psycho has some VERY good points. We just rolled back in from Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange. We lost our truck's motor to deep water in Orange on a freak accident and had to ditch our truck. Everything is scattered. Information is sketchy. Launching points are hard to find and get to, they are not easy, and you WILL be disappointed if you think you can just drive down, launch, and start putting people who are just nicely waving white towels in your boat. A lifted vehicle IS necessary. If anyone has any questions or needs to call me to discuss anything we saw and experienced, PM me. Also as he also said, there are a TON of people there with boats. Again, doesn't mean don't go. It just means DO get plugged in with a group and get organized. Disorganization led to my brother and I now being down a truck, having a very expensive bill to pay, and I have to go back down with a trailer to recover said truck.

Very good points all around psycho0819 & T-racer - I agree and cannot emphasize enough that being plugged into official channels both government and/or via relief organizations makes a world of difference. Don't go unless you are 99.9% sure you will not become part of the problem - and even then be prepared in advance with what you will do if you are dealt a bad hand like t-racer. (we were asked to lay out evac plans for ourselves on how we would function if our car broke down or got flooded out). Your supposed to be going to HELP the problem not become a part of it.

Also - they have a huge need down there - and will for months! Please consider donating your time or money to a relief organization of your choosing that is working down there - it can make a difference!

I just got back from assisting in Houston and my experience was a bit different. Our focus was on relief more than rescue (though we were willing to engage we were told hold off due to the large number of official and un-official already involved by the time we arrived) We got their wed. morning (got stuck in a work situation - so couldn't leave sooner was originally trying for Monday night) and we worked until around 5pm yesterday when the water-pump on my outboard burnt out. At that point one of the guys I had brought with me had to be back for work and I didn't want to become a stat myself by burning out the motor in the middle of a run so we came back last night.

Because my boat is a porta-bote it is particularly well suited to this environment (best described as a hybrid flat-v, draws very little, does well in a current, and can get bumped around a lot w/o damaging itself or property. In the areas we were in fire/police were using jetski's and zodiacs - the current & debris made it difficult for normal boats.

Most of what we did was coordinated with a Church based relief organization and involved helping people who were isolated but not flooded get in and out for food and supplies. We also helped individuals who had homes in the energy corridor go back in and recover additional clothing, paperwork, pets, and small personal items (since their houses will be flooded for at least a few weeks).

Lots of hurting people there - but for some humor in all of it - we didn't take a ton of pics but attached is a pic we took as we delivered pizza yesterday to an apartment complex that was completely surrounded by flooding but otherwise dry (still had power & water). The management ordered pizza for all the kids stuck there as a treat (officially nominated as best apartment managers ever) - no clue how they got it (or how long it took them to get it given taffic) to the staging point - but 25+ pizzas delivered and many many happy/excited kids.