There aren't many silver linings peeping through the dark clouds sat above New Orleans, but we on the arts desk search out comfort where we can. Imagine our relief, then, at discovering that "Fats" Domino, the hard-pumping rock 'n' roll legend who was reported as missing last night, has apparently been discovered alive - more than a little damp, most likely, but safe and well.
Under the brow-wiping headline "Good News", Fox News reports that the 77-year-old musician's daughter told CNN she had seen a TV news report of a man resembling her father being lifted off a rooftop by rescue crews.
Domino's agent, Al Embry, informed a news agency late last night that his client had not been seen since declaring to friends he was going to "try to ride out" Hurricane Katrina at his home in New Orleans' 9th District. Although Domino is not known to have made official contact with anyone yet, most news sources seem optimistic that he's in good shape.
Other musical celebrities with links to the famously musical Big Easy have not held back. Fox also reports that jazz crooner Harry Connick Jnr, who grew up in the city, has expressed confidence that its citizens will bounce back. "It is hard to sit in silence, to watch one's youth wash away," Connick said. "New Orleans is my essence, my soul, my muse, and I can only dream that one day she will recapture her glory."
Irma Thomas, often lauded as the queen of New Orleans soul, was also reported as missing but has since turned up, while other musicians caught up in events include blues hero BB King, rapper Juvenile and Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner. Actor Morgan Freeman, who lives in the Mississippi delta, has helped set up an online auction to raise funds for the American Red Cross, which opens today at the Charity Folks website. Items up for grabs include a resort getaway, a chance to attend the screening of Freeman's new movie and various memorabilia items.
But perhaps the final word in these troublous time should go to southern belle Britney Spears, who has rushed to reassure concerned fans that everyone she knows in the affected areas is OK. "All of my family members there are safe," her website tells us, and - just this once - it's possible to feel relieved by that, too.
