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Hurricane Katrina  

   Katrina Video   

I am going to start this with a mention of my dear friends at MTS2 because after all this is an online blog for the Sims2 which I have incorporated real life after Katrina into due to their loving concern. Of course Family and friends we are grateful to as well and are mentioned below but as mentioned this is a Sims2 blog.

My online friends at MTS2 have gone above and beyond with their support as well as their wish's. These folks of everyone touched our heart the most. Not because of dollar amounts but because of the facts that are behind there generosity and thoughts. I work with these folks daily on projects at the MTS2 website in which I am honored to also be a moderator for. Not a single one of them had I ever looked in the eye in person but yet they took me under there wings and stood me back on their feet while we waited and still wait for government help. There is no way I can express what it felt like to read the thread started by our dear friend "Delphy" and "tdkJunkie": "JWoods and Family are Alive". There is also no way to express what the thread started by "Blobishman" containing the heart wrenching object the "Think Bubble" made us feel like. Then there is my pal and another hero of mine "LyricLee" who headed the donations and took numerous messages and guided folks to our paypal. She was also one who rebuilt my confidence and eased my mind. She made me feel ok with accepting the help from our beloved MTS2 members in which they so badly wanted to give. There are my two best friends from the "Dream Team", a name I gave to the team I assembled for the "Grand Trianon" collection, "Numenor" and "Peter Halland". It wasn't only the mere fact of their enormous generosity but for the correspondence and continuous words of wisdom. I also can't miss Delphy and tkdJunkie who started the wonderful and heart felt thread for the Katrina victims. tkdJunkie has put such  loving and caring post's into that thread it will never be forgotten. I will also list below the other generous and wisdom wielding folks from MTS2 who helped bring my confidence and strength back with words and help.

Delphy, JustKathy and Eric, tkdJunkie, CynicalChic, Debwildo, Tiggerypum, Reggie2264, IngeJones, Ladydrb58, Fireflies, Firespring, Reggie2264, Whytewolfsangel, Dolldrms1, Lady De, Rhondalatte, Shamrockpog, Dylan, P A Rispin, XTS, Spiritwolf,.... I think at this point after looking in my contact list and the threads finding names I have to stop listing these folks. Why because maybe it is best to let you all do what I just did (9/25/05- 10:40 A.M.) and take a look at these two threads. I reread again and again I am filled with tears of gratefulness to you all. When you get overwhelmed with the rotten aspects covered by the news or feel the human race is overwhelmed with bad folks go to one of these threads and learn what I have:

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=87245&page=1&pp=25

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=88748

A basic Idea of what it was like

In the days before hurricane Katrina I had spoken with family and friends as well as many friends from MTS2 (The greatest Sims2 site in the world). I assured all of them that my family and I would be ok riding out the monster storm. I had seen my share of storms, small hurricanes, blizzards and ice storms being that I was born and raised in New England. I was half right as we rode out the fierce hurricane with courage though every tree in our dense surrounding were snapped in half like twigs. As the storm seemed to slow up after what seemed like days I finally said to my wife, "I am going to get some rest. I went up to bed only to be awoken 15-20 minutes later to her voice shouting, "wake up, wake up it's starting again and the water is rising. I jumped out of bed and looked out the window to see that there was not the original 3 1/2 feet of water anymore, there was at least 4 1/2 and it was rising quick. I told the kids to stay upstairs and ran down stairs and noticed the water was bubbling up through the carpet. I hurried trying to grab all that I could carry to the second floor. I saved some things like the computer I am typing on but 15 minutes proved to be to little time to get more then a few trips. I tried to heave the sofa couch up onto the end tables to keep it dry and did the same with the kitchen chairs. I tried in vain to save what I could by elevating it but it turned out not to matter as the water rose to 5 feet in total in the house. The two town house buildings in which I managed were built up 4 feet so in total we had about 9 feet of water as far as the eye could see. It took 3 1/2 days for the water to recede from the house and at this time we were low on food and water. I had no choice but to wade through the remaining water outside to high ground where I could start my hunt for amenities. The first day was very hot about 95 degree's and if you know anything about southeast Louisiana then you know how high the humidity can get. Lets just say that the 20 or more blocks I walked were the hottest I ever experienced. I finally located a gas station that was getting rid of its nonperishable items to avoid the inevitable looting that would take place in the days to come. The store owner would only let 2 people in the store at a time so after an hour in the long line I had thoughts of giving up. I knew I couldn't as it was important for my families survival. Just that moment I heard a voice saying "anyone need food or water?". I looked around and no one budged as they feared loosing their place in line. I took the chance and walked to the truck which had a boat trailer on the back. Sure enough some kind private citizen who owned the truck handed me a huge 24 pack of water and then two loose bottles that he instructed me to drink right away. I sipped some from one bottle and then laced one in each of my back pockets. He then saw my free hand and handed me two cans of soup. I thanked him with my heart and I am sure he saw in my eye's what it meant to me as well. I started to walk past the folks in line and when they saw me they rushed the truck and emptied it before I walked 25 feet by. I began to walk briskly as I feared someone would try to steal it from me out of desperation. I guess now is a good time to explain that two years prior I had shattered a disc in my back. I had surgery to remove the fragments but there was another bulging that needed surgery to repair as well. To be honest I couldn't tell you that for one instant of the 9 days total that it hurt as I felt nothing for those days. I continued my journey home in and out of down trees and power lines. I stared in amazement at the 3 plus tree knocked down on every home in the dense area I walked. I then saw an older couple on there roof struggling to place a tarp on a huge hole in their roof made by a tree that laid across it. I couldn't stop to help them I as I knew it was important to get home to my wife and children. In stead I grabbed the two water bottles from my back pocket and yelled up to them "here!", I tossed the bottles of cold water up and luckily they caught themselves on the bunched up tarp I aimed at. They thanked me as I kept going to get home. I saw so many people behind the piles of trees looking around like they were lost but I couldn't stop and give them all the water my family needed. As I neared my neighborhood I walked faster as I was proud and excited like an old pioneer coming home with his kill for the day. Finally after three hours I opened the door to see the real hero with a bucket of water scrubbing the muddy floor, my wife Lisa. My children were in good spirits as their wonderful mother convinced them of what fun it would be to camp in for many days. She washed everything in the bottom floor of that home every day until we were finally rescued. She kept the kids in good spirits daily and to me that is what a real hero is. Everyday to follow contained one to three walks that were similar. After a few days the streets were finally clear enough for cars to actually get around and finally there were some MRE's and other necessities were being passed out at an old closed up Wal-Mart parking lot. It was about 6 miles away and when I could I caught a ride with one tenant who had a vehicle. When I went with him we picked up double loads of ice, water, food and, even baby supplies. When we returned from these trips I would stop at each of the remaining tenants homes giving them an equal share of what I had brought back. I gave all the baby supplies to the one tenant who had an infant as my memories of having infants was vivid. On the Thursday following the hurricane the owner of the building had finally come to view the damage to her buildings and dropped off a small generator for us to use. This was the same woman who told us she would stop to pick us up if she had in fact evacuated. This the same woman who I was employed by who also claimed my wife was her best friend. Why do I mention her this ? Because a few hours into the storm we received a phone call from her asking how the buildings were holding up. I asked her why she didn't call us before she evacuated as she mentioned. She claimed she left at 4:00 A.M. and didn't think we would be up. I most likely would have stayed but of course I would have wanted my wife and two daughters evacuated to a safe place. Sometimes learning who your real friends are happens in situations like this. I didn't evacuate my family to a shelter initially because I knew the conditions in the shelters in the area would be worse then what any storm could deliver though I didn't expect them to be like the horror stories we all heard about on the news. Again we were lucky because home was still a better place and my wife Lisa made sure of it. Though the areas under the stairs and other closed in places were no doubt beginning to grow mold she had the entire lower floor cleaned. We tore the carpets out and emptied the refrigerator on day four when we could actually get to it. none of the other tenants did this on their own. I went door to door seeing these folks homes still a mess, still with refrigerators on their backs with food in them. they were sitting on sofas and chairs that were soaked. They hadn't removed any of their destroyed and wet furniture but yet they were going about in the lower floors as if nothing happened. I finally decided to go door to door and explain to these people what the outcome would be if they didn't empty refrigerators, remove the soggy carpet's and destroyed belongings. I also explained to them what my wife had been doing each and every day. She used bleach in a bucket of water and scrubbed the floors, walls and anything she could every day. She emptied every cabinet, draw and closet of anything the water had touched and bagged it up for me to take outside. Any food items canned or not had to be thrown away because it was touched by the contaminated flood water. Finally these folks started to take this seriously as one of the older folks and the infant I spoke of earlier came down with fevers. The most depressing part of these days was the fact that none of the able bodied adults took those walks for supplies, they waited for hand outs. They must have saw as I did that there was no help coming anytime soon. We saw one police boat the second night which I directed to take an older couple out. These folks ended up coming back from the shelter because of the terrible conditions. Finally after the water in the streets were low enough we heard the phone ring, it was my father. We had dial tones and could talk with one tenant three doors down but couldn't dial out at all the whole time. My wife dashed to the phone and the emotion we blocked for days from our children finally came out. I am a pretty hardened person but hearing my dads cracked and tearful voice broke me down. I knew that my ensuring we would be ok initially couldn't keep my folks from being worried sick. After that phone call we received a call from my brother also in Rhode Island and then a call came in from our old neighbors across the street who thank god moved a year before to northern Texas. They explained how they saw a message on T.V. that my brother placed looking for me and my family. They posted their cell phone for my brother to contact them and then called us asking if we wanted to get out. My friend Gene (my old neighbor) offered to drive the some 11 hours to rescue us. My wife tearfully accepted and though I felt I needed to stay behind and watch after the remaining tenants I knew it was better to stay with my wife and kids to avoid further stress on them. The next evening was the last evening of hell there in Slidell. The evenings which I haven't described yet were the scariest even for a grown man. I slept maybe 2 hours in the early mornings as I stayed up to stand guard of what we had left and the generator. I also had a lid to a big toy bin from the girls room which I used to hand fan my wife and children so they could sleep. The air at night after day time heating and the high humidity was stagnant. It was a joy to do this because they really deserved a good nights sleep. My wife's hard work all day and my children exceptional good behavior and spirit made my days that much easier. On the final day before Gene got there to bring us to safety the inevitable happened. My wife had noticed a strange car and its passenger looking into the windows of our previously drowned vehicles. Then a woman came and knocked on the door telling me that these folks were trying to get into the vehicles and approached my truck. Another mentioned they were taking the batteries from the vehicles. I ran out the door and across the parking lot after these folks in a rage. This was kind of a funny little stunt because as I dashed to the door I yelled to my wife "call the police and grab my bat for me!" then ran out the door without my bat. Chasing criminals with a bad back and no weapon wasn't one of my brightest moves but at least it scared them away.

Well, there's a lot I left out due to the 3 weeks that have passed since the storm and being worn out from typing this story so many times. Below I have pasted a letter My wife wrote to FEMA which explains what things have been like from her point of view since we have been here in Texas.

FEMA letter written by my wife, Lisa:

To whom it may concern,

  My name is Lisa, am a resident of Slidell, La., St. Tammany Parish. I live with my husband who is disabled with a back injury and our two children, Kailey, age 6 and Karley, age 4.

We reside at 2003 7^th street Apt. 1 in Slidell, LA 70458.

We decided to stay at our residence when Hurricane Katrina approached. We felt we would be safe as our apartment was raised four feet on pilings and had a second floor.

After the hurricane passed over our area we were relieved not to sustain much damage but after 30 minutes of calm the wind changed direction and with it brought an incredible amount of water. After only fifteen minutes or so our first floor was under five feet of water. My husband and I tried frantically to carry as much as we could upstairs to keep it safe. We grabbed as much as we could and could only look on in horror as the water bubbled up through our carpet and filled our home.

We returned to the second floor with our children and prayed the water would soon stop.

The second floor was not affected by the water and luckily none of the many trees that had fallen hit our apartment.

This is where we stayed with our children for the next three and a half days. We had no power, telephone or running water at this point.

There were five other tenants who also chose to stay in their apartments. Late Monday night, on August 29^th, a Slidell police boat came by and took four tenants from two apartments to a make shift shelter at the train station. The officer asked if we wanted to go also and looking out our window and seeing so many houses buried in water up to their roofs decided that there must be other people in greater need of rescuing than ourselves and stayed at our residence. He was the last state or city official we saw.

Early the next morning the tenants who left the night before returned on foot with water up to their waist and reported there were no bathrooms at the shelter nor was there food, water or power. They also said that they spent the night sleeping on the wet grass.

This is when we decided to stay at our apartment as we at least had some food and bottled water.

When the water drained from our home forty-eight plus hours later my husband, and I started cleaning and scrubbing our home to make it somewhat fit for our children. We removed the carpeting from our living room and bleached our refrigerator, washer and dryer hoping we could save them. We then had to remove and discard all our furniture from the first floor of our apartment. We had moved our automobile to the end of our street, to a Texaco store where the land was much higher, hoping to spare it from the flood waters but was not successful and we lost our automobile as well.

 I was employed by the Saint Tammany association for retarded citizens (S.T.A.R.C.) at the time and because I went to clients homes I lost my job too. My husband, had been injured at work two years prior and had surgery on his back to repair a disc that had ruptured and is not employed. He has applied for disability and has not heard anything regarding his case.

Hurricane Katrina hit us late Sunday, August 28^th, and left us with five feet of water in our home, no power, no running water, no transportation, and no employment. It also left our six year old daughter without a school to attend or a doctor or hospital to visit.

There was nine feet of water in our parking lot and surrounding streets as far as the eye could see.

After three and a half days the water finally receded enough for my husband to start walking in search of food and water for our children.

There was a total of eleven tenants in four apartments (not counting ourselves) who stayed in their homes and most would not do the same for their children so, My husband, being the compassionate and considerate person he is, returned after walking for three hours in water that was up to his thighs and infested with snakes, oil, gasoline, and sewage to return with diapers for our neighbors children and a case of water that he shared with all the tenants. All this after having surgery two years prior, and having another disc that is bulging and in need of surgical repair. He made these walks everyday to bring back necessities for our family and our neighbors.

 When the water drained from our streets on Thursday, September 1^st, our landlord and a good friend of ours who was going to evacuate to Lafayette, La., brought us their small generator so we could power a lamp and small television in order to know what was happening in our state and where we might find some help. We were elated and petrified at the same time to have that generator as much crime was going on in our area.

Our car and several others were broken into and some batteries were stolen. We were so afraid someone would try to steal the generator from us and had to bring it indoors and not use it at night while we slept.

There were no officials in our neighborhood and our telephone, though it had a dial tone, would not make outgoing calls.

By day six, Sept. 3^rd, our phone would make a few calls, one of which was to register with FEMA. The only other number we could reach was our neighbor two doors down.

 Finally on Sept. 4^th my husbands father, Robert (in RI), contacted us by telephone and as you could imagine was very emotional as he had seen nothing but the horror on television the rest of the world saw. He told us that our friends, Gene and Angie Miller, who had lived across the street from us in Slidell and moved to Texas two years earlier, were looking for us too. They, the Millers, contacted us later that afternoon, on Sept. 4^th, and insisted they come to get us as our girls were now both sick with chest congestion.

 Gene Miller arrived the next day, Sept. 5^th, after driving all night and helped us load much of what was left of our life onto a small trailer. We went to his and his family’s home (wife Angie, son Zachary 7 and Son Alexander 7 months) in Texas.

   I contacted FEMA again on Sept. 6^th and spoke to Lucia #7545. I told her we had to leave our apartment as our children were sick and there was no way to take care of them and

that the mold was growing all around us and their condition would only worsen. We also saw on the news that the residents of St. Tammany Parish were being asked to evacuate

the area. I gave Lucia the details of our relocation such as our new temporary address and telephone number. Lucia #7545 told me there would be an inspector contacting me soon.  I told her we were in need of shelter as our area was inhabitable and she stated that because we were still in our apartment at the time I registered with FEMA that she could not change it now and I would have to wait until the inspector called and let him know about our need for shelter.

 I then contacted our landlord and told her that we were in Texas but would be returning as soon as if was safe to and power was restored. Monique Owen (landlord) then said she had asked all tenants to relocate temporarily so she could do repairs on the units as soon as her insurance company contacted her. She said those who did not comply would find their belongings in the parking lot and FEMA could deal with her.

Lucia #7545 also told me I was waiting for a form to sign via US mail before my family would receive any aid.

I waited two more days and called FEMA again on Sept. 8^th and spoke to another person whose name and number I did not get. She stated that was not waiting for a form and they (FEMA) were doing all they could. She then told me to contact the RED CROSS and wait for the inspector to contact me. I called the RED CROSS as she instructed and was told to call FEMA.

I waited a few more days and on Sept. 10^th I called FEMA again. This time I was told that no inspector was going to contact me but inspect our apartment and that when this was done I would receive a check via US mail. I made sure they had the correct address and phone number to contact me and she said she did.

Having heard no news and getting desperate as our friends who were kind enough to take us in and drive to LA. To get us had to miss their car payment and utility bills. They needed to be reimbursed for the gas to catch back up on their bills. They didn’t however mind sharing their home or food with us but are on a budget themselves trying to raise their family. As wonderful as they are for taking us in, they cannot support us long term.

On Sept. 13^th I called FEMA and spoke to Debra # 8088. Debra told me they were doing the best they could and I would just have to be patient. She then asked me to confirm my temporary address and phone number again for their records, only this time they had the correct address but the wrong telephone number (they still had the LA # on file for me).

I told my husband, what was happening with FEMA and showed him my notes. He said he would call and try to get some answers. My husband called FEMA and he told the woman all the different things I had been previously told. The woman told my husband he was being too emotional and aggressive (he was emotional but not aggressive) and recommended he get counseling. My husband then asked her for her name and number and she hung up the telephone on him.              

My husband only stated facts that I had given him as I took notes each time I spoke to a FEMA representative. As I said, he was a little emotional but this is to be expected of any father who loves his children and wants to get their lives back for them.

My husband called again and asked to speak to a supervisor and was told the inspector was dispatched in our area on Sept. 10^th and to wait a few more days for a response. She then said to call back if we did not hear from anyone. She also directed us to write this letter to FEMA and explain all that has happened since the Hurricane ruined our lives, our home and our state. She said we would not get any assistance because we left our ruined home after my initial call and sought shelter in another place other than a state set up shelter. She then told us that a letter was the only way we might receive the assistance in the form of a 2000.00 dollar check that all other victims of hurricane Katrina received or were going to receive.

We had no choice but to stay in our destroyed apartment for the six or so days after the hurricane as there was no way out.

We put the needs of our children first in our decision to leave and did not think that FEMA expected us to live in a destroyed, filthy home with no transportation, no power and no way to get food or water.

I understand that hurricane Katrina affected many, many people and I am not asking for anything more than the same thing that everyone else was told they would receive. I understand that FEMA cannot give me a car, a job, a home or take away all the pain and emotional scarring this catastrophe has caused my family and so many others.

I only ask as a tax payer and a citizen of this great country for a little monetary help to rebuild our lives and try to achieve some normalcy.

Thank you so much in advance for any help you could give my family.

May god bless you and yours and may you never ever have to feel so helpless and lost as the many victims of Katrina have to.

Sincerely,

Lisa.

Update: On September 23, 2005 FEMA has finally deposited the very much needed $2000.00 gift they have been so generously giving all victims. We are hoping that the rest of the aid will follow suit and we will be able to start planning the rebuilding of our life.

Update: September 25, 2005: I have finally had the opportunity to tally up the generous  donations from our family and friends. Placing dollar amounts isn't something I like to do in a public atmosphere but I will give an idea. My family has nearly matched FEMA and that does not include the thousands they all donated to Red Cross to help all the other Victims.

Friends of the family which gave unexpected funds have helped us get some of the smaller amenities of life we use to take for granted. I can't begin to express my gratitude and feelings toward everyone who has helped and given us the strength they have.

What ever I did to deserve such wonderful friends and family I hope I am continuing this and always do. Without all of you I can't begin to think of where we would be at this point.

Update: October 6, 2005: I recently signed up to a forum created for the community we are staying in called "Woodland Springs". Already their responses to our family have been warm and encouraging. We really like it here and would like nothing better then to keep these folks as our neighbors. We have contacted FEMA who is working with us as to finding permanent housing so we will see!!!