Monday, September 19, 2005
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Mr. Arthur Burns of New Orleans, Lousiana
Watching the Hurricane Katrina coverage for hours on end, I felt almost numb. Mothers, fathers, children - some angry, most scared, all in shock. There are so many stories they all seem to blend together. It was during one of these stories that I discovered Mr. Arthur Burns.
Harry Connick, Jr., along with a camera man, had taken a small boat to the neighborhood where his father's house is located. They arrived at the house to find that it had weathered the storm fairly well. The singer then started walking down the street into a nearby neighborhood, pulling the boat along side him. A man stopped him to let him know that there was an old man laid out on the porch of the white house down the street. They made their way to the man's house, Harry hopped up onto the porch and saw the man lying naked on a bench. He told him that they would take him to get some clothes and food. Harry took off his t-shirt and put it on the old man. It seemed to take a little convincing to get him to leave. After all, he had stayed at his home this long. But Harry lifted the frail man up and carried him in his arms like a child. He put him in the boat where he was able to get a drink of water. They made their way down the street where they were met by an ambulance. The old man was so dehydrated the EMT could not find a vein to start an IV. It seems he was found just in the nick of time.
I kept thinking about this story and wondering what became of Mr. Burns. So being the compulsive researcher that I am I went to redcross.org and checked the family lists. Damned if I didn't find Arthur Burns of New Orleans listed 3 times. They all seemed to be looking for the same "Arthur Burns", but was it the one I saw on TV? I don't know why but I chose the one that was listed by the granddaughter and decided to e-mail her to let her know about the man I had seen being rescued. I had no idea if it was the person they were looking for, but I thought if it was at least they would know he was alive and headed to a medical facility somewhere. Much to my surprise I received a reply from the family. It was indeed her grandfather! They later learned that he had been flown to a hospital in Washington DC. She said that as soon as he was able to travel he would go to live with his family in Alabama.
I will never forget the story of Mr. Burns or the sight of him being rescued. It's good to know that he will live out his years surrounded by his loving family.
Harry Connick, Jr., along with a camera man, had taken a small boat to the neighborhood where his father's house is located. They arrived at the house to find that it had weathered the storm fairly well. The singer then started walking down the street into a nearby neighborhood, pulling the boat along side him. A man stopped him to let him know that there was an old man laid out on the porch of the white house down the street. They made their way to the man's house, Harry hopped up onto the porch and saw the man lying naked on a bench. He told him that they would take him to get some clothes and food. Harry took off his t-shirt and put it on the old man. It seemed to take a little convincing to get him to leave. After all, he had stayed at his home this long. But Harry lifted the frail man up and carried him in his arms like a child. He put him in the boat where he was able to get a drink of water. They made their way down the street where they were met by an ambulance. The old man was so dehydrated the EMT could not find a vein to start an IV. It seems he was found just in the nick of time.
I kept thinking about this story and wondering what became of Mr. Burns. So being the compulsive researcher that I am I went to redcross.org and checked the family lists. Damned if I didn't find Arthur Burns of New Orleans listed 3 times. They all seemed to be looking for the same "Arthur Burns", but was it the one I saw on TV? I don't know why but I chose the one that was listed by the granddaughter and decided to e-mail her to let her know about the man I had seen being rescued. I had no idea if it was the person they were looking for, but I thought if it was at least they would know he was alive and headed to a medical facility somewhere. Much to my surprise I received a reply from the family. It was indeed her grandfather! They later learned that he had been flown to a hospital in Washington DC. She said that as soon as he was able to travel he would go to live with his family in Alabama.
I will never forget the story of Mr. Burns or the sight of him being rescued. It's good to know that he will live out his years surrounded by his loving family.