Yes, it did smell like dead animals. By day there were bobcats, backhoes, helicopters and chainsaws. Whenever a car or truck drove fast on the street it stirred up a cloud of drywall dust and fiberglass which about choked us. There was a ban on any open fires as it had not rained since the storm, at least not till the outer bands of Rita started coming in.

At night we were the only ones on the street and we were armed in our tent as every so often a strange car would slowly drive up the street and as we were two women alone...You could see through the houses where the surge had taken out the walls of the houses coming and going.

In the tree above our tent hung trophys and stuffed animals among other things from peoples houses. We salvaged exactly enough to fill one tote. My sis was devestated.

I came home and slept for the best part of two days and I still feel shellshocked. It truly was like someone had dropped a bomb on the place. I can't begin to convey the destruction and how I feel after the experience. I think it will take a while to get over it. I went through Charlie last year and this was nothing like what I experienced then. I feel for the people who are living there right now.