I have lots of things to write about… but first, I have some catching up to do.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was supposed to go on vacation, but got diverted instead to the Mother Of All Hurricanes.

Gustav didn’t quite live up to its expectations, but for me it was still a fun trip. I’ve been to 5 hurricanes now, and this was the first one in which I got to go through the eye-wall.

Covering a hurricane is a make-it-up-as-you-go experience. And I kept a journal. It’s rather long, so I’m going to break this up over a couple of posts.

Enjoy.

SATURDAY

Early afternoon – Station decides to go to New Orleans to cover the expected arrival of Hurricane Gustav, and asks me to go as the onsite producer.

3:00pm – Reporter and photographer are also selected, I make travel arrangements to fly from Philadelphia to New Orleans via Atlanta on American Airlines.

4:00pm – Start packing, shop for last minute supplies, cancel planned vacation to Canada.

8:00pm – Get call from travel division, flight changed to Continental Airlines, through Houston.

SUNDAY

7:00am – Wake Up and head to station.

9:00am – Shuttle takes photographer and me to airport where we meet reporter.

11:00am – Flight leaves for Houston.

Noonish – Flight attendants serve hot cheeseburgers and sodas, don’t charge for them like every other airline in the world, making Continental my favorite airline of all time.

1:15pm – Arrive in Houston, and decide we cannot get into New Orleans and get needed supplies. We tell Continental, my favorite airline of all time, and they somehow get our luggage off of the New Orleans flight and into our hands. They do it smiling and they refuse generous tips for pulling off the impossible.  Continental is now, simply, the greatest American air carrier. (They don’t serve airline sushi though, so they aren’t quite number one worldwide)

2:15pm – Get on road from Houston to… well, we aren’t sure just yet. We head east with a destination to be determined. During the drive we find a Walmart, there are many of them in Texas, and buy loads of food, a cooler, cases of water, towels and toilet paper. Never forget toilet paper on trips like this. You just never know.

5:00 – On road in passenger seat, I make calls to our sister stations with satellite trucks in the region, figure out where those trucks are stationed, and based on those locations, and predictions made, not by meteorologists but photographers who have covered many hurricanes, we choose the town of Morgan City, Louisiana as our destination. It is about 4 hours away.

6:00 – Station calls, asks us to do a live shot for 11pm newscast. We expect to arrive in Morgan City at 10:30.

8:00 – After trying several locations, we finally find a store that has not run out of gasoline cans. We buy 4 5 gallon cans, fill them up, and strap them to the roof of our minivan using a very complex system of bungie cords. I remember that I never have really figured out how to strap them down and feel confident about them.

9:00 – Approaching Lafayette, La. we drive through the first band of storms associated with Gustav. The rain and wind are shockingly strong and a tornado watch is posted.

10:00 – Speak to photographer from sister station in Morgan City, ask him to find rooms for us.

10:15 – Rooms confirmed at Morgan City Holiday Inn.

10:30 – Find Morgan City Holiday Inn where satellite truck is stationed.

10:50 – Reporter prepares story.  I check in to the Morgan City Holiday Inn.  If you are ever in Morgan City, stay there, tell them John sent you.  They are wonderful people.

11:00pm – Reporter does liveshot after having been on location for 30 minutes.

11:30 – Batten down the hatches and go to bed.