Nine years ago today I woke up to see the sky. I had made a bed in the hall to be safe from windows. Lucky I chose that spot since the other half of the house was destroyed by 4 very large pine trees. I ended up putting my 5 dogs in the bathroom and walked through my little town of Abita Springs with my Papas suede jacket and hat, the sweater my Mama hand crochet for me, a few items of clothes, some of my pictures and my Trazadone. Never go to a shelter without a sleep aid. I waded through the Abita River, climbed over many trees blocking the road then walked through a totally silent town to get to the Red Cross at the middle school. One house had people and they invited me in to have a 7-up and gave me a dry shirt to wear. I was at the shelter for 4 days and my job was to give the one slice of baloney per person per meal. On Tuesday a family rode their bikes up to check out the shelter. They asked about what happened. Two hours later they were back with a bag containing two t shirts, a bar of soap, a toothbrush, a comb and a deodorant. I will never forget those two families and how they cared about a complete stranger. On Thursday I could finally get back to my house to check on my dogs. My Mom and Helen were sitting in the driveway in shock. It took them three days to get to my house and they found it destroyed with the car stuck at an angle from the soft earth when I tried to leave. They feared the river had washed me away. Tears everywhere at that moment. We went and got my belongings and since they had just rigged a hose and sheet for showering they waited for me as I took one. Our daily routine was to drive an hour to Robert to the closest gas station to fill our gas cans for the generator we stood in line 6 hrs to get. That was a 4 -6 hr trip every day. Trucks came by and gave fruit to all the cars in line. Then we would go to the Target parking lot and get in line where the National Guard would ask you how many people at your house and to pop your trunk. They would put water, ice and MRE. Meals Ready to Eat. We were without electricity until October 24, phone until nov 15, cell phone service until October, and internet and cable until dec 20. No mail or news at all. I remember the first time I saw magazines at the store and I bought them all. It was scary and horrible but it was a bonding experience for all of us having lived through it. I pray for the souls who did not make it and Honor their terror they lived through. Thank you God for keeping everyone I knew safe and alive.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 17:34:06 +0000
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