My family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, thirteen years ago from Korea.
My brother and I went to school there and Louisiana became my family`s second ko hyang.
Sorry...I`m writing this from my office and my computer does not have korean typing program.

Anyway, my parents are still living in Baton Rouge and their power went out for two days, which is nothing compares to what other people in New Orleans, Biloxi and Mobile are going through. The phone line is still very busy and it is almost impossible for me to call my parents or my relatives or my friends. Luckily, one of my dear friend works at Louisiana State University where serves as a headquarter of the disaster relief and we are able to keep in touch, via e-mail. What I`ve been hearing from Louisiana are very grim and extremely sad. Please pray for all those who are affected by the Hurricane. Although Louisiana does not have our church, there is a sister who lives in New Orleans where the unbelievable destruction came upon the city. I hope, she is okay.

About 80% of the city drowned with about 20 feet high toxic water. The Major of New Orleans was crying his eyes out, because he says there is no New Orleans left and it became a city of chaos with looters, criminals and people who are in extreme agitation with the situation. We fear that thousands are dead and the city does not have a man power to retrive dead bodies. I`m attaching you the letter from an athletic department worker at LSU which tells one fraction of how things are going...
I try not to cry ever since the disaster came upon so close to home, but to keep praying. I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Please pray for those who lost everything and have nothing to return to. Thank you, Sohee

(Letter from an Athletic Department Worker)

Little did I know what I would be doing following Hurricane Katrina`s
aftermath but as I type right now, there won`t be a more gratifying or more
surreal experience I went through tonight. We went up to the office today
and held a press conference regarding the postponement of the game and it
was the right decision. As the PMAC and Field House are being used as
shelters we decided as an office to do everything we could to help the
situation.

At first, we were just supposed to make copies of this disaster relief form
for all of the people. The copiers will never print a document more
important than that. It`s weird. Nearly 12 hours ago we were running off
copies of game notes for a football game that is now meaningless. We
printed the copies and carried them over to the Field House at 6:30 p.m. I
wouldn`t leave the area for another 8 hours.


On the way back to the PMAC in a cart, it looked like the scene in the
movie Outbreak. FEMA officials, U.S. Marshalls, National Guard, and of
course the survivors. Black Hawks were carrying in victims who were
stranded on roofs. Buses rolled in from N.O. with other survivors. As
Michael and I rode back to the PMAC, a lady fell out of her wheelchair and
we scrambled to help her up.

We met Coach Miles and Coach Moffiit in the PMAC to see all the survivors
and it was the view of a hospital. Stretchers rolled in constantly and for
the first time in my life I saw someone die right in front of me. A man
rolled in from New Orleans and was badly injured on his head. 5 minutes
later he was dead. And that was the scene all night. What did we do, we
started hauling in supplies. And thousands of boxes of supplies. The CDC
from Atlanta arrived directing us what to do.

One of the U.S. Marshalls was on hand so the supplies could not become
loot. I asked him what his primary job was. He serves on the committee of
counter terrorism, but once he saw of the disaster, he donated his forces
to come help. He said the death toll could be nearing 10,000. It was
sickening to hear that.

After unloading supplies, I started putting together baby cribs and then IV
poles. Several of our fball players and Big Baby and Tasmin Mitchell helped
us. At the same time, families and people strolled in. Mothers were giving
berth in the locker rooms. The auxiliary gym "Dungeon" was being used as a
morgue. I couldn`t take myself down there to see it.

I worked from 8 pm until 2:45 am. Before I left three more buses rolled in
and they were almost out of room. People were standing outside, the lowest
of the low from NO. The smells, the sights were hard to take.

A man lying down on a cot asked me to come see him. He said,"I just need
someone to talk to, to tell my story because I have nobody and nothing
left. He turned out to be a retired military veteran. His story was what
everybody was saying. He thought he survived the worst, woke up this
morning and the levees broke. Within minutes water rushed into his house.
He climbed to the attic, smashed his way through the roof and sat there for
hours. He was completely sunburned and exhausted. Nearly 12 hours later a
chopper rescued him and here he was.

We finished the night hauling boxes of body bags and more were on the way.
As we left, a man was strolled in on a stretcher and scarily enough he
suffered gunshots. The paramedic said he was shot several times because a
looter or a convict needed his boat and he wouldn`t give it to him. Another
man with him said it was "an uncivilized society no better than Iraq down
there right now." A few minutes later he was unconcious and later
pronounced dead. I then left as they were strolling a 3 year old kid in on
a stretcher. I couldn`t take it anymore.

That was the scene at the PMAC and it gives me a new perspective on things.
For those of you who I haven`t been able to get in touch with because of
phone service, I pray you are safe. Send me an email to let me know. God
bless.

Bill Martin
LSU Sports Information
225.578.8226 Main
225.578.4758 Direct
225.578.1861 Fax
[ http://www.LSUsports.net ]www.LSUsports.net☞