Saturday, September 6

Things are moving in the right direction. I talked to Dez last night for quite a while, and she has encouraging news to report. First of all, her mom is home and has electricity, running water, and a freshly scrubbed and filled fridge courtesy of Dez. Dez's mom lives in New Orleans, up "on the rim" as Dez described it, and is very happy to be home. She is within walking distance of a major grocery store that is up and running, and should be all set.

Dez was also very happy to report that there are power crews in their neighborhood, and they are hopeful they might have power early next week- as in Monday or Tuesday. Their land line is still down, and the cell service isn't 100%. Of course, the internet at their home isn't functioning with no electricity, so she's not accessing messages right now.

Ice is still available, and the water is fine, and they are well stocked on canned goods, some perishables, and batteries.

Ash has graciously invited Dez and Dave over for electricity, air conditioning and knitting, so they may well get a respite from the situation soon. Mahalo nui loa, Ashley!

The biggest difficulty at this point is of course the power. Another major concern is Hurricane Ike, which at this point is heading for the Florida Keys as a very nasty storm, and it could possibly end up in the Gulf of Mexico, which is not good for anyone. I wish the thing would just evaporate and not cause anyone any trouble.

Thanks for all your good wishes and encouragement. They mean A LOT to Dez.

Aloha,

Lisa Louie
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii