Baton Rouge is slowing recovering from the paralysis caused by Hurricane Gustav damage. The photo above is of a dear friend’s house. He and his wife are back at work, his children are back at school, but they won’t be moving home for quite some time. The rental market in Baton Rouge (particularly for families) is incredibly tight right now, and the surrounding areas are further behind with recovery and have even fewer options.

The city is in the transition phase from the sprint to get life functioning again and the marathon to getting life back to normal. For instance, commute times are close to twice as long as normal becuase so many street lights remain either completely out or blinking. My family said that the feeling around town is very strange: you’re happy to have your electricity back, but you’re saddened to see the brush piles, destroyed homes, tarped roofs, and food lines. Updates below:

UPDATES:

• Geaux Tigers! LSU will play at home this Saturday againt the University of North Texas. Per a family member’s email, the game will be “a much needed party and BBQ time for everyone here.”
• Email subject line “yay for social life back!” - the 8pm curfew in East Baton Rouge parish has been lifted starting tomorrow. Power has been restored to 60% of the city.
• The situation in parishes further south is still bleak: power has only been restored to 40% of residents in Iberville parish. Even worse: only 20% of residents have power in Ascension parish and residents are still under strict orders to boil all fresh water.
• Areas damaged by Hurricane Gustav are expected to receive 30mph to 50mph winds from Hurricane Ike this weekend. Debris cleanup continues in Baton Rouge to prevent debris piles from becoming flying debris again.

takepart and learn how you can work with the Capital Area United Way to support Gustav relief efforts.
takepart support cleanup efforts in the Louisiana State University system, including protecting the campuses beautiful Louisiana live oak trees.

Read our Hurricane Gustav coverage