From me in Orlando ...

It has been so heartwarming to see e-mails from my friends and know they're OK. I've only heard from a few, so if you know anything about anyone or any place, please let me know, and I'll keep this updated.

I talked to my dad tonight, and we seem to be one of the lucky ones. My cousin is a police officer, so he had to stay in the city. He went to our neighborhood and said it looked like there was some wind damage but no water in the homes. My mom's brother and his family live about a mile from us, and he has 12-14 inches of water inside his house. It seems so random.

I'm relieved that my neighborhood is OK for now, but I don't have any idea if it will get worse in the next few days and weeks.

I saw pictures of the race track where we host the Jazz and Heritage Festival, and it's mostly underwater, and there's lots of roof damage. Good memories there of my first time seeing Cowboy Mouth and my mom met Harry Belafonte.

I also saw that Tad Gormley Stadium is under lots of water. When I saw the stadium, I thought of being there with Darren and April for the Pearl Jam show with The Ramones in 1995 and the first Voodoo Festival.

City Park must be a mess. I wonder how the New Orleans Museum of Art fared. And Storyville. And the train. The last time I was in town, I drove through there with my parents and felt such love for the beauty and character of the giant oak trees.

The Mushroom is a great music store near Tulane and Loyola universities.

The good news? People are coming together to help. There's a big concert on Friday on NBC with Aaron Neville, Harry Connick Jr and others.

New haven for Who Dats?
Our Orlando mayor said the Saints could play this season's home games in the Citrus Bowl. I would truly love that! I feel like I grew up in the Superdome, and the images from there are so depressing. The idea that my beloved Saints would play just 10 miles from my house makes me giddy like a schoolgirl.

I'm proud of my company, too. This was released today:

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY COMMITS $2.5 MILLION FOR HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF AND REBUILDING EFFORTS

August 31, 2005, BURBANK, Calif. – The Walt Disney Company announced today that it will make a corporate contribution of $2.5 million to the relief and rebuilding efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. One million will be donated to the American Red Cross for immediate relief efforts, one million will be designated for rebuilding efforts targeted at children’s charities, and the remaining $500,000 will be directed towards volunteer centers providing services to the communities affected by the hurricane.

“The devastation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina is simply heartbreaking and our thoughts are with those struggling in the aftermath of this disaster,” said Michael Eisner, CEO, and Bob Iger, president, COO and CEO-elect of The Walt Disney Company. “We hope that our donation will aid emergency management teams and organizations in their efforts to provide assistance to those impacted.”