people are leaving additional information and asking for status of family.\r\n\r\nMany people were coming up to me today saying how relived I must be that the hurricane skirted to the east and avoided a direct hit against New Orleans. My reply was, \"Um, actually, my hometown is Waveland, MS, 30 miles from Slidell, LA, and 45 miles from Biloxi. It took a direct hit.\" And by the way, Reporters, it is pronounced \"Ba-luck-see.\"\r\n\r\nNo word yet from any family or friends. Most family evacuated New Orleans, but I have my immediate family, relatives, and friends of family that decided to ride out the storm in Waveland. It was one of those \"the house withstood Camille\" sorta things. Some family members in Dallas decided to pack as much food, water, gasoline, etc that they could into a truck and started driving to New Orleans / Waveland. Word has it authorities are not letting anyone past I-20 right now.\r\n\r\nEntergy (the electric company down there) is estimating one month to get power fully restored in all places. One month! Wow...\r\n\r\nAll I can say is my family members in Waveland had better have taken some most-excellent pictures of the eye of the hurricane when it passed overhead. =)\r\n\r\nSeriously though, i\'ll keep y\'all posted whenever i hear anything.\r\n\r\n\r\n