State of Emergency in Louisiana

Temperatures plunged to 34 degrees here last night. It is even colder a bit north of here, meaning there's now a state of panic in the region because there is ICE on the roads. Power is out in some areas, schools have closed and the causeway across Lake Pontchartrain has been shut down, as crews try to figure out what to do next.
A little further north, kids got up in the middle of the night so parents could show them something they rarely experience: snow.
We're not quite sure what to make of all this, what with our friends in International Falls and family in Minneapolis experiencing real weather.
Here's a note we got this morning from an isolated, disgruntled Wayne Kasich in I Falls which gave us some perspective:
Wayne writes:
I believe I have read 15 novels since December. I have blown snow (about three hours of loading and unloading blower and going from place to place) seven or eight times and will again today, because with the one day warm up came snow. Woke up to 15 degrees this morning.
Comfort food is taking its toll this winter and we both need to walk on sand rather than ice, so we booked a condo in Playa del Carmen for the month of March. We will be joining two other couples.

 It has been brutal. Probably some kind of record for consecutive days/weeks of cold without let up.
I have followed your blog. It's like reading one of the fiction novels.
When do you return to reality?

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Reality is a relative thing, we have found, Wayne. Panicked locals are staying off the streets today, which is a good thing. Unskilled drivers on narrow bumpy icy streets, not good. We'll stay indoors today with The Sopranos and keep our car parked off the street..

Sunday in the sixties.