September 4:
KOMU 8 Reporters Nick Guillory and Dhomonique Ricks write:
We are heading back to Columbia after our time in Livingston, Louisiana.

Let's start off where we left off. We got to the area around ten at night, about 50 miles from the destination, and one of the trucks didn't have enough diesel. We stopped at a gas station, but it ran out so we had to backtrack to another. We went back twenty or so miles and got diesel, but it wasn't as easy as it sounds. We had to drive around to several stations before finding one that had some. We had to wait so the guys could get some diesel, and of course there was a line for about 45 minutes.

Back on the road, we arrived at our DEMCO coordinating facility at 11 p.m. (keep in mind we drove 18 hours). So we arrived there and were told to park our car and sleep in it, so we complied. Then, the guys said we could sleep in the office. We got to bed at one in the morning and were up by five to start our day.

The DEMCO officials told us that approximately 97 percent of its customers were without power, and full power may not be restored for two to four weeks.

We had no clue what we were getting ourselves into. We went to the city of Livingston's DEMCO to start our day. The morning was pretty slow. We got coffee and filled up on gas, but then had to wait. Gas stations everywhere had lines of people waiting for hours, sometimes just to get gas. We also saw several people carrying gas cans while walking down the road.

We joined the guys and hit the road to rural Livingston. We watched them and got footage when they were cutting down trees, replacing old broken polls and lines with new ones, and clamping the lines to prevent electrocution. It took about three hours to replace what looked like a simple job, but it was anything but. While we were there, we met and spoke with a resident of the area. His name was James Martin, he owns land in Branson and frequents the area. He was affected by the storm, but not as bad as his neighbor, whose house was crushed by a massive tree. We talked to her about the loss as we walked through her house.

Everywhere we went there were "love bugs". They get in everything: hair, bags, clothes, etc. A DEMCO employee said this was more than a normal amount because of hurricane waters.

Cops were everywhere! Emergency personnel kept an eye on everyone, and there were even curfews in some cities. Power lines were down all over. Trees split in half; it looked like a scene from Jurassic Park. We took pictures next to the trees and we looked like ants in comparison.

On the way down we picked up boots because of hugh muddy waters. Grass was really high at times as well, as you will see in our reports later. The weather after the storm was very humid and sticky.

After the men from Boone Electric fixed the first power line, Martin let us use their generator outlet so we were able to rest.

After Martin's issues were fixed, we journeyed a few blocks down the road and fixed another line. This time the guys had to climb up and change out converters and insulators at the top of the pole from the old broken ones.

We took more photos and headed over to DEMCO to get our final interview, and headed west to Eunice to rest up for the night. Sleeping was much better, and we got on the road around noon and began to head back. We should reach Columbia around midnight.

We decided to take a detour in Lafayette, Louisiana and stopped at the well known Popeye's Chicken to grab a bite to eat. Mmm mmm. People down here swear by their chicken, so we figured we'd give it a shot.

And by the way, the roads here need some work. At times, traffic was a mess, and moved very slowly.

September 3:
KOMU 8 Reporter A.J. Bayatpour writes:
Locals say it's the worst disaster they've ever seen in Baton Rouge.

With trees, power lines, and water filling streets as well as backyards, it's easy to believe that. Aside from all the wreckage, the most jarring site is the lines at the few gas stations still pumping.

It took us an hour to fill up in Lafayette- and that's nothing compared to what we saw in Baton Rouge. Needing gas to get back to our company in New Iberia,we barely beat the 8 o'clock curfew but police turned us away.

We finally filled up after some pleading and assistance from a friendly (Missouri-born) Red Cross volunteer. We're scheduled to return to Baton Rouge tomorrow and meet a St. Louisian who also volunteers for the Red Cross.

For now though, it's time for bed...or cot in our case.

I'll let you know how our final day in Louisiana goes...goodnight!