Evacuate 2011 - Day 9

Not too much has changed. The river is still droppong but very slowly. As it recedes, people on the outer fringes are wanting to get back into their homes. Authorities will not allow this until the electric and gas company have been in and removed meters and checked for leaks and make sure that power is off. FEMA is here and working well. I have registered so I will be in line for future grants and SBA loans. FEMA is giving people, once registered, some money to offset temporary living expenses. It appears that the Corp of Engineers will make the decison on which homes will be "red tagged"..... destroyed..... it may be in the neighborhood of 900+ homes that will be destroyed. We still have not seen the water levels in Eastwood Park. I have been told that the water is not deep enough to run the motorized boats... I take this as a good sign. There is a chance that in a few days I may get a chance to ride in a Blackhawk helicopter to view the valley and/or a ride in one of the DNR boats.... possibly and airboat. The EOC Call Center is slowing down. Broadway is open part time.... 7 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 7 pm to give us another north south passage and relieve congestion during rush hour.