Go away Gustav

The headline in tomorrow's The Town Talk says it all:

WHAT A MESS

Hurricane Gustav took aim at south Louisiana, and then took aim at me. The nerve!

Fortunately, he missed. I'm pleased to report that there is very little damage in the McCormick household. Other than some limbs and minor flooding in the backyard, as well as the loss of my precious Louisiana Tech flag, we're OK on Hill Street. No water in the house. No loss of power. No major damage.

I can truly tell you I am very thankful to make it through this one. Now, go away Gustav. And keep your cousin Ike away, too!

Not everyone was so lucky. While Alexandria seems in good shape, much of Pineville remains without power. Avoyelles and LaSalle parishes also were hit very hard, and Gustav has been blamed for two deaths in the area. Hundreds of thousands of people in Central Louisiana still have no power, and some could be without it for a substantial period of time.

Elizabeth and I are very, very lucky that we received little damage. I joked on my Facebook that "Gustav lacked a lot of its Gusto." Seriously, the storm was massive, drenching Rapides Parish with nearly eight inches of rain -- although that's nearly half of the estimated 15 inches.

Now that Gustav is leaving -- yes, I said "Getonouttahere!" -- let's begin the Ike watch and hope he stays away from the Gulf of Mexico. I don't think I'm ready to go through this again!