As water from the breached levees rushes into the Zeitouns home (which, might I add, is three feet above sea level!), Zeitoun carries what he can upstairs to the second floor. He tries to save everything and anything of value because they recently canceled their property insurance. While reading this, I couldn't help but think about all the other ancient houses that are being destroyed by the water. So many years of history and family possessions are lost because of he hurricane. Zeitoun predicted that it would take years, a decade even, to rebuild the city...and he was right. Seven years later and the citizens of New Orleans are still rebuilding!
Since it was so hot the second night, Zeitoun takes a tent and a mattress and sleeps on the roof. All night he listens to the barking of hungry and abandoned dogs. I just can't understand why people would leave their dogs behind. They could have at least left food out for the dogs!
By morning, the water stopped rising so Zeitoun went back out on his canoe. He saw one of his clients, Frank, and they both went to look for Frank's car. They could see his motorcycle under the water and it looked like "a relic from a previous civilization" (Eggers 107). I thought that that was an eerie way to describe it, but I agree. After finding Frank's car completely submerged, they passed an elderly couple that they promised to get help for (the canoe only seated two) and they went to look for someone else who could help them. On their way, they found another elderly woman who was trapped inside her house. Zeitoun and Frank went to look for help for her too. They waved and shouted to ten different fan boats, but every single one ignored them. All of the fan boats had military personal on board, so why didn't they stop to help them? They found out later that it was because of the motor. The only reason Zeitoun was able to hear the calls for help was because his canoe was silent. For this same reason, a fishing boat saw the men and helped them rescue the woman, the first couple they saw, and another couple.
Meanwhile, things were just not working out for Kathy at Baton Rouge. Her siblings and mother just didn't understand why she had converted to Islam. Even though they didn't understand, they could have at least respected her decision! She couldn't take it anymore, so she packed up all their things and got the kids in the car to drive to Phoenix to stay with her friend Yuko.
While Zeitoun was checking on one of the houses he was renting to a man named Todd, he learned that the land line was still working. The box was above the water line and had not been damaged by the flood. He called Kathy and he promised her that he would call every day at noon.
Before when I heard about Hurricane Katrina, I knew about the flooding and how it had caused a lot of people to be homeless until everything was repaired. What I didn't know, was about all the crime that occurred. Every time Kathy turns on the radio or the television or goes onto the computer, she sees reports of gangs shooting innocent people and robbing abandoned houses and shops. It's amazing what people will do when they know there's nothing to stop them.
Another thing I couldn't understand was why the soldiers wouldn't help Zeitoun when he told them about a couple who needed to be evacuated out of their home. He paddled over to the soldiers that were standing on top of a building, but they just pointed their guns at him and told him to go to St. Charles. When Zeitoun got there, they told him that they would go help, but they didn't even ask for the address or location! When Zeitoun asked if he wanted the address, the officer just said, "Yeah, sure, give me that," He acted like he didn't even care! And apparently, he didn't. He said that he'd be there in an hour, but four hours later Zeitoun went back to make sure they had been evacuated, and the pastor and his wife were still there! He saw Todd again, and this time he had a boat. It says that Todd didn't even hesitate to help them. They had to depend on their neighbors to be kind and helpful in desperate times instead of the people who had been sent there to do that. It just doesn't make sense!
A few days later, Zeitoun went to the house he was renting to Todd to see if the water was still working. Surprisingly, it was. Zeitoun showered and then called his brother in Spain. Just as he was hanging up, Nasser told him that there were some men who wanted to know if they needed any water. He went downstairs and the men - all armed - burst into the house. I don't think they were handing out water...
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