I know you can hardly wait… so here is part 2 of the Gustav Journal. And this is where the storm rolls in. Oooh, it’s exciting!

MONDAY

5:15am – After sleeping with the sound of strong winds and rain outside, I hear the air conditioner in my room shutoff, meaning power is out.

8:00 – Meet crew in dark hotel lobby, get a cup of coffee and hit the road. Word is that the nearby town of Houma is being targeted so we decide to head in that direction, after first making stop along the Morgan City seawall.

9:00 – On road to to Houma, winds and rain begin to rage. Trees are down, and we’re in the only vehicle on the road.

9:45 – In Houma, we watch wind blow roofs off of buildings, down trees and send debris flying. Reporter records on camera piece in safe location when a gust of wind lifts her off of her feet. I dive and grab her legs for a clip of video that goes on air.

11:30 – After driving through Houma, we find closed shopping mall and pull car into its walk-in entrance which gives us shelter on three sides and over our heads. We are able to stand outside and watch northwest eye of hurricane blow through town.

Noon – Reporter gives live phone report to Noon newscast, while we stand in shelter of shopping mall.

12:10 – Decide to get the hell out of Houma.

12:30 – Drive out of Houma ranks up there as one of the scariest endeavors of my life. Roads that were bad coming in are impassible going out. We drive over downed wires, go the wrong way on one way roads and at times don’t take roads at all. The highway back to Morgan City is covered with branches and trees. There are no other cars.

1:15 – Get to Morgan City and take a nap in hot, muggy air conditioner-less room.

2:15 – Get back in car to find satellite truck now parked at Morgan City City Hall.

2:30 – Find truck and begin to write and edit piece for 5pm newscast.

4:00 – During editing process, editing machine stops working because of moisture. We feed unfinished piece to station for them to finish. Begin writing piece for 6pm newscast.

4:55 – With reporter in front of camera, video feed to station fails because of storm. Instead of live shot, reporter calls newscast on the phone.

5:05 – Re-establish video feed and begin feeding raw audio and video back to station for editors there to put together.

5:15 – Machine used to feed videotape fails and chews up videotape in process.

6:00 – Video feed fails again, reporter phones in live report.

6:05 – I curse and stomp my feet and curse some more, have a cigarette, and curse.

8:00 – Attempt to call station, but cellphone reception is gone.

We spend the evening writing a taped piece for our 11:00 newscast, feed it, and return to Morgan City Holiday Inn. Photographer decides to shower, reporter and I are too tired and wait until the morning.

TUESDAY

8:00 – Wake up to shower, only to find there is no water, because of tornado that hit sewage plant. To figure out what the plan is for the day, I reach for cell phone, but reception is still gone. I jump in car, and drive up the main street in Morgan City and find a working pay phone. Make call to the station, make plan for the day, and decide to enjoy not being able to call or receive calls for foreseeable future.

8:45 – Gas up car with one of the gas cans that we have been carrying on the roof. Four gallons go into tank, One gallon goes down the front of my pants.

8:50 – Change clothes.

9:30 – Go to City Hall to talk to Morgan City officials. Begin interview when camera fails because of moisture. While photographer tries to fix camera, I drive around looking for more damage. Find one gas station that is still open, get gas, curse previous effort to gas up using gas cans.

9:50 – Camera comes back to life.

We spend morning in Morgan City, talking to people who are cleaning up and find a mobile home that looks like it exploded. One family’s belongings are lying out in the open, next to other mobile homes that were unscathed.

1:00 – Head to location of satellite truck.

1:02 – Discover satellite truck is not there any more.

1:02:30 – Say “Hmm.”

1:03 – Start heading to other side of town to find Morgan City’s one working pay phone, along the way, see satellite truck. Truck operator tells us he’s headed to Houma, and we can meet him there.

1:04 – Hit the road to Houma. There’s no place like Houma.

2:00 – Arrive in Houma, shoot video of damage there, and then search for bathrooms.

2:30 – Fine members of Louisiana State Police Troop C allow us to use their bathrooms. I wash my hands and face with running water.

2:40 – We park near satellite trucks for other network, figuring we’ll at least see our sat truck when it arrives in town. I see phone booth nearby, get excited, until I realize it’s a booth, but no phone.

3:20 – We think it’s odd that we haven’t seen our satellite truck. I knock on door of other network’s truck and ask if I can use its satellite phone. After the requisite “how much is it worth” jokes, I call station, ask them to call other station which owns live truck to find out where said truck is.

3:30 – Call back station, find out that sat truck might be near the intersection of Rt. 24 and Rt. 312.

3:31 – Ask local for directions, he doesn’t know.

3:32 – Type intersection into rental car GPS and follow blue arrow.

3:38 – GPS, named Marla by reporter, declares we have reached destination. Holy crap, there’s the truck.

4:00 – Feed every bit of videotape to station.

5:00 – Do first live shot without any sort of equipment failure.

5:05 – Find loaf of bread in back of car, wedged under cooler, make sandwich with a new form of flatbread.

6:00 – Accomplish live shot, with only minor equipment failure, system that allows reporter to hear anchor in her ear stop working. Instead I make contact with station and relay information to reporter with handsignals.

6:04 – Leave Houma.

6:20 – All cellphones in car beep at the same time as reception is restored.

7:00 – Return to Morgan City, and hear exciting new that water works, not to drink, but to bathe and operate “facilities.”

7:15 – Reporter and I go to gas station and attempt to bribe owner for beer. Attempt fails.

8:00 – Power comes back on.

8:00:10 – Reporter texts from her room “Yay!”

8:00:11 – Set my room air conditioner to “Meat Locker.”

8:30 – Confirm flight home originating in New Orleans. Travel office says we’re good to go.

8:35 – Hear on television that New Orleans airport will be closed until Thursday.

9:00 – After two operators and 25 minutes on the phone, I reschedule our trip home through Houston.

9:01 – Attempt to wind down for night.