Isiah Carey's Blog

I ONLY LEAVE THE BUILDING WITH A CREASE IN MY PANTS!

FOX 26 reporter Chris Stipes caught my attention last weekend during the height of hurricane Ike storm coverage. Why? He was in desperate search of an iron to add some creases to his pants. He said he didn't want to go out in the field in wrinkled pants. I thought it was pretty funny because most of us didn't care how we looked going out to cover the storm but Stipes wanted his pants pressed. He said there were simply too many wrinkles in his khaki pants to be seen in public. I say keep them creased Chris!

DON'T FORGET ABOUT LOUISIANA'S CAPITOL CITY!


All eyes were on New Orleans as hurricane Gustav approached the Louisiana coast last week. But the unpredictable storm did more damage in the capitol city of Baton Rouge and surrounding areas. New Orleans was basically left untouched. I have received several emails from people who live in BR who say they feel like the city is not getting its fair share of media coverage. They say the rest of the country needs to know just how difficult life has become in the city since Gustav. Most residents are still without power nearly a week after the storm. Getting simple things like food and fuel is still a tough task. I was at the Tiger Mart near Gross Tete as I was leaving Baton Rouge when I noticed a long line of people making a run on one of the few stores still open near Baton Rouge. It was operating on a generator. So if you have family and friends in Louisiana make sure you check on them. I have sent my family a care package with lamps, battery operated fans, candles, crank radio, and other items via Greyhoud bus. It was a lot cheaper than the postal service, UPS and DHL. Plus Greyhound got the package to my relatives the same day for $47.00. Please, don't forget about Baton Rouge

ONLY A FEW DEFIANT PEOPLE REMAINED IN THE CRESCENT CITY!


It was an eerie situation when I was in New Orleans last weekend for Gustav. Many of the people in the city took the advice of officials and got out. The streets were empty and very quiet. Only a few people were defiant and remained in the Crescent City. It's something you don't expect in the city that parties until the wee hours of the morning. So when I was in New Orleans walking down Bourbon Street I thought for sure I'd see a zombie. It reminded me of a George Romero movie when the walking dead takes over. There's nothing like a street known for partying being completely quiet!

THE BODIES ARE STILL IN THE HOUSE!

I got the call from a friend at a Baton Rouge television station telling me I needed to get over to a subdivision called Pollard Estates. I vaguely knew where it was. As we pulled up I was told there were two senior citizens killed in the house. They were there at their daughter's home to avoid being hurt in the hurricane. Just the opposite happened. They were both killed when a large tree fell on the house. It happened around 1:30pm when Gustav was first making his presence known. I received a call around 6:30pm saying the bodies were still in the house. The emergency workers were not able to get the large tree off their bodies. It's very sad. Here are some pictures of the house and obviously you realize the bodies were still in there when I snapped these photos!

This post has been edited by an administrator


PEOPLE BEING BUSED OUT TO SAFETY!




It's really sad to look into the faces of hundreds of people who are boarding charter buses this afternoon in New Orleans. They're being shipped to various places as Gustav approaches the Big Easy. There are children, elderly, disabled and others. I know it has got to be very difficult on them to have to pick up and evacuate just three years after Katrina. A storm that claimed the lives of about 1500 people in a very unprepared city. This time things have change with buses getting people out of harm's way well before a system touches the Louisiana coast. The SPCA is also here loading up the pets to ensure they aren't left behind. Here are some the pictures I was able to get at the AMTrak train station!

This post has been edited by an administrator

HOTELS IN NEW ORLEANS ARE BOARDING UP FOR GUSTAV!




It's kind of scary when you see construction guys boarding up the place you're staying in. That's exactly what's happening at the hotel I'm booked in while covering Gustav for FOX 26. Most hotel workers are telling their guest check out will be Saturday morning at 10 am. I'm at the LaQuinta where the manager is really nervous. I don't blame Mohammad because he just went through Katrina three years ago. And believe it or not there are guests who are just down right upset with the hotel. They want to stay but there is no where for them to lay their heads. By the way, the Gay Decadence festival is apparently going on and those participants say they're catching early flights back to where they came from!

SEVERE WEATHER COVERAGE IN FULL EFFECT AT FOX 26 NEWS!






It was very hectic in the FOX 26 newsroom all morning long as dozens of news staffers covered Erin and the effects on the city of Houston. Apparently, I didn't have much to do because I was running around harassing folk and snapping pictures. Here are some of the pics I grabbed while my co-workers were busy at work. I don't go on the clock until 2pm and then I won't have time to blog anymore...What's going on in your office or at your job during the storm?

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS LINE UP IN THE RAIN FOR A PREVENTATIVE MEASURE!

Dozens of Texas Southern University students found themselves patiently standing in the rain and waiting on the city of Houston to get it together Monday afternoon. They were scheduled to get meningitis vaccine shots. This comes after one student died and another was hospitalized at the school last week. The medicine arrived more than a hour late. I asked a representative from Houston's Health Department why it took so long getting there and all I was told -" it was on it's way." I'm not clear why the city didn't send the doses with the employees who arrived hours earlier. TSU provided the facilities for the students but the city dropped the ball on their end. I'm told the shots arrived after 3. The students, who began forming a line at 12:30pm, were told the vaccine would be given out at 2 pm. Despite the delay many of them remained in the rain to get their shots. Just an observation behind the scenes by The Insite!

Note: The vaccine will also be given out Tuesday. They're hoping to reach at least 600 students who came into contact with the victims!

Labels: TSU VACCINE MENINGITIS

COOKING UNDER A STORM FRIDAY NIGHT!






Despite the heavy storms that rolled in Friday night I pulled out his heavy duty boiler and cooked up 30 pounds of crawfish at Insite headquarters. It took me about 4 hours to get everything just right including boiled potatoes, corn, sausages, mushrooms and of course - the crawfish. I have to pat myself on the back because everything came out wonderful. Everyone from neighbors to family enjoyed this cajun feast just after midnight even when the rain moved in. I'll have to pass you guys the secret recipe one of these days - a hint add oranges to your boiling technique!

Labels: CAJUN COKKING

WWW.CAREY2.BLOGSPOT.COM 

I hear the Woodlands Parkway exit at I-45 is frozen over so I'm glad I didn't try to go home last night. I packed three to four days worth of clothes with me so I'll be okay for about two moe days - then it's time to hit the stores if I can't make it home. Also, I went into the LaQuinta free breakfast at 6am and I was glad to see all the hotel guests tuned into FOX 26 news' morning show. Way to go FOX 26!