Rovers Down South

[roverboy]

Has anyone heard from George at RDS? I hope he's doing ok. Please post if you know anything.

[dameek]

I sent an email to George 2 days before the storm hit but did not recieve a reply. I sure hope he is okay.

Dennis

[dmarchand]

Tried calling earlier today. Just rang. Which means either the phones are out, or nobody is there.

[sheki]

I don't know of anyone who has spoken to him, Pendy spoke to him before the storm, George was moving everything to the top shelves of his place to try and keep it as safe as possible. Seems like George would be as well prepared as he possibly could be. Hope he and his business are okay, seeing the footage on CNN, it looks real ugly down there.

[Roadsiderob]

I have not been able to contact him...but I know from past dealings with him that he takes his family's wellbeing seriously and will leave town if trouble is brewing. I am pretty sure he got his family to higher ground...but I think his business is close to where one of the levees gave out near the lake. I hope for the best for him and his family.

[pendy]

I finally saw footage of the city tonight. Looks grim. I was down there the first of the year and if I remember his business area correctly the leve' broke east of RDS. I believe RDS is closer to the airport. I missed a call from George Sunday but when I spoke to him Saturday he seemed well prepared, at least as prepared as possible. Of course he hung up on me as I poked fun at him about stuff, so I feel even worse about events down there.

From his driveway you could see part of the leve' that surrounds the city. The city was like a ticking time bomb below sea level.

He needs to move the business somewhere else. At least temporarily. Shipping and commerce will be devastated there. Any places close by? Texas or another port city close by he could set up shop in?

Sad thing is he had just finished an office remodel and was pretty comfortably set up at work. Lets all lend him a hand somehow when he resurfaces. He may be an ornary cuss but he has helped keep quite a few Defenders on the road.

Jim Pendleton

[TDI Guy]

That is the truth Pendy. George is a great guy and has helped me out in the past. I hope all those cool rover parts did not wash away..

[dmarchand]

Couldn't have put it better Pendy.

[dave_lucas]

He needs to move the business somewhere else. At least temporarily. Shipping and commerce will be devastated there. Any places close by? Texas or another port city close by he could set up shop in?

How about a place that is a little higher in elevation... hmmm Colorado for example??? Not close to a port but we only have to worry about some snow :)

All of the cool kids are doing it :cool:

I will keep my fingers and toes crossed that things work out for George because he is an awesome guy

[Rod Hayward]

Colorado's perfect!!!

And we're not the only ones looking for him: www.wheresgeorge.com (http://www.wheresgeorge.com)

But seriously, I'm concerned too. What a neat guy.
He strikes me as the kind of guy who can take care of himself, but it would be nice to know he's all right.

Could this be a sticky until someone gets word?

[Trigger]

Houston would be much better, at least for me. It has a big port, etc and it's only 2 or so hours from me so I can just drop by. :)

[kiphartzell]

When the RDS site came on-line this afternoon, this is what was posted:

As of 9/1 at 2:15pm EDT, I have not heard from George. It is most likely he is occupied with taking care of his immediate needs. In the mean time please hold your emails and questions until I hear from George. If you have a shipment inbound for him, obviously please hold it.

[sheki]

Here is a map of how close he is to the Levee and Lake Pontchartrain... scary

Definitely willing to help George if I can. Hope he's hanging in there.

[snuffer]

Maybe his shop was spared from the flood water. The best I can tell there are a couple levees between there and the 17th St levee.

I don't have any idea where his home is though.

[Mike Hippert]

I hope all is OK for George and all our Rover friends down there.

[pendy]

How close is he to the levee that was damaged. I think he is very far West of the damaged section. Not a clue where his house is. But I am sure there are problems to deal with there as well.

hopes and prayers for him and his.

[JimC]

His house is close enough that I'm still worried about it. I am very confident that George, the wife, and kids are all safe, but I'd sure like know for sure.

[norros]

Yes, I hope he's alright...

I just saw this message on the homepage for RDS...

"...As of 9/2 at 9:15am EDT, I have not heard from George. It is most likely he is occupied with taking care of his immediate needs. In the mean time please hold your emails and questions until I hear from George. If you have a shipment inbound for him, obviously please hold it."

Nicholas Orros

[dmarchand]

Anyone have google earth? Shouldn't that have updated pics of his shop and the conditions there?

[Mike Hippert]

No, those pics are pretty old, they only update them once and a while. But anyway here are some from google earth of his shop to give everyone an idea. I think I saw pics of that runway on TV and it didn't look that flooded.

[chrisvonc]

Here is part of a picture from TerraServer. Georges street as of 8/31/05 was under water but cant tell how bad. If you got to the terraserver site to look at the huge version of the city, careful, that bastard is a huge picture. I couldnt save it locally to resize so I had to do a screen cap..
From this page: http://www.terraserver.com/special/katrina/katrina.asp

Follow-up Post:

Here is a much better site to check out that hi-res pic at:
http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_national/neworleanssatellite/index.html

They give a great overview picture showing the levee system and a stagering look at just how flooded the city is.

[norros]

Wow... This whole thing is insane...

All I know is that I'm probably going to be buying most of my parts from George in the future because I'm sure he's lost some cash/stock/parts during this tragedy. When he comes back of course.

N

[rover4x4]

I 2nd.

[Roadsiderob]

"9/3/2005 1:49pm present and accounted for, I have just spoken with his niece and he's ok as well as his family. I do not have any other details, yet."


This was just posted on RDS's web site...thank God!
Rob

[Hans]

Well, that's a load of relief. Now, time to start a parts list of 'need to buy', starting with the dash pieces that fell apart on me.

-Hans

[JBurt]

Thank goodness.

[rover4x4]

woo hoo

[TwisteD90]

Great news. Glad he is ok :)

[Hoss]

I have lurked on this site since I purchased my 1995 D-90, and only posted here recently, but in light of George's situation and folks on this forum, I thought I would offer up an idea in case it has merit.

For disclosure purposes, I have never done business with George nor ever met the man. I have gleaned some information from some very knowledgeable posters on this board and have looked at RDS's web site long enough to know that George provides a valuable parts service for Rover enthusiasts. Many on this forum have referred those in search of parts to RDS, and that is the impetus for my post.

I think that the concept of "microrelief" efforts aimed at knitting together needy communities and individuals with counterparts outside of the New Orleans or affected area is a purposeful and meaningful way to help out in the recovery of this entire mess. Based on information that George has on his site, he is an indepenently owned and operated business (http://www.roversdownsouth.com/about.htm). Cash and cash flow is king in these type of disasters. I know that he has specific needs and knows he business better than anyone else, and I would propose to have those interested on the D-90 Source forum to stand ready to help him out if he needs short term cash flow. I am not talking helicopters or navy flotilla, but rather sending him $100 via PayPal or his preferred banking method. I would be willing to send him $100 now and know that at some point in the future I would like to do business with George.

I realize that this post is out of the blue, and I do not have 4,000 posts to demonstrate my seniority in this forum, but I offer the idea up simply because it is clear that George and his business is valued by members of this forum, and there is an infinite number of way we can help if we consider the possibilities.

As I mentioned at the outset, this may not even be something that George wants or needs, but if it is and he could use the help, I would be willing to step up for sending him money to help get his place back to doing business prior to Katrina. I noticed his site does not have PayPal as a preferred payment method, so there may be a better way to execute this assuming it is embraced.

If the idea stinks or is unnecessary, then I apologize in advance. If it is worthwhile, I hope he reads this post or someone that knows him and is willing to match the offer and forward it to him.

Thanks for hearing me out and hoping George and his family get back on their feet quickly.

[norros]

I think that's a great idea, but after dumping about five bills total to the Red Cross and the Humane Society I really can't donate anymore. At least I'm honest.

BUT, George is going to get most of my business from this day forward, and hopefully he'll make more than $100 off me as the years go on.

That's all I can offer.

Nicholas Orros

[Hoss]

I think that's a great idea, but after dumping about five bills total to the Red Cross and the Humane Society I really can't donate anymore. At least I'm honest.

BUT, George is going to get most of my business from this day forward, and hopefully he'll make more than $100 off me as the years go on.

That's all I can offer.

Nicholas Orros Dumping five large ones is outstanding, and I certainly can understand and appreciate those that have already given, especially large amounts like you have. Thank you for your generosity.

George will definitely get a chunk of my business as well, with positive thoughts that he can get RDS back to full steam, even though it is going to burn more shipping expenses than I usually have from British Pacific. I just wanted to see if there were fellow D-90ers that would be able to help George out if he needed it.

Hat tip to you Nicholas, for digging deep for not only people but animals alike.

Cheers,

Hoss

[Hans]

Conveniently, I just broke both side pieces on my dashboard..... or at least finished the destruction the previous owner started :-) Guess I need new ones! Oh, and new handles for the dash vents too.

-Hans

[norros]

Thanks for the kind words... Sadly (but honestly) I wouldn't have put out that much money if it wasn't for my significant other... But I would have at the very least donated something.

Hope it all gets better, that VIDEO link of the cops rummaging through the walmart really disturbed me (but I thank Jason for posting it!!)

Nicholas

[Trigger]

I'd be willing to packup and head to N.O. for a weekend to help George out with cleanup and such. It's only 8 hours from here.
As far as money and such, we're tapped out with donating to the shelters here in Austin. We hit Walgreens and filled a basket with toiletries for the 4,000 or so folks here in town. Tomorrow we'll be downtown sorting and distributing those supplies to the evacuees. Also, from talking with George in the past, he doesn't seem like the type that'd take any money from us anyways.

On that note, is it wrong to be upset that I didn't order that part I needed when I talked to him on the Thursday before the disaster? I couldn't find it anywhere else and now it's underwater. :(

[norros]

Tony,


I'd definitely be up for that... The only thing is that I have a friend and his 'black widow fiance' (long story) coming up from Largo (Tampa area-ish) on Friday. They are 'hit or miss' like 2 weeks ago when they were supposed to come up but didn't so I'm actually hoping they don't. If they don't I may be able to make it but I won't know until Thursday/Friday. I may actually call him and make him give me a positive and tell him why I need to know.

It's about a 5 hour-ish trip for me, maybe more in the D...

Good idea dude, please keep me updated if you're going and if anyone else is interested please post. I'd probably load the tent on the D and make a go of it, so if others wanted to join in I'm sure we could find a decent place to camp.



Nicholas

[Trigger]

Tony,


I'd definitely be up for that...

Good idea dude, please keep me updated if you're going and if anyone else is interested please post. I'd probably load the tent on the D and make a go of it, so if others wanted to join in I'm sure we could find a decent place to camp.



I don't know that this coming weekend would be possible. i.e. getting into town, if the area is 'dry', etc. Might have to wait a week or two before we could even get into town.

[chrisvonc]

I agree, I am sure there is going to be a flood of people trying to get back to thier places once an all clear is given. We should wait until we hear from George that he can get back to his shop.

[JBurt]

I'm with Chris, I talked to the Red Cross and they said they just don't have the infrastructure yet.

[norros]

Yeah, I think Chris is right too... Aside from that there's so much bacteria present there, especially in the 'waters' that I don't think we should even try until there's a green light.


So, if someone talks to George & finds out the situation in the near future please post so maybe we can set up a trip. If we do nothing else than maybe lift George's spirits a bit during this madness, that would still be a good thing.

Cheers,

Nicholas

[Ragland]

I've never actually met George, but having spoken with him on several occassions, I can just imagine him sitting on the warehouse roof with a rifle.

[pendy]

I've never actually met George, but having spoken with him on several occassions, I can just imagine him sitting on the warehouse roof with an auotmatic weapon and flamethrower. As well as videoing the shameless looting by officials.

There fixed it for you.
Hope he is somewhere else right now getting some needed time away.

[evilfij]

Yes, I see george with a FEW things with NFA stamps on them

[Bowtracer]

George has trip wires.

[Ragland]

Has George surfaced anywhere?

[pendy]

Still no word directly.

[chrisvonc]

This was posted on the Texas Rovers forum:
Hey everyone,

I just lent my roof rack to Charles Kendrick, who will be making his second trip down to the New Orleans area tomorrow. He asked if the Texas Rovers would be interested in helping him out in the future - either by convoying with supplies or just giving supplies to him to take down there. Because the media seems to be concentrating on the New Orleans area, it is easy for all of us to concentrate our efforts on New Orleans as a result. I'm not trying to take anything away fron the people of New Orleans, it is just that Charles has made me realize that there are others outside of New Orleans in the rural areas that also need help but are not necessarily receiving the attention as New Orleans. Charles' family is one of those that lives in the rural areas outside New Orleans. Since he is concentrating on the the rural areas, he has said that 4 wheel drive vehicles are a must in certain situations and that his Classic has been much appreciated down there. Regardless of what you may have heard, Charles has said that the military has allowed him to enter the area without any problems.

If anyone is interested in helping Charles, please contact him at the following:

ckendo@aol.com
ckandcompany@sbcglobal.net
Work: 214-742-2526

Please keep in mind that Charles will be down there until Thursday of this week. Therefore, you may not get a response from him until that time.

Sean

[chrisvonc]

(Posting this here right now but there should be a site wide announcement of this posted at the top of every forum in a few minutes)

Some of you might know already, but Tony Fannin (Dillo90) has been trying to organize a supply run to Charles' family farm in LA. to leave this Thursday. As he said, most of the people here in our area have already been giving generously to our city's local efforts and people are getting pretty tapped out. What we need is to try and gather funds for as as much of the needed supplies we can get from bulk sales outlets or such to load up with and head down there fully loaded.

The following 2 messages from Charles are what is needed

Our most pressing needs are:
-Non-perishable food items & juices
-Baby Food
-Baby Formula
-Diapers
-Feminine hygiene products
-Hand sanitizer
-Care packages for military personnel (travel size
toiletries, insect repellent, new olive drab or brown
military style undershirts, new underwear, new socks)
-Batteries (D size)
-Leather Work Gloves
-1 gallon ziplock baggies

A great idea would also be to include a personal note of some kind. These people are worn out and need to know they are being thought of and that our hearts are with them.

Red Cross and the Military have welcomed our efforts with open arms. It has truly been a grass roots effort with neighbors helping neighbors. Nothing "miraculous" - simply getting very needed supplies into the hands that need them, and offering
comfort and support to everyone involved. In addition to bringing down supplies, we are now trying to deliver messages to loved ones for those displaced. My classic allows me to be a lot more mobile than most, and has been very useful down there; however, it doesn't make a lot of sense to go with an empty load. Good luck with your efforts, and I'm hoping we can combine forces - These folks need all the help we can
give.

Understanding this is short notice, and that many have already donated in some way already, we are asking for some donations to help fill up at least a truck or 2 as well as if anyone in the Austin TX area has a covered trailer to lend, that we can hook to his D90, please contact Tony right away.

After talking about how to best collect donations and since I have a business account that can also take credit card donations with PayPal, I will act as the pool for any donations and can be sent to me via PayPal at chrisvonc@d-90.com. If you don't have a PayPal account you can still make donations by using the direct link in the site announcement for this effort (http://www.d-90.com/forum/announcement.php?f=3) so you can make a donation with a credit card without having to sign up for PayPal account.

Thank you in advance for anything you can donate.

[Trigger]

(Posting this here right now but there should be a site wide announcement of this posted at the top of every forum in a few minutes)

The following 2 messages from George are what is needed


I think you meant Charles, from Texas Rovers, not George. :)

[chrisvonc]

Yes correction made, thanks

[JBurt]

What a great idea!

You have an address to ship stuff for the trip or that URL for credit card?
TIA

[chrisvonc]

Sure, give me a few minutes on the direct link for non-paypal account holders to make a donation. I have to dig it up.

Follow-up Post:

Ok.. please check the site wide announcement post for the direct link to donate without needing to sign up for a PayPal account.
http://www.d-90.com/forum/announcement.php?f=3

Due to HTML security reasons, I can not add the link in this thread. Sorry for any inconvenience.

[rustydefender]

at least he has the right truck for high waters and foul weather!

[chrisvonc]

Well, we just finished the main supply buying run. With over $1650.00 in hand from donations, we unloaded about $1200 of that just in Costco, not to mention goods donated by locals still yet to be put into the trailer. The rest of the money is being held in reserve as small bills for Charles and Tony to use for those "oh, we really could use bunch of those" type items they can pick up in Baton Rogue or somewhere heading into Covington.

Thank you to everyone who donated so far. We made those dollars work hard tonight stretching them to the most value we could. A lot of good supplies are going down there!

Updates will be posted as news comes in. Donations will still be accepted for now as Charles should be making another run back and forth to the area so all donations made, will get to him.

[rover4x4]

I think George is getting back underway...

www.roversdownsouth.com

[dmarchand]

Doubt it. "the shop was prepaired for the potential flooding"

He is ornery.

[sheki]

latest update, sounds like it could be soon. I know I have my list ready for when they do open.

"10/02/2005 The shop is being prepared for opening, those things, rover parts, that have been damaged have been sorted. Still no power and still no estimate of when we'll reopen, again keep an eye on the site and we'll post a note here, as soon as a date is known"

[Mike Hippert]

You know I think George is one of the few big vendors that reads the forum, it wasn't too long ago we had a thread about power windows in a defender and low and behold look whats up on his site

http://www.roversdownsouth.com/defender.htm

I hope all is OK.

[TwisteD90]

I'm ready to buy some stuff too. I want a pair of SW doors, power window things, and front and rear euro lights.

Mike, you are right. One time there was a big thread about a steering part and when I called him he made a comment about this site.

[Mike Hippert]

I knew it! Still bumbing around his site I have seen 3 other things that have been a current topic. He needs to become a member! Then he can answer 1/2 all the want add threads :)

[sheki]

If he was lurking on the site, how would he find time to call Pendy twice a day and give him shit about anything and everything.
Isn't that right George :grin

[Mike Hippert]

Man I would pay to hear those conversations It would be a good ongoing thread!

[Roadsiderob]

Update....
George called me tonight...he survived the storm and is his ornery self. He said his shop only got a few feet of water and he is getting ready to reopen as soon as he has power and can ship parts. Sounds like it's been interesting for him, to say the least....I'm sure he'll have some interesting stories to tell. I'm just relieved to hear from him and know that he and his family are ok.
Rob

[Mike Hippert]

Thats GREAT news! Glad all is good.

ok I had to look up ornery to be sure, I thought the definition to be rather funny

Mean-spirited, disagreeable, and contrary in disposition; cantankerous. adj : having a difficult and contrary disposition; "a cantankerous and venomous-tongued old lady"- Dorothy Sayers

I like this word cantankerous I will have to start using it.

[WCURoverD90]

I spoke with Mark via email and he said they were getting ready for the reopening but would not be until they have power. He said they have no estimate on when the power will be restored or when they will open.

[JimC]

who is mark anyway?

[WCURoverD90]

I have no idea. He has a RDS email addy so i assume he is one of George's workers or something. He has been putting the updates up on the website on the damage and estimated times etc.