By Rick Winterson

      Arnel Stroughter and her husband, Joseph Harris, listened intently to the warnings about Hurricane Katrina at the end of August.  They lived in a wood frame home in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans.  They knew they could be in danger, because Gentilly is in a low-lying area below sea level.

     They decided to weather the storm with Arnel’s sister, Adrian Hall. She lived in the B.W. Cooper development, which is a bit higher.  Also, Adrian lived on the second floor, well above any flooding they could imagine.  So, Joseph, Arnel, and three daughters – Donaysha, Daysha, and Darriante – moved in temporarily with Adrian and her daughters, Garinell, Garineka, and Paulquel.

     Hurricane Katrina hit and after the first day, it seemed that everything would be all right.  Katrina had veered east of New Orleans.  But there were no communications and no power.  Word-of-mouth rumors began to circulate that a levee had burst.  Actually, the levees had been breached at three points.  The floodwaters inundated the first floor of their building in the B.W. Cooper development.  New Orleans panicked.

     They had planned for the worst, so they had rope among their hurricane emergency supplies.  They strung the rope from Adrian’s porch to a tree on the raised median of a nearby road.  The adults and older children pulled themselves to safety along the rope.  Babies and toddlers were floated to the median on air mattresses.

     By traveling from median strip to median strip, they finally got to the Superdome.  All the while, rescue planes were buzzing overhead, but on the ground, no help came.  Everyone had to fend for him- or herself.  In the Superdome, there were roof leaks and few amenities. 

     Worst of all was the violence inside the Superdome.  Beatings, rapes, and shootings took place near their children.  There were 42 family members in Arnel’s, Joseph’s, and Adrian’s group, so they encircled the 16 children and were able to protect them.  Then, the next day, the Superdome caught fire and filled with smoke.  They were forced to evacuate and spent the next night sleeping outside. 

     Finally, they got to Houston and were put up in a hotel.  Two days later, Paul and Christine Dailey arrived to help in whatever way they could.  The Daileys offered Arnel, Joseph, and Adrian the use of a condominium on Dorchester Street, which they had bought and were decorating, along with air tickets to get here.

     This is just a quick overview - there are many more chapters to the odyssey they underwent.  They had never traveled this far away before.  Their extended families are scattered from Colorado to Baltimore to several places in Texas.  And their beloved hometown of New Orleans has disappeared indefinitely.  As if that weren’t enough, they also lost their two dogs.  One died; the other got frightened and bolted.  He hasn’t been found.

     These are proud people, who want to work.  Joseph was on the waitstaff of two prominent New Orleans establishments – Embers and The Court of the Two Sisters.  Both Adrian and Arnel are certified nursing assistants.  They would like to stay here at least until June, because their girls are attending Gate of Heaven and Cathedral High.  It’s possible they’ll stay in Boston for good.

      But the entire series of events has been totally overwhelming – so much so that they are being treated for post-traumatic stress (as in “shellshock”).   Arnel, Joseph, Adrian, and the girls need many basics, including heavy winter clothing.  They have never lived in a cold climate like New England’s.  Permanent jobs and their own housing top their list of needs.  They are faced with having to rebuild their lives from ground zero, but they’re determined to do just that.

     Perhaps their most urgent need is for human contact.  After a disaster, it is too easy to isolate.  Just a call now and then, or treating the kids to a show, or lending a helping hand getting around Boston would be an enormous help to all of them.

     It’s hard to imagine all that they have been through.  But when Arnel is asked if she’s optimistic, she replies, “Well, I have to be.  We’re going to take it one day at a time.”  Then there’s a pause, and she adds, “For the kids.”