Final Update

I would like to thank everyone who has donated thus far to my family. Your contributions have been the difference maker over the last month. However, it is bittersweet, being that there are so many other families still facing insurmountable obstacles.

Many of you have asked about my mother's dog, chekita. I'm happy to announce that Chekita gave birth to Tom, Dick and Harriet on October 12th. Here is a picture:


My nephew John and his girlfriend Lynette have sent me more pictures of destruction, but I don't have the heart to post any more of them. However, here is a photo of them standing in the doorway of their wrecked apartment. They are a great couple of kids.

My parents are doing ok. They have moved in to the trailer vacated by Tim and Sue, and they now have phone service. It isn't the most livable structure, but it is better than what they were in. My folks had been living in a small camper, where my mother had to climb into the sleep area. This was difficult for her due to her physical condition. In their new living space they have a bed in the middle of the living room and have been able to buy 2 chairs with some of the money I've raised. They have had discomfort and many aches lately, due to not having appropriate seating for their age, so hopefully those will help. They still seem to be in good spirits and are waiting on FEMA for additional assistance. It seems that mold has taken root in a small part of their current trailer and in the bedroom of my Sister's trailer that is near them, but hopefully FEMA will address that problem as well. Here is a photo of my parent's belongings, now destroyed and sitting in the yard.

Finally, If you have not yet read this book, please do so:

This book is one of the most powerful, achingly beautiful, heart-wrenching works that I have ever read. The people in it and the way of life the book describes is so familiar to me that it is at times too painful to read, but if I had one book that I could force a person to read, this is it. We must impress upon our leaders that Louisiana coastal restoration and protection is a national priority, and that nothing less than an entire culture and way of life hangs in the balance.

I don't think I will have that many more posts, from this point forward. I will however, keep this blog active as a testament to my family's ordeal. Again, thank you all for your help.

Pictures from Lake Charles

My nephew, Johnathan, whom I have referred to previously, sent me some pictures of his neighborhood. Here are a few of those pictures.









This is John's girlfriend, Lynette, showcasing her favorite drink. Drive-thru daquiri shops proliferate in South Louisiana, and were a favorite of mine, particularly when I was under the drinking age (They are notorious for not carding minors). Many people like to criticize us for our relaxed policy on such things and our "good times" outlook on life, but that's just the way we roll.



Remember, tourists are always welcome to park next to the gator pond...heh heh heh (sorry, couldn't help it).



MSU is "McNeese State University". We're counting on their resilience to even the score. For those of you who can't read this, it says "Rita-1, MSU-coming back swinging"

John, in his apartment

John, outside of his apartment.





Lynette, tree model. By the way, Lynette is FABULOUS.

A Fellow Blogger

A fellow blogger in a similar situation found my site. She is from Arizona and is trying to find ways to help her family. She brings up the issue of how Rita seems to be the overlooked child of Katrina, both in media coverage and in government response. I can empathize because some of the barriers to recieving aid that her family faces, my family has also faced.

...I am finding it VERY difficult to understand WHY organizations are rolling out the carpet to help Katrina victims and excluding Rita victims. I am also angered when I see Rita victims sloppily included in promotion and fundraising efforts (I'm sorry, but I put HfH in that category). Especially when a heck of a lot of Rita victims were first responders to Katrina, cooked Katrina evacuees meals, opened their churches and communities to Katrina victims, helped Katrina victims evacuate, and then lost everything.... just as Katrina victims lost everything.... and when they ask for help they are told "nope, you aren't from Katrina".

Cameron Parish Blog

It breaks my heart when I think about families like this. There are so many just like hers, and I know first hand how it feels when you are far away from your home and people and seemingly helpless to do anything. You and yours are in my thoughts, friend.

Update

This will be my last post for a few days, as I need to take a step back for a while. Here is the most current update, for those following.

It appears that the "near miss" of my sister Linda's house in Cameron Parish was in fact a direct hit, and will likely be condemned. We had hoped that the damage was minimal enough that she and her family would be able to live there again. They are currently living in a camper near shreveport. Also in Cameron Parish, My Taunte Bernice and N'onc Richard, whose home was destroyed, are now in Morgan City, with housing provided by Richard's employer.

The village of Morse, where I was born and where my brother and 3 of my mother's siblings (and their families) reside, is still without power. Mom says that my brother, like many others, has been working to help his community by bringing in water, ice and such in an attempt to support the community of 2,000 people. She told me that they could be without power for up to a month, but that sounds a little extreme. Little damage has been reported by my family who live there. Hopefully their lives will return to normal soon.

My Nephew who lost his place is still in Lafayette at his girlfriend's father's house. He has worked for Harrah's casino for years, but his casino in Lake Charles was destroyed, along with the those in New Orleans and Biloxi. Harrah's was kind enough to pay him for the next three months, which is a relief, no pun intended. As I understand it, he will stay with his girlfriend at his college (McNeese), where he is pursuing his masters degree in engineering.

My grandparents (step-father Dudley's mother and step-father) are living with my Aunt Verline in Abbeville after their home flooded to the roof. Dudley's son, displaced by Katrina, is still in a shelter in LaRose, LA.

My Sister and her boyfriend have found shelter at a friend's home.

My Parents are now in the camper that my Sister's boyfriend was able to acquire via a small loan from his employer. It is small, but they have electricity and bottled water to drink. On Monday she stood outside with my Sister for several hours in order to get food stamps. Her ankles are giving her problems and makes it difficult for her to stand, but with a stool and my Sister's fortitude they were able to stick it out through the heat. I am surprised to find out that they have the camper set up near their home, which is good. Today Dudley and my Sister are supposed to start gathering some of the items from my parents home that can be saved.

Tim and Sue, my parent's friends who lived in the rent trailer up the road from my parent's home, have decided to pack it up and move to Missouri, where they have family. Tim no longer had the heart to stay. My parents are considering moving in to that trailer when they leave, but supposedly the walls move whenever a strong wind blows and it isn't well insulated, so I am hoping they stay in the camper and use the trailer to store the things that they can save. Of course, one would think that a camper wouldn't fare much better. Regardless, they assure me that they are ok.

Currently, they are waiting on the insurance company to arrive and do an assesment. They were told this could take months. Once the Insurance does their assessment, FEMA will apparently come in and make their own assesment in regards to what help they might provide. It is unclear whether either will cover damage or help them to rebuild, being that they have hurricane insurance, but not flood insurance. I will update as I understand more.

One bit of information that I have found confusing relates to the Red Cross. It seems that they are impossible to reach, giving victims an automated phone directory that loops back to the original directory lisiting regardless of which option you push. My parents have heard a great deal of grumbling about how useless the Red Cross has been. This is surprising to me, considering that they seem to be the most prominent organization. Instead, I hear that the United Way has been far more helpful. In their defense, this disaster is, according to NPR, "6 times larger than anything they have every faced".
On another note, I am still selling t-shirts and accepting donations for expenses that directly relate to my parent's plight.

"HELP" T-Shirts available here

After the Waters Receeded

This is a picture series of the damage, after the flooding receded. This is a narrative, starting with the highway connecting to Bourque road, where my parents live and continuing to my parent's property. These pictures do no justice to the reality of what came before it.


This is highway 682, less than a quarter mile from the entrance to Bourque road, which my folks live on the end of.


This is the entrance to Bourque road, just off 682.


This is a neighbor's home.

The road leading to my parent's house.


Backyard left, looking at neighbor's yard.


Backyard, Dudley's tool/work shed


Back Yard


side right; backyard. Notice the water starts to recedes even more.


As the water recedes even more, you see what it leaves behind.




I call this picture "Runaway", because I have no idea where that trailer came from. It must have floated from somewhere. This is the lot next to my parents.

The front porch of their home. I can't imagine the stench. Mom says that they have a great deal of plant materials on their property due to the nursery across the lake, which is a good distance from them.


Here is some of the food that they lost from the freezer. The water lifted their huge freezer and turned it upside down, emptying the contents.








The freezer completely destroyed.








where there was once grass, now there is mud. This thick, nasty cake is as high as 6 inches in some areas.

Dead Bees

Man, that's sad. Bzzzz.

Miss Mary Fights Back

Our state was attacked in the Washington Post this week, its ignorant editorial staff accusing our Legislature and national leaders of being the real "Louisiana Looters". This opinion piece garnered a good deal of attention in the national media.

Enter State Senator Mary Landrieu. While Miss Mary hasn't exactly hit every pitch thrown at her lately, she has had some great moments, such as when she threatened to punch the president or anyone else who criticized state relief workers (Many in the current administration tried to deflect the total failure of the federal government on to the state...Mary wasn't having it).

This one should be included among her greatest hits:

Why Louisiana Matters

It is a very well written defense of our state and effectively presents the case for our legislature's request for 250 (gulp) BILLION dollars in aid.

Give em hell, Mary.

Family Update

Here, Dud tries to negotiate with the ants.
My apologies for being slow in updates. This has been a difficult week. I would like to thank everyone for the flood of email. I will try to respond to each and every one of your letters and post a good many of them.

My Taunte Bernice and Uncle Richard are Ok. They are a couple of hours away in Morgan City, with family. However, the only thing left of their home is the concrete slab that it was built on. Luckily, Uncle Richard has an incredible employer who has provided them temporary housing and transferred his employment to Patterson. I doubt that they will find many of their old belongings.

My Sister's boyfriend was given a small loan from his employer to buy an old camper, and has generously offered to let my parents stay in it until we can somehow find them a permanent shelter. It is small, but my parents are very grateful to have a place of their own. Their pastor, Mr. Rice seems to think that there is a chance that we can save the trailer, but we won't know until Monday, when men from the church attempt to open the walls. We are hopeful.

No one is living in the area where my Sister and Parents homes are located, as necessary services have not been reestablished or checked for safety. My sister says that in the 90 degree heat, the smell is unbearable and permeates everything.

The most incredible news so far is that the home of my Sister Linda and my brother-in-law Joey was not destroyed. The front porch my step-father made for them was destroyed and apparently flipped over the trailer, but it did not land on the trailer. One side is wind damaged and they had some rain damage due to broken windows, but as I understand it, no water entered the home. No word yet on how the rest of their community has fared. They are currently still living in a camper, somewhere near Shreveport.

My Mother says that it will take a couple of weeks to find out how extended family has fared. If any of my family from Louisiana is reading this, please feel free to comment on what they know about the Primeaux, Lege', Trahan, etc., etc., families.

Here is an excerpt from a letter sent by my Taunte Sally, who along with my Uncle Gary, are saints. They still have electricity, so my parents can wash their clothes, access the internet, and eat a hot meal. It is reassuring to know that they are there.


I call Taunt Bernice and uncle Richard and they are in Morgan City at uncle Richard's neices house.Everyone is ok. We looked on line in Cameron and we could just see the slab left of there house,soooo sad,my heart hurts for them,but we all family and we WILL all help out!! His boss has put him back to work in Patterson this time and he told them not to worry about there house that he will take care of it. He's the one who helped them buy there house. In my book ,he's a dam good boss!!
Everyone else in the family is ok and there house is too,Thank God! I have never seen sooo much damage in my life out here. Uncle Gary went to pecan island yesterday to help with clean up at his boss's daughters store,and he said it was sooo sad to see all the damage out there. He seen some cows,they need fresh water so bad that they are weak. Seen dead animals all over also. There was 3-4 inches of mud in the store,they had to push all that out,yuk!
I beged your mom and Dudley to come live with us,cleaned out the toy room ,getting them a bed from someone we know and giving them Marcy's bath room,she uses our more anyway,lol, but they don't want. They said they have all they need over at the shelter. I can understand,i wouldn't want to live with anyone either.Still i wish they would!! They still come over to use pc and eat and wash clothes and take shower. All of Morse still have no electricity so they been coming here to wash clothes and i been cooking for them,you can only eat so many MRE's ,know what i mean,lol!!
I think its a great idea what ya doing with the t-shirts and im sending it to all my internet friends.
You take care Ben,we love ya,byeeee!!!

la,t.sally

Letters

Here are excerpts from letters I have recieved. This one from Maria Delacroix. She is from Lafayette, LA, the largest city outside of Baton Rouge and the "capital of cajun country". Here she is describing the mood in Lafayette:

The deal on the ground here is that Lafayette is pretty unscathed and has only a pocket or two of hurricane related problems or shutdowns. (traffic is the worst.) Laf. folks just all feel bad and are looking for ways to help. Folks from the outlying areas are pretty shell-shocked (= to Katrina evacs on day 5 or 6) and not nearly as saavy about what to do. The good news is that troops are EVERYWHERE and handing out food and water like beads and trinkets at Endymion. They've even got cattle and horse feed to Vermilion Parish already

This one from Andrea Guidry, a sweet girl I knew in college who has housed evacuees from both hurricanes. Her family lives in the same town as my Taunte Sally:

Fortunately my parents were able to evacuate for the storm to Natchitoches Parish where my oldest brother's wife's family lives. They still got hit hard by the hurricane and lost power there. My 2nd brother and his family actually stayed in Kaplan b/c his wife's family lives south of Hwy 14 and he lives north. They made it okay but of course lost power. He also had to continuously mop up his floor to keep water out. My 3rd brother and his wife came stay with me since I am presently living in BR. BR got hit pretty hard for Katrina but faired Rita a lot better. I am thankful that I never lost power since besides my brother and his wife I've been housing 4 other evacuees from LK Charles.My whole family was able to safely return home to my parents' house 2 days ago. My parents live right outside of Kaplan on the north side off of 696. They were the only ones in my family that had power in Kaplan until today. In fact my mom was called back to work today b/c the hospital in Kaplan is now with power. When my brother and his wife left, I received 3 more evacuees from Lk Charles who originally evacuated to Elton. Elton was hit really hard and they had no power. I'm going home today to visit my family.

Andrea, I hope that your father, who had to put off his surgery until after the hurricane, is recovering well.

Corrections

My mother is 61, not 64. She noticed this when she saw my blog yesterday, for the first time. Luckily I was not there for her to smack me. Joking aside, she is floored by the idea that people want to help them.

Also, the picture of their pregnant dog Chekita (Chaquita), who is with them in the shelter and due to deliver, was in fact a picture of my n'onc boy's (yankee translation:uncle Robert) chihuahua.

There are few things I dislike in this word more than Chihuahuas, but in the spirit of fairness, here is an actual picture of Chekita. I believe this was taken right after she was told that I misrepresented her.

What our Leaders are Doing

This guy makes everybody feel better.Over.

Lt. General Honore, who first entered our consciousness with Katrina and now leads the effort in the wake of Rita, is a homegrown soldier whom his troops have taken to calling "the ragin cajun general". He hit the ground running with a cracked whip and a no nonsense attitude, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind who was in charge. He has easily been the most reassuring presence in the state.

Do a search for him on CNN.com for great video. I had a link, but I could not get it to work properly. This is recommended viewing. Over.

Governor Kathleen Blanco, when not fending off unfair and unsubstantiated criticism, is working to provide disaster victims with medicaid coverage, as was done with victims of 9/11.

Unfortunately, My mother is one such uninsured person with medical problems who is at risk, considering the stress, excess of physical exertion, and health hazards that proliferate in the aftermath of flooding, particularly in 90 degreee heat. Obtaining such benefits at this time would be highly welcomed. Also unfortunate, the Bush administration is fighting her request, with many conservative leaders saying that giving medical care to the poor would be an unfair burden on the treasury.

There is no word yet from our government explaining how providing medical treatment to poor hurricane victims is somehow more unfair than giving those tax dollars, in this case tens of billions in no-bid reconstruction contracts, to large corporations like Haliburton which have little to no oversight and are not providing jobs for Louisiana businesses or displaced Louisiana citizens.

We have Shirts!

100% of proceeds go directly to helping my family rebuild their lives in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 

Thanks to my talented boyfriend Josh for designing these shirts! Make a fashion statement and buy one today!

If anyone knows how I can get Donatella Versace to wear one of these, let me know. The quicker they get famous the faster I can get my momma out of a shelter.