Faces of Recovery tell the recovery tales associated with some of our clients. Like the entirety of Louisiana's impacted population, some stories have happy endings, while others show that the recovery process can be long and grueling. In the end, however, all of these accounts represent real stories of bravery and strength in face of monumental obstacles and encapsulate the realities of recovery in Louisiana.

 

Mary Johnson -- Female Caregivers Face Stress, Pass it On

Because a young child’s ability to learn is grounded in a sense of security and solid, continuous relationships with adults, the serious disruptions caused by the hurricanes likely damaged not only emotional development and behavior but also learning and school readiness. Katrina deprived children all at once of their homes, their familiar neighborhoods, and at least some of their close caregivers.

An astounding 68% of the female caregivers surveyed from a group of 665 randomly selected adults who had lost their homes and were living with their families in FEMA-subsidized trailers or hotels six months after Hurricane Katrina reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, or another psychiatric disorder. Their children were two and a half times more likely to have psychological issues than children of their counterparts who displayed low levels of mental health problems, illustrating the impact of a caregiver’s mental health on that of her children in a post-disaster environment.

And, according to a study conducted by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, nearly half of the women caregivers scored at levels consistent with clinically-diagnosed psychiatric problems such as depression and anxiety disorders. Children whose parents scored very low on this mental health score were nearly twice as likely to have experienced emotional or behavioral problems after Hurricane Katrina, according to the parents. Additionally, women caregivers were almost nine times as likely to report that they were not coping well with the daily demands of parenting when compared to parents in a pre-Katrina survey of urban Louisianians.

Mary Johnson, a grandmother who has a daughter and two of her grandchildren living with her in her Thibadaux, La., home would concur with the findings above.

Ms. Johnson admits that the continual evacuating, cleaning up, and repair work associated with four powerful hurricanes has been a detriment to her mental stability. Added to that stress is the fact that she lost her husband just weeks prior to Katrina.

“My mind, I’m going through a lot of stress,” Ms. Johnson said matter-of-factly. “I am just stressed out, very stressed out. That’s from the hurricanes and from losing my husband. I never really had time to mourn for my husband. I just keep it inside. I go to church and I’m involved in the church, and that’s what keeps me really going.

“When Katrina hit I just had lost my husband. I was just … it messed up my mind. My mind wasn’t right. Then with Gustav, that just took everything out of me. Being a widow, I didn’t have any type of insurance or anything. I didn’t know what was going to happen or what I was going to do. And each time I just looked at all of the damage and it affected my mind.”

And seeing his grandmother, his main caregiver, going through so much also took a toll on Ms. Johnson’s grandchildren.

“My grandkids, they haven’t been able to live in their home and they’ve been here just about two years,” Ms. Johnson said. “They lived in a trailer right behind me but it was destroyed in Katrina. One of my grandkids, I think he went through something. He was close to his grandfather. These children don’t have daddies, it’s just mamma and the children. They had just lost their grandfather, that was their father. Then they lost their home after that. We try to keep them busy and keep them active and keep their mind together. But in their hearts they wish they could go back to their house, although they were raised here, because me and my husband, we took care of them and still take care of them.”

Despite Ms. Johnson being concerned about the emotional state of her grandchildren, neither have seen a therapist or a mental health professional.

Meanwhile, as the Recovery Corps is assisting with installing new floors and walls insider her residence through its Homeowner Repair Assistance Program, Ms. Johnson, trying to help raise her grandchildren on income from a part-time job at the local Council on Aging, continues to focus on a better future for her family.

“You learn how to live with what you got,” she says. “My husband had been sick for 35 years when he died. I had to go to work, I had to provide for my family. I knew that if I wanted to raise my children and educate my children, I had to get up and go get it. I didn’t have no where else to go. And after the hurricanes and all of the damage, when I looked at my house, I just said ‘Lord you have everything in your hands.’”

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Richardson Family -- Children Extremely Vulnerable, Too

The full effects of the impact associated with hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike will not be known for generations to come. Though we readily see the destruction to infrastructure, homes, and property and can hear the sordid tales from those who experienced those catastrophic events, it is the untold stories from our youngest citizens and the yet to be seen associated effects that continue to haunt some of the state’s youngest victims.

The health problems of Hurricane Katrina children are daunting. Their inability to focus on school has been well-documented. School-based health centers throughout Louisiana indicate a greatly increased need for mental health services in the schools after reporting increases in quarrels and fights among students, truancy, disruptive behavior, and sexual promiscuity.

According to the Children’s Health Fund, 163,105 children were displaced during Katrina and between 46,582 and 64,934 children are estimated to be experiencing a risk factor that puts them at risk for long-term poor outcomes.

Additionally, nearly half of the parents surveyed by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health reported at least one child in their household had emotional or behavioral difficulties that he or she didn’t have before Hurricane Katrina, such as feeling sad or depressed, being nervous or afraid, or having problems sleeping or getting along with others.

Furthermore, because young children were more likely than older children and adults to live in poor families, and because poor families were the least likely to be evacuated before the hurricanes, young children were probably a disproportionately high fraction of the group that had the worst experiences.

That was certainly the case with Sonya Richardson’s family. Ms. Richardson resides in Madisonville, La., just to the north of Lake Pontchartrain, where she moved with her four sons one month before the arrival of Hurricane Katrina.

The Richardson Family did not evacuate prior to Hurricane Katrina coming ashore. As the harrowing storm made its way into the state and trees crashed around and on top of their home, the family decided to take to the streets in search of a safer place to ride out the storm.

“All of a sudden trees just came flying through the air,” remembered Ms. Richardson. “It looked like toothpicks. And then we heard the sound of a train, like more than one train, and there aren’t any train tracks around here.

“Then the tornados started coming from everywhere and we were standing outside. One picked up a huge oak tree, turned it around, picked it up again, and then it disappeared. We ran down the street. Electrical poles and lines were everywhere in the road. We ran toward the school, which is right down the road, because I thought there are always shelters at schools, but the school was closed and there were trees everywhere there too. We ran through the school and came back out on the road and there was a man screaming out the window, ‘Ya’ll come over this way.’ He was the only one left around there, everyone else had evacuated. So we ran toward his door and a light pole fell right in front of us. We went over the light pole and we finally made it to his house.”

With children age 7, 11, 19, and 21 and their mother in the middle of one of the most power forces Mother Nature has ever created, one can only imagine what must have been running through their minds as they ducked and dodged their way through downed trees, downed telephone poles, and downed power lines.

“They were scared to death,” Ms. Richardson said of her children. “We never saw anything like that, and to actually go through it … we were scared to run with all of the electrical lines and it had started raining by that point. It wasn’t coming from above, it was coming from the side. And once we got inside it sounded like the world was coming to an end.”

After the hurricane finally passed, the house that eventually became their refuge that fateful day became their home for weeks.

“It took us a while to get back to our house,” said Ms. Richardson. “There was actually another family way in the back of the neighborhood with chain saws and four wheelers and a Jeep and they were trying to make their way up front so they could get some type of communication going, because I think somebody died in their house during the storm. No cell phones worked and of course no house phones worked. We kind of weeded our way through the woods and downed trees and we worked together to cut and clear a pathway out. We worked on it every day and finally were able to reach our house after two or three weeks. But we still didn’t have electricity until November or December.”

Instead of settling into their new school year like most of the kids across the country, the Richardson children instead spent every day clearing trees and hoping against hope that their home would still be standing when they finally reached it. More than that, though, they spent everyday suppressing those frightful thoughts of Katrina’s wrath when every moment could have potentially been their last.

“You could tell they were getting frustrated,” Ms. Richardson admitted. “They wanted to come home. All they were doing was cutting trees everyday.

“They were out of school until January (more than four months after Katrina),” said Richardson. “They did terrible in school when they went back. They were ‘A’ students before. Because of the way we had to live – we didn’t have anything. They donated us clothes from the school and the churches in the neighborhood. It took a couple of years, probably until last year, when they finally turned it around and started picking up. You know, we were doing without. ”

A bookkeeper and notary by trade, Ms. Richardson found work unavailable after the hurricanes, especially after she again suffered a daggering blow at the hands of Mother Nature.

“I was working in Ponchatoula, but guess what?” Richardson said. “Gustav and Ike took the roof off of that. I can work here from home, but nobody has any money around here. I made $15 this month and I get a little money from child support from my grown kids, their daddy’s still paying.”

Faced with an almost impossible living situation – at times there were five family members living in the FEMA trailer they’ve occupied since December 2005 – it’s not surprising that the youngest of the Richardson children continue to suffer emotional distress.

“They told me they had nightmares and couldn’t sleep,” Ms. Richardson said. “We talk about it. They remember stuff now that I didn’t even know remembered. So we just try to talk about it and laugh about it. You can laugh about it years later, but it wasn’t funny then.”

Ms. Richardson says her second-youngest son, now 15 years old, went into a shell.

“I think he has had some problems getting through everything,” she said. “He’s become reclusive and never was like that before. He’s been having nightmares, but he’ll never talk about it.”

In addition to the Katrina experience, Ms. Richardson believes another frightful moment may also be weighing on her son’s mind.

“We actually moved out here because of a fire – our house burned down,” said Ms. Richardson. “This is actually heir property, my uncle’s old house. We moved here because we didn’t have anywhere to go. When we came here it didn’t have any doors, half of the windows were broken out. We were able to fix it up right before the hurricane.”

Despite all of these life-changing ordeals, however, Ms. Richardson isn’t sure therapy or seeing a mental health professional is necessary.

“We’ve been through therapy before because I had a son that went to prison, so we went through therapy after that. But he says he’s all right, so we haven’t gone to see any psychiatrist or gone to therapy or anything like that. He’s actually a strong child, so he would think of himself as weak if he had to go through that. He’s not timid. If he was timid I would have already taken him. But he’s like the rock of Gibraltar. He can handle it.”

The Richardson Family remains in their FEMA trailer, almost four years after receiving it. Their home is currently being repaired through the Recovery Corps’ Homeowner Repair Grant Program via funds provided by the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency.

As for the kids?

“Yeah, they’re still feeling the effects,” Ms. Richardson admitted. “But I think when we get back into our house everything’s going to be all right. They’re all strong. We will survive.”

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Linus Parfait -- Elderly, Disabled Citizens Can be Victims After the Fact

After more than 30 years as a tugboat captain in Dulac, La., Linus Parfait finally decided to retire and enjoy the life of a recreational fisherman. Though his hearing was failing him, likely because of the 30+ years of blaring the screeching whistle of the tugboat, Mr. Parfait was none the worse for wear.

In August 2005, he and his Dulac neighbors fled for higher ground as Hurricane Katrina bore down on the Louisiana Gulf coast. After returning to a surprising sight – Katrina had left little damage to his property – he soon took that same evacuation route with his daughter Amanda to a family member’s house in Mississippi ahead of Hurricane Rita’s landfall.

Unfortunately for the Parfait family, Rita was much less gentile on their property, flooding Mr. Parfait’s home. In the next few months, Mr. Parfait, a 75-year-old gentleman who had lived in his home since 1957, did what he could to clean up. With the help of family and neighbors, Mr. Parfait and Co. tore out the sheetrock, painted all of the walls, and made other minor repairs.

By April, the house was nearly finished. However, while cleaning up the porch after completing some work one fateful afternoon, Mr. Parfait’s whole world became a blur, and then became blank. A neighbor from across the street noticed Mr. Parfait slouched over on the ground and called 911. By the time he arrived at the hospital, Mr. Parfait had no movement in his right arm and right had. Mr. Parfait had suffered a stroke.

Amanda Parfait, Mr. Parfait’s daughter who lives with him in his home, is sure of what caused her father’s medical problems.

“I think all of the stress having to evacuate twice for two hurricanes and then spending months trying to repair his house, I think that led to the stroke and his health problems,” Ms. Parfait said. “He was helping put up the walls and things like that. He was just going as much as he could. When the stroke happened we were doing the finishing touches with the home repairs.”

To add insult to injury, Mr. Parfait, who was progressing well in physical therapy, suffered a second stroke a few months later.

In a matter of months Mr. Parfait went from highly capable to a man who needed home health nurses to assist him several times a week. He was also placed on a steady dose of medication to limit the chances of additional strokes.

As life was getting back to normal, or as close to normal as it was going to ever be, the hurricane season of 2008 reached its peak. It was déjà vu, as Hurricane Gustav chased the Parfaits back out of town.

“We evacuated to Mississippi for Gustav,” said Ms. Parfait. “When we finally got back home we had roof damage but no water damage. We got home on a Monday and then on that Friday we had to leave again because of Ike. We were gone for three or four days and had to stay with my brother during the evacuation. We had 3.5 feet of water in the house during Ike, so then we had to stay with my sister until November because of the damage.”

The severe damage caused by Hurricane Ike forced the Parfait family to once again reach into their pockets to perform the costly home repairs.

“After Ike we didn’t get anything from FEMA because we didn’t have flood insurance,” said Ms. Parfait. “We were supposed to but my dad didn’t. He’s on a fixed income. There was no way at the time. Insurance is very, very expensive. It just wasn’t an option at the time.

“We just manage on a budget. We know what we can spend and what we can’t spend. Doctor bills can be overwhelming, but you just have to set up payment plans and try to take care of them. It’s hard when prices just keep going up. Sometimes you barely make enough to pay the bills. This home repair work is very expensive.”

With the help of his son and assistance from the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps’ Home Repair Assistance Program, the interior of Mr. Parfait’s home was redone, the house was elevated in an effort to avoid future floods, steps and railings were built onto the house, and a new septic tank, along with the associated plumbing, was installed.

After returning home in November, the pair left again in January so that repair work could be completed. Mr. Parfait and his daughter returned home for good in April 2009, praying intently for a break from any future hurricanes. Mother Nature had already taken a great toll on the Parfait family, even long after the winds calmed and the water receded.

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Gary Pierre -- Filling the Gaps

Gary Pierre and his family are well-known in their Lacombe, La., neighborhood. Mr. Pierre, a gregarious 46-year old man who refuses to let the fact that he is wheel-chair bound from multiple sclerosis dampen his spirits, can typically be seen conversing with neighbors or visiting with one of his eight brothers and sisters.

He also lives with and cares for his 78-year-old mother, Velma Pierre, who suffers from diabetes, among other illnesses.

All was well until August 29, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina caused damage to their home’s roof and ensuing water damage ruined the sheetrock.

With the family on a fixed income and unable to do much of the repair work themselves, they turned to volunteer organizations and others to provide assistance in making their home habitable once again.

“We did a lot of work on the house after Katrina,” Mr. Pierre said. “Fortunately we had a lot of groups come in. Some church groups came in and people from Ace Hardware came in and helped us rip the walls out. We also had a group come in called Rent A Husband and they got all the sheetrock and got all the walls back up. In about three weeks it was ready to live in.

“If it wasn’t for the volunteers we would not have been able to come back in after Katrina.”

Like many elderly and disabled citizens impacted by the hurricanes, the Pierres simply did not have the resources to invest in tens of thousands of dollars worth of home repairs. And with prices for supplies, labor, and other necessities skyrocketing due to high demand, those items became even more out of reach for a family living on a fixed income and barely making ends meet prior to the hurricanes.

“I’m living off my little minimal income and support from my family and friends,” Mr. Pierre admitted. “They really take care of me and take care of my mother.”

With only limited resources, many families like the Pierres were forced to turn to non-profit organizations and volunteer groups to fill the gaps between what they could afford and the realities of the cost of making expensive home repairs.

Despite the struggles, the Pierres were finally able to get back in their house thanks to donated supplies and work provided by the volunteers. However, Mother Nature dealt Louisiana another crippling blow a few years later when hurricanes Gustav and Ike slammed into the state, leaving trails of destruction in their wakes.

Once again, the Pierre Family fell victim to Mother Nature’s wrath.
“After we finally got back in the house, Gustav and Ike came in and gave us 6-8 inches of water,” explained Mr. Pierre. “They did more damage to the floors than anything else. It shifted everything and made the floors uneven.”

Once again, the Pierres were left in limbo. Their house uninhabitable for a second time, they were again forced to take refuge with family and friends. But this time, the damage was more severe with foundational damage to the structure of the home.

Forced to deal with the very real possibility of having to move out of his home for good, Mr. Pierre was told about the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps’ Homeowner Repair Grant program which provides up to $25,000 worth of home repairs for qualifying clients utilizing funds from the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency.

Upon inspecting Mr. Pierre’s home, Donald Robinson, Program Manager for the Homeowner Repair Grant program, and project contractor Paul Mistretta quickly came to one conclusion.

“To do $25,000 worth of repairs on this home would be like putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound,” said Mr. Robinson.

One of the major advantages of service programs executed by non-profit organizations as opposed to a governmental program is the flexibility and individual attention that can be provided by the non-profit. Often, based on volunteer man-hours and donated resources, non-profits and volunteer organizations can stretch the value of a dollar to increase the overall value of the project.

“Instead of simply putting $25,000 worth of work into the home, we worked with our partners at Northshore Disaster Recovery Inc. and Mistretta Builders and Repair Inc. to determine what it would take to simply do a new rebuild as opposed to trying to repair the original home,” said Mr. Robinson. “We all came to the conclusion that a rebuild was the best alternative and we devised a way for all of our organizations to participate in really doing something special for this family for their long-term recovery. So, along with funds from ICC, we are going to work together to tear down Mr. Pierre’s old home and build him a new one.”

Something that Mr. Pierre never dreamed would happen.

“It’s just been a struggle as far as getting everything together and constantly having to move around among my family,” said Mr. Pierre. “And there’s so much paperwork to go through with my home because my dad passed away 12 years ago and the house was in his name. We never officially put it in my name or my mother’s name, so we had to go through the secession paperwork and make sure everything was in order so we could apply for ICC, Road Home, and other grants. They’re not going to work with you until you have everything legal and taken care of.

“All I’m trying to do is make the standard of living good for my mother and myself and make sure she’s comfortable. My family’s helping out right now. My mother’s 78 years old and she’s a diabetic and has hypertension. She’s doing well. We try to keep her health and her strength up and keep her going. Right now the assistance we’re receiving in getting a newly built house is God’s blessing for us. It really is.”

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Edward Fitch -- Meeting New Regulations Burdens Disabled, Elderly

For those living near Louisiana’s Gulf coast, riding out hurricanes has been a way of life. For many, such storms have been a mere nuisance. But that all changed in 2005 when the two most powerful hurricanes to ever hit Louisiana struck the state within a month of each other, causing catastrophic damage and leaving the entire region reeling.

In the fishing community of Dulac, La., very few were braced for the powerful punches that were to come. In fact, most considered themselves lucky that the impact of Hurricane Katrina was relatively light given Dulac’s proximity to the storm’s path and the wrath felt in nearby communities.

However, Dulac wasn’t so fortunate when Rita came calling. While Rita’s eye went ashore well west of the community, the storm surge and treacherous thunderstorms in the storm’s northeast quadrant flooded the entire area and caused wind damage to many of the community’s structures.

Though nearly four years later most homes in Dulac are elevated eight feet in the air, that was not always the case. Most homes were not elevated in 2005, and the surge of water from the Gulf of Mexico poured muddy water into homes up and down Shrimper’s Row.

One of those homes belonged to Edward and Eva May Fitch. Never thinking they would be forced to evacuate, the Fitches ended up leaving the area for both Katrina and Rita and then again three years later for hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

After suffering a back injury at work in 1992, Mr. Fitch is unable to work and received disability benefits. Mrs. Fitch is also disabled and suffers from diabetes, two bad knees, and a painful hip.

Upon cleaning up from Katrina and Rita, the Fitches made the decision not to elevate their home, as ascending the stairs multiple times every day would have been too much for either to handle. Additionally, with the family on a fixed income, the thought of spending $8,000 - $10,000 to elevate their home was inconceivable.

“Oh Lord, everything is expensive,” said Mr. Fitch. “It’s hard being on a fixed income.”

With the assistance of family and friends, the clean-up after Rita was finally finished and the husband and wife settled back into their comfortable surroundings. But that didn’t last long, as in 2008 hurricanes Gustav and Ike roared ashore, again forcing evacuations. This time Ike flooded the Fitch home again with about six inches of water.

Not up to the task and out of money, Mr. Fitch was unable to repair his home given his available resources. He had to once again consider elevating his home in order to avoid future flooding. By this time, however, elevated homes were the norm in Dulac and those who refused to elevate were denied flood insurance.

Mr. Fitch and his wife finally relented. They agreed elevating their home was the right thing to do and figured they could manage to manipulate the stairs everyday if it meant having peace of mind regarding their home and any future storms.

The Fitches sought out FEMA for assistance with funds to put toward the elevation project, but the home was not covered under homeowners’ insurance because the Fitches were unable to afford the annual payments; therefore, Mr. Fitch was told by FEMA that he did not qualify for the Road Home program.

“The one thing that really got me was FEMA,” said Mr. Fitch. “FEMA didn’t want to help us at all. I went with my application to get help and every time they denied me. I was trying to get Road Home money, but when I went they told me they weren’t taking anymore applications. They said they were going to try to get some more money but they never did call me.”

Fortunately he was able to receive assistance through the Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) flood insurance program. The ICC program is for homeowners in high-risk areas, also known as special flood hazard areas. The program provides insurance funds of up to $30,000 to help pay costs of bringing homes or businesses into compliance with floodplain ordinances for the community in which the homeowner lives or businessperson has his/her business.

In the Fitches’ case, the ICC program paid for their home to be elevated.

“The only assistance I got is through the ICC insurance to raise the house,” Mr. Fitch stated. “But the rest of it ya’ll did it for me. If you wouldn’t have come and helped me, I wouldn’t have what I have. They put another floor in and fixed my ceiling.”

Additionally, funds from the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps through its Housing Repair Assistance Program allowed for the installation of a mechanical lift at the Fitches’ home so the couple could get up and down without having to use the stairs.

“I was told about the work that ya’ll were doing and that really helped us out a whole bunch. I appreciate everything that ya’ll have done because if I had done it out of my pocket, I would have never been able to do it,” an emotional Mrs. Fitch added.

While the prudent measure was to elevate the home to avoid any further damage from flooding, the unintended consequences left the Fitches potentially unable to remain in their home because of their disabilities.

“We don’t have the ability to move out,” claimed Mr. Fitch. “We’re both disabled and we don’t have the funds to move out and reestablish our lives. I don’t plan on ever moving.”

However, without the mechanical lift installed using funds from the Recovery Corps, a longtime Dulac family would have been forced to make one of the most difficult decisions of their lives.


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Helen Jones -- An Emotional Toll

Those homeowners still bouncing around between temporary housing stops tell tales of emotional strife. For Helen Jones, a client participating in the Recovery Corps’ Homeowner Repair Grant program, the constant moving around keeps her on the emotional edge everyday.

A homeowner of six years, Ms. Jones, a single 51-year old living in Slidell, La., has sought refuge at her sister’s house, her uncle’s house, the homes of her two daughters, and others. But while she is grateful for the hospitality, the months and years of sleeping on sofas is wearing thin.

Fighting through tears, Ms. Jones tells of the emotional strife that fills her post-Katrina life.

“It’s awful, it’s terrible,” said Ms. Jones as tears rolled down her face. “I’m pulled this way and that way and bounce around and around but don’t have anywhere to call home. I have a house, but I cannot live there. I have no real home right now.”

Ms. Jones resides in St. Tammany Parish, one of the most expensive places to find rental options in the United States. According to analysis by the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, 61% of all renters in St. Tammany Parish are paying unaffordable housing costs (greater than 30% of a household’s monthly income).

In St. Tammany Parish, the Area Mean Income is $59,800, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. According to federal standards, a household in St. Tammany Parish making $17,940 or less annually would be considered to be an extremely low income (ELI) household. Because of a recent back injury, Ms. Jones receives only about $1,000 per month from workers comp, which represents her only income.

Given her $1,200 monthly rent note, Ms. Jones falls within the growing group of Americans in the ELI category who face an ever-growing gap in being able to find affordable rental options.

“Before the storm everything was great,” Ms. Jones noted. “Even after the storm I was able to work two jobs and able to make ends meet. I am a Certified Nursing Assistant and worked at two different places in Slidell. But since I hurt my back all I get is about a thousand dollars a month and that’s it. That’s all I have.”

In addition to trying to pay $1,200 for rent and the monthly cost of utilities at her apartment in Slidell, Ms. Jones also is responsible for a $635 monthly mortgage and an electric bill at a house in which she cannot live.

“I’m behind on everything, even my mortgage,” she admitted. “That’s a major part of the stress. How am I going to be able to afford everything, even after I get back into my house? Everything I had I spent on trying to get by these past years and doing what I could on my own with repairs to my house.”

The Recovery Corps is leading a project that is making more than $38,000 worth of repairs to Ms. Jones’ home using funds granted to the organization by the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency. Improvements to Ms. Jones’ home include removing and replacing molded sheetrock, replacing insulation, removing ceramic tile from the bottom floor, leveling the bathroom floor and installing new ceramic tile, installing 18 feet of kitchen cabinets and countertops, installing bathroom vanities and countertops, installing toilets, bathtubs, and sinks, removing and replacing laminate wood floors, and trimming the entire house.

In the meantime, Ms. Jones must continue to try to make it through a situation which she admits has been physically and emotionally scarred.

“You just kick around and kick around and try to keep going,” she said, again on the verge of an emotional breakdown. “I’m stressed and it’s hectic. You never have any peace because you’re staying on somebody’s couch. And now I’m renting but I cannot afford to keep paying it so I’ll have to again find somewhere else to stay until my house is completed. But even then, there’s going to be a long way to go because I haven’t even started to recover yet.”

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Larry Martin -- Needs far Exceed Available Resources

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused major to severe damage or destroyed more than 122,000 homes in Louisiana, of which 38,000 were owned by low-to-moderate income homeowners, according to FEMA. Further, of the more than 82,000 major to severely damaged or destroyed rental units across the state, only two in five affordable damaged rental units will be repaired or replaced with federal recovery assistance, according to PolicyLink’s A Long Way Home: The State of Housing Recovery in Louisiana 2008. That report also states that in New Orleans, just over one in three damaged or destroyed affordable rental units will receive federal recovery assistance, leaving critically vulnerable those displaced renters or homeowners seeking to rent while repairs are made to their homes.

Thousands of private homeowners faced gaps in recovery resources and insurance money received compared to the actual costs of rebuilding and repairing their properties. As a result, these individuals were forced to repair their homes with their own resources or seek assistance from other sources, such as non-profit organizations.

The Recovery Corps’ home repair programs and other similar programs executed by non-profit organizations throughout the state helped to rebuild thousands of homes of low- and moderate-income homeowners who depleted their available insurance proceeds or Road Home grants or who were victims of contractor fraud. While serving a vast array of Louisianians, these programs most often focused on assisting the elderly, disabled, or families with children – the most vulnerable populations in the state.

But, until needed repairs could be completed either by the homeowner or by non-profits, usually many months and even years after the storms, displaced families were forced to seek alternate housing options. Often that meant either staying with friends or relatives or renting until the needed repairs could be completed.

When this population of impacted citizens combined with those Louisiana residents whose pre-storm housing was totally destroyed and those out-of-towners who came to the region to assist with the rebuilding efforts, an already short supply of affordable housing turned into a humanitarian crisis.

And, as always, when demand far outstrips available supply, prices skyrocket, and such has been the case with rental properties in Louisiana.

Larry Martin quickly learned the realities associated with post-Katrina and Rita housing first-hand. Mr. Martin, a resident of the small shrimping community of Dulac near the Louisiana coast, saw his home nearly disappear as Hurricane Rita roared ashore. The storm surge nearly covered his entire home and the damage caused by the standing water, along with the ensuing mold and mildew, forced his home to have to be entirely gutted all the way down to the frame.

Mr. Martin, who suffered a double whammy when his business, the community’s auto repair shop, also received extensive damage, lost all of his family’s possessions and faced the daunting prospect of tearing down and rebuilding on his family’s limited personal resources.

“It was devastating,” said Mr. Martin when describing the destruction of the entire Dulac community. “There were so many people affected. It was a massive disaster. It takes time, but I never thought it would ever take as long as it did.”

Mr. Martin spent approximately three years trying to rebuild his home with little progress. Not only did he also have to focus on getting his business back operational so that he would have an income stream – it took six months to finally re-open his shop -- but he and his family were also forced to find temporary housing until their home could again be habitable.

While business was slow to return – Mr. Martin admits that many in Dulac had to focus on repairing their shrimp boats before worrying about their vehicles so that they, too, could regain their income source in order to have the resources to repair their homes – Mr. Martin also faced the harsh reality of having to pay exorbitant rates at an apartment more than 30 miles away from his home and work.

“It was extremely tough on me and my family,” said Mr. Martin, a client of the Recovery Corps’ Home Repair Assistance Program. “Having to live in town (Thibodaux, La.) and drive back and forth, it made it more difficult to rebuild my home and my business.

“And then the rent payments – if I would not have had to pay rent, or as expensive a rent – I truly believe I would have been back in my home much sooner and would have been able to take care of many of the repairs myself.”

Mr. Martin paid $1,200 a month for an apartment for his family while living in Thibodaux. He estimates that he spent $40,000 - $50,000 on rent alone in the time he was displaced from his house.

The Recovery Corps began repair work on Mr. Martin’s home in February 2009 and by April he was finally back in his house, more than three years after Hurricane Rita nearly demolished it completely.

Though he still faces housing issues – Mr. Martin’s home is one of the few on his street that has not yet been raised and he is fighting with FEMA to get that done before he can acquire flood insurance – Mr. Martin’s resiliency and that of the Dulac community has kept him from entertaining thoughts of leaving.

“My brothers and sisters moved away after the hurricane and never came back,” said Mr. Martin, “but I don’t think I will ever leave. I was born and raised here. We’ll do whatever it takes to make it work. This is all we know.”

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A letter from Ms. Shirley Rainwater to Senator Mary Landrieu

Senator Mary Landrieu
328 Hart Senate Office Building,
District of Columbia 20510-1804

Dear Senator Landrieu,

I, Shirley Rainwater, a citizen of Louisiana, wish to express the deep appreciation for the help received from the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps for repairs to my home which occurred during Hurricane Rita. I am a disabled widow living on a set income. I had little hope of my home being repaired until I received your help.

My daughter, Belinda Wilson, was given the privilege of working for you. She expresses how much she enjoyed working there and what a good person you are. I understand my name came up when Belinda was asked how her family from Louisiana was faring after the hurricane. She expressed the devastation I was still living in because of needed home repairs. It wasn’t long before the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps called me and began action.

My gratitude goes out to the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, Road Home, FEMA, and all of the other programs set up in Louisiana to help the citizens get back to life. I contribute this to your good leadership in our state. We weren’t prepared for the devastation that came to Louisiana and the surrounding states because in previous years we had no need to be. I feel now we are prepared for any future disasters. I realize there are still many hurting people, but I feel confident we will get back to our previous state. It was a privilege working with good people, especially Julie Giordano at the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps. All of the people involved were so understand while repairs were being made. I know with a Senator like you we can face whatever the future brings and rise above the past.

I have received so many compliments on the outside of my home and I am proud to tell them who is responsible. I am proud to be a citizen of Louisiana and I know with God’s help and our capable leadership we will once again be proud of our state and our landmarks like New Orleans.

I know your job must be stressful, but thank you for caring enough to be elected for another term. Keep up the good work and God bless you and our country.

Sincerely,

Shirley Rainwater

. . . . . . . . . .

Billy Price -- Second chances, post-Katrina

By the time he reached his late 20s, Billy Price had traveled all around the country. When the carnival he worked for stopped in New Orleans, he liked the city so much that he decided to make it his home.  But, Billy never imagined the devastation that would be seen by his adopted city after Hurricane Katrina.

Katrina also left Billy with no more than the clothes on his back. After the storm hit, he lived in six different places over the next year until finally settling into an apartment  in Baker, La., with help from the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps.

It was a long road to get to that point.

“FEMA wouldn’t help me at first because I couldn’t prove my residency in New Orleans. I had been renting a room, and I couldn’t find my landlord. And, all of my papers had been destroyed in the storm,” he said.

A caseworker with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, a Louisiana Family Recovery Corps case management agency, worked with Billy to get an identification card, clothes and food.  Catholic Charities also referred Billy to a dentist. When it was time for Billy to move into the apartment, the agency provided him with furniture and appliances. Through the Recovery Corps, security deposits for the apartment and utilities were taken care of.

“I’m very grateful. I wasn’t expecting them to be able to help me. I was ready to give up, but something told me to keep pushing forward,” he said.

Billy loves his new apartment as well as his neighborhood. Most of all, he’s able to once again enjoy his favorite pastime — cooking. He also has a job that he loves at a nearby fast food restaurant.

“I’ve asked God why he spared me from the storm. The answer I got back is that there’s a purpose for me,” he said. “It makes me feel good to know that people gave me a chance.”

. . . . . . . . . .

Della Demarest -- Going home, for good

In 2004, Della Demarest bought her dream house in Westlake, La. What happened over the next few years was more like a nightmare.

When Hurricane Rita was making its way to Southwest Louisiana in 2005, Della and her children, Lillie Ann and Thomas, evacuated to Ponchatoula to stay with a family friend. When they returned home three weeks later, they discovered what heavy winds can do to a roof — and the water damage that results. 

“There were water spots all over the ceilings, lights had stopped working and the carpet was ruined,” Della said.

The family also lost photographs, clothing and other personal items due to water damage.

At the time, Della was going through a divorce, which made her financial situation a difficult one. She had trouble getting money from The Road Home, because the house was in her name but her estranged husband was still living there. She and her children stayed with a relative for a while until they were able to reclaim their home.

Della filled out an application at a local housing center, which forwarded her request to Rebuilding Together Calcasieu, a 14-year-old organization in the area. Eventually, Rebuilding Together was able to help the Demarest family.

“We were having a huge rebuilding effort in the fall of 2007, and we had received a grant from the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps that could be used for roofs,” Shavannah Last Name? of Rebuilding Together said.

The Demarest home was one of 31 that benefited from the organization’s roof repair effort. Once Rebuilding Together’s volunteers got started, a new roof was up in about two weeks.

“I was very pleased. We are very blessed. I have recommended Rebuilding Together Calcasieu to others,” Della said. “I told the kids that one day everything would be back together, and Rebuilding Together did that for us. Every day we would come home and something new would be done. My son would ask ‘Mom, are you going to cry again?’”

The house is a special place for Della. Four years ago, when the family was househunting, the feeling of “home” enveloped her as soon as she entered the living room. After a divorce, a major hurricane and all the stresses that life as a single mother can bring, Della knows she’s still right where she should be.

“The mortgage company has worked with me to get caught up on the payments that my ex-husband neglected while he was living here,” Della said. “I am so grateful for everything.

With the power of prayer and the right people, Della now has a brand new roof as well as new ceiling tiles, new wood floors (a longtime dream) and freshly painted walls — sponsored by another charitable organization.

“It’s nice to come home now. It was my first home and it’s going to be my last,” she said.

Life for Della and her children is looking good. Since the storm, Della started a new that she loves and the children are settled back at their own school.  All three are thrilled with the home repairs; they are even hoping to do more renovations themselves in the future. Della, Lillie Ann and Thomas are also considering a new addition: A family dog.

“We want one that’s already housebroken,” Della said. “I don’t want anything messing up my new floors!”

. . . . . . . . . .

Arcenia Crayton -- Turning tragedy to service for others

After evacuating to Baker, La., to escape Hurricane Katrina, Arcenia Crayton and her family were stunned while watching TV coverage of the storm’s aftermath. She thought to herself, “I feel so bad for those people,” as she saw images of flooded neighborhoods. Arcenia believed she would be going home.

A few weeks later, the Craytons went back to their house on the Westbank of New Orleans to discover that it, too, had flooded. Needless to say, Arcenia wasn’t prepared for what she saw.

“The news coverage hadn’t said that parts of the Westbank had flooded,” she explained. “I had been working extra shifts as a nurse to help send my sons to college. You prepare for life — college, car trouble, family vacations. I wasn’t prepared to lose everything we had. You don’t save enough to replace everything you’ve ever owned.”

The floodwater had swelled to five feet. The house and its contents were drenched and covered in mold.  Everything had been lost.
Arcenia and her family stayed with relatives in Baker until a trailer at FEMA’s Renaissance Village was made available. “When I got that phone call, I was elated,” she said. “But, later, I was just as elated to get out.”

Though it wasn’t easy, Arcenia’s stay at the trailer park had its blessings. While helping children at the park get to the bus stop one day, her caring spirit got noticed. A director of Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana told Arcenia that they were about to start up an after-school program at the park. Arcenia was offered a job as manager for the program. She’s now been in that position for over a year.

“I never thought I would have such fulfillment. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to nursing. I prefer working with the kids,” Arcenia said. “Our program is very unique. There aren’t many activities for children here, but the program allows them the chance to explore different things: Art, sports, computers. I tell the kids to keep their minds open — you never know what you’re going to like.”

The anticipated closure date for Renaissance Village is May 31, 2008, but Arcenia hopes that the program will still be able to help the soon-to-be-former residents.
“With all the trauma those children have been through after the storm, we’re one thing that has been consistent,” she said.

In the fall of 2007, the Craytons began making their transition from living in a trailer at Renaissance Village to getting settled in a leased home with an option to buy. A Louisiana Family Recovery Corps case management agency, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, helped with security deposits.

Arcenia then spent several agonizing months trying to furnish the home. A meeting with Recovery Corps staff helped her find other available resources for needs such as furniture and appliances. Eventually, the Craytons had beds to sleep on as well as a refrigerator. Arcenia is confident that with hard work and the right contacts, she can help her family regain a “normal” life.

“I’m the first one to say ‘Nobody owes you anything.’ I believe that you have to work for what you want. The only thing you get is life and death; what happens in the middle is up to you,” Arcenia said. “I haven’t been looking for a handout, just a hand up.”