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Gustav evacuees await life back home after fleeing hurricane
Published Sunday, Sept. 7
By L.A. Story Hudson
Staff Writer

The kindness of friends has been a saving grace for several evacuees escaping Houma, La., during the threat of Hurricane Gustav but a lack of information, and uncertainty about the future, still haunts them.

Making the best of a bad situation, many evacuees of Hurricane Gustav have found a safe harbor with friends in the crossroads area. Several residents of Houma, La. -- among the hardest hit -- came to stay with friends and family in Michie, Tenn., Iuka and Glen.

For some evacuees, Gustav's wrath has merely been a hassle -- an interruption in their daily lives -- that they have to deal with. However, others have been left with deep concerns about how they will survive until life returns to normal.

These questions are especially frightening as they watch Tropical Storm Hanna hammer the east coast, a monster storm named Ike potentially stalking the Gulf and another concern named Josephine still brewing.

John and Billie Padziora, of Glen, housed Sandee Vinson, 60, and her son, Brenden, 22, of Houma, La., up until early Saturday morning. Billie Padziora and Sandee Vinson have been friends since college.

"We met when we were both attending Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., we met when we were 17 and now we're 60! We were in the ladies room at Elkins Hall ... we were both teasing our hair," recalled Padziora, with a laugh.

Padziora said she also had a niece and nephew from Houma who evacuated and were staying with her sister in Iuka. Vinson called Padziora as the evacuation had been ordered.

"She called me and I could tell ... her voice had a concern in it. I knew that a hurricane was brewing, but I had no idea ...," said Padziora.

Vinson traveled with her son, Brenden Vinson, 22, up from their home in Houma -- a trip that normally took about eight or nine hours.

"It took them 18 hours and it was bumper to bumper. She [Vinson] said they idled for about eight hours. I was so glad to see them when they finally got here. They were tired, hungry and exhausted. I was glad we were able to take care of them," said Padziora.

Vinson originally tried to get a hotel room in the area, but said the Comfort Inn was the only place that would allow their pets -- two ferrets and a cat.

"I couldn't leave them behind. They are family -- my grandferrets. What are you going to do?" said Vinson.

Vinson's son, who does radiography on oil rigs as part of his job at Oceaneering Inspection, got called back to work and was one of the reasons she and he had to return to Houma so soon -- even though she said she knew that there was no electricity on in the area.

Vinson and her son went to purchase generators and other needed items before leaving Corinth. However, another concern for Vinson was work. Vinson, who works for Gilsbar -- an insurance company housed within the Houma School District for the past 18 years -- said she had no idea when she would be returning to work, but her employer had notified her that they would provide her with "emergency pay" for the time she was off. Vinson said her experience has been stressful, but was better after she got a call from someone she knew who had gone to check on her home. With all the aforementioned problems addressed, she said the entire situation was more of a hassle than anything else.

However, other evacuees from Houma are having a far more difficult time and have deeply seeded worries about the future. Randy and Sharon Cole, of Michie, Tenn., had a household that swelled to 26 people -- including seven dogs, 14 cats and a pet squirrel -- after taking in evacuees from Houma.

Among the evacuees were Sharon Cole's daughter and son-in-law, Robin and Tim Blanchard and their two children, ages seven and three; and Don and Lorie Hebert and their three children ages 9, 10 and 13; grandchildren, Gabrielle, 5, and Cadence, 3, and friends, Gary and Selene Van Leuven and their four children; Danielle Lirette and her three children and 15-year-old Barry Boudreaux and two other children.

After seeing to immediate needs -- such as figuring out where everyone was going to sleep -- Sharon Cole said everyone working together has gone surprisingly well with the house guests pitching in and cooking for the massive household.

At interview time, the household had been temporarily reduced as two of the couples had traveled back down to Houma to see if they could find out how their homes have fared.

It is perhaps the lack of information and uncertainty that has single mother, Danielle Lirette, upset and afraid. She lives outside of Houma in Bayou Blue, La. Lirette is a machine operator for Weatherford and has no idea when she can possibly go back to work or how she will manage until she is working again. Her frustration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's website -- which appears to offer no immediate help -- is understandable.

According to the website, FEMA officials in Louisiana direct evacuees to register with the agency and save receipts that document their spending during the evacuation.

"That is fine ... if I go back now ... I don't mind waiting until the lights come on, but I need to feed my kids now. What do I do now? My son has asthma. His medicine is $158, even with insurance. I can't eat ... my stomach's upset," said Lirette. She had to stop speaking for a moment to wipe tears and regain control. Her anxiety was apparent.

Lirette's car overheated several times on the trip up to Michie, Tenn., and she does not think her car would make the trip again if she could go back home temporarily to check on her belongings and on her work situation. She used her rent money to pay for her travel expenses to evacuate.

In a similar situation, Gary and Selene Van Leuven also have questions about the future. Gary Van Leuven is a diesel mechanic and his wife is an at-home mother. With one income, the couple also have valid concerns over how they will feed their four children until he goes back to work. Currently, they brought a camper with them to the Cole's home. The Coles had some wiring fixed quickly so that the Van Leuven's food -- brought with them inside the camper -- would not spoil. The food they brought will not hold out forever as they share it with everyone.

Sharon Cole -- whose mother passed away within the past few weeks -- said the sudden, sharp increase in household activity has been a blessing for her during a time of grief. However, she said feeding the crew for an extended period of time would be a challenge and worries about how the families with her will make ends meet until their lives get back to normal.

With information coming only at a trickle from out of their hometown area, no clues as to when they will return to work and the potential for more storms brewing in moody Atlantic waters, the Louisiana evacuees in Michie, Tenn., all had the same question: "What do we do until life returns to normal?"

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