Cold comfort after Katrina

Evacuees struggle to adapt to new lives

BY TOM SPALDING
TOM.SPALDING@INDYSTAR.COM

Wayne Jefferson was a cook in steamy New Orleans. Now, he's a bell ringer for the Salvation Army in Indianapolis, learning to bundle up.

"That's what we got to get used to -- the cold weather and the snow," said Jefferson, 40, after a day working outside a Wal-Mart in Brownsburg. "We're trying to move on and take one day at a time."

At least 3,500 people from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama relocated, at least temporarily, to Indiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast. The largest contingent of evacuees is living at Covered Bridge Apartments in Indianapolis, now home to 102 hurricane families, including Jefferson's.

The move has been a mixed blessing for the hurricane evacuees. They say they are grateful to have a roof over their heads and appreciate the generosity shown by Hoosiers. But there are lows that have nothing to do with temperature.

* Many are still awaiting their benefits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- or watching federal assistance dwindle -- as the deadline approaches for them to begin paying rent.

* Many don't have jobs and are largely on their own when it comes to finding them now that the hurricanes are fading from the country's consciousness.

* Some say some of the promises that enticed them to come to the 250-unit Northwestside complex have not turned out to be true, such as $1,000 Wal-Mart gift cards.

"Covered Bridge gave us homes. Covered Bridge gave us something to start with," said Cheyenne O'Neal, 34, who lost her home and business when her neighborhood in eastern New Orleans flooded because of Katrina. "But there are still people that are missing their piece of the puzzle."

Covered Bridge is a well-worn apartment complex east of Georgetown Road and south of 71st Street.

Monarch Management & Realty, which oversees Covered Bridge, had a number of vacant apartments when the hurricanes struck and saw an opportunity to help.

Ken Puller, chief executive of Monarch, approved the donation of two months' free rent to evacuees; churches, business leaders and individuals across Central Indiana donated items such as mattresses, clothing and food.

The complex is owned by a nonprofit corporation called FACES -- Future Artist and Contemporary Educators Showcase -- that works on educational and housing issues. FACES also owns properties in Anderson and Lafayette. Monarch manages the apartments.

Making the adjustment

The first families settled at Covered Bridge in September. In late October, about two more busloads of evacuees came from Louisiana.

All of them were confronted with similar problems: the sudden loss of property; evacuation to emergency shelters; separation from their children and other relatives; and, in some cases, difficulty getting their FEMA checks.

O'Neal, for example, had her $2,000 FEMA debit card stolen when a fight broke out in Houston as a crowd of evacuees became angry when the supply of cards ran out. Covered Bridge tenant David Jarvis, 31, said one of his promised FEMA checks was stolen by a relative who forged his signature.

Heidi Viers, an executive with Monarch, keeps an updated file on every family, including people awaiting checks. One tenant didn't get money because he had been erroneously reported dead. Another family at Covered Bridge is trying to find a benefit check that was mistakenly sent to another address.

"I drink a lot of Red Bull to get through the day," said Viers, who often works late into the night, when she finds it easier to get FEMA operators on the phone.

While no one is keeping exact records, most agree that few of the evacuees have found good jobs, or any job at all, and time is running out. The first wave of transplants from the Gulf Coast must start paying full rent at Covered Bridge this month.

On their own

A lot has happened since Central Indiana churches had furniture drives and picnics this summer for the evacuees who relocated to Indianapolis.

Tornadoes last month killed 23 near Evansville. High energy prices have advocates for the poor worried that low-income Hoosiers will have to choose between heating and eating this winter.

As other needs arose, the Katrina evacuees found themselves depending more on each other than any outside agency or institution.

Perhaps the low point for the evacuees came in November when a couple who fled Katrina and were living at Covered Bridge were arrested in connection with the death of their 4-month-old son.

Michael D. Sumner Jr., 21, and Rasheeda D. Williams, 20, ignored a Louisiana child protection order when they arrived in Indianapolis. Police say Sumner admitted to smashing the infant's head into a wall at the apartment where they've lived since Oct. 14.

After the boy's death, city officials said they were going to intensify their work with the Katrina evacuees at the complex.

"I think there have been a lot of good intentions throughout this effort," said Jeff Bennett, a city official. "(But) we're getting a fair number of calls from residents of Covered Bridge specifically who have needs that aren't being met."

Katrina evacuees Evangela Henry and her fiance, James Saylor, both 20, moved to Covered Bridge in October. Both are upset about the benefits that other evacuees got that her family did not.

But Saylor has a job working at a company that distributes office products now, and both are determined to make the best of their new home.

"I do enjoy it up here, and I like it; the people are nice," Henry said. "But it sort of feels like you've been lied to. . . . We haven't gotten (all) our assistance, and it's frustrating."

Exaggerated claims?

Some of the evacuees' complaints stem from a flier promising free bus passes, gift cards, job fairs and more that was distributed by a now-former Monarch employee during a recruiting trip in Louisiana.

A number of promises were kept. But the flier said a neighborhood grocery store is "across the street" from the complex. In fact, it is about a half-mile walk up a busy road, an important fact for the many evacuees who don't have cars.

The flier promised free bus passes, but the complex ran out of them.

Finally, the flier said the Salvation Army would be "giving ($)1,000.00 gift cards to spend as you wish at Wal-Mart."

Jerry Larsen, the Salvation Army's state development director, said such a promise was never authorized.

"I am concerned that somebody would use the Salvation Army by making untrue statements," he said.

Monarch's Puller said the flier was based on bad information the employee received from social service agency employees she encountered in Louisiana. He said he did not know any further specifics. The employee no longer works for Monarch.

"Most people are very happy," Puller said of the evacuees at Covered Bridge. "If you go to any other shelter or any other apartment, they aren't doing half the stuff we're doing."

There also have been some complaints about the condition of the complex's apartments, which generally rent for $400 to $600 a month.

Sue Ward, an American Red Cross volunteer who helped evacuees at the complex in September and has independently continued to check on their welfare, has taken photographs of the interiors of some apartments -- photos that show damaged appliances, worn flooring, broken bathroom fixtures and holes in ceilings.

Monarch's Viers said the company has tried to keep up with repair requests.

Amy Lickliter, a volunteer with Grace Community Church in Noblesville, which cleaned and painted more than 70 apartments at Covered Bridge before evacuees' arrival in the fall, said she thinks apartment management did its best to get the empty apartments into shape.

After being forced from their homes by a flood, some evacuees consider the condition of the homes or the promises of more help to be relatively minor obstacles.

Jefferson and his wife, Miranda, 25, have lived in an apartment at the complex since Sept. 12. He's zipping up his coat and pressing on as winter comes to Indiana.

One of the parts of his job as a bell ringer that Jefferson likes is when Hoosier shoppers inquire about his background during conversations.

"I say 'I'm from New Orleans' . . . (and) they say, 'Here's an extra buck.' "

Call Star reporter Tom Spalding at (317) 444-2803.

_____________________________

Big promises

A flier distributed by a Covered Bridge employee to recruit hurricane evacuees to Indianapolis included a number of incentives, such as:

* "Food available any time."

* "Bus passes free through the Salvation Army."

* "Salvation Army in Indy giving $1000.00 gift cards to spend as you wish at Wal-Mart."

* "Kroger grocery store across the street."

* "2 miles from Lafayette Square (mall)."

The complex delivered on promises for two months' free rent and no application fee or security deposit. And it hosted job fairs, had a Pike Township Schools representative come to the site and allowed tenants to select donated furniture and clothing.

The complex, however, ran out of bus passes. The gift cards were never authorized. The mall is 4 1/2 miles away from the complex, and the grocery store is actually a half-mile away on a busy road.

The employee who put together the flier no longer works for the complex.

-- Tom Spalding

________________________________

Help for evacuees

It won't be long before most of the evacuees at Covered Bridge in Indianapolis have to start paying rent.

Help: The Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority is working to process 60 applications for rental assistance payments to tenants of Covered Bridge Apartments. The agency was created in 1978 by the Indiana General Assembly to help low- and middle-income Hoosiers obtain affordable homes. It does not use state or local tax dollars.

Monarch: Monarch Management & Realty, which donated two months' rent for more than 100 families staying at Covered Bridge, did not seek government repayment for the lodging for the two months.

Donations: The Northwestside complex has been collecting household goods for the displaced families and still needs donated items. To help, call the complex at 4909 Covered Bridge Road at (317) 293-9926.

Military rescue in New Orleans, Hoosier-style

Soldiers from Indiana National Guard on Wednesday help motorists in Jefferson Parish - many returning to their homes more than a month after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans -- by providing bottled water and tarps. PHOTO: Tom Spalding/Star

By Tom Spalding
Tom.spalding@indystar.com

NEW ORLEANS -- You don’t need a lifeboat or a helicopter to come to someone’s rescue.

The uniforms of Indiana National Guard Spc. Anthony Johnson, of Richmond, and Sgt. James Atwell, of Newcastle, drip wet from sweat, caused by a scorching sun as they learn this lesson. They are among a group of soldiers from Indiana and Pennsylvania standing in the street, striving to meet the demand of an unceasing line of motorists waiting for free supplies: bags of ice, cases of bottled water, boxes of military meals, and blue tarps to cover damaged roofs.

“It’s wonderful,” says Vicki Wilson, of Metairie, La., as she leaves with a stash on David Street, just outside a bus depot. “ It’s wonderful to be able to have.’

The irony is rich: a caravan of needy people, but the definition of needy has been re-defined since Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29: some of the recipients are driving air-conditioned SUVs.

“We’ve been averaging 200 vehicles an hour for about eight hours a day. The line hasn’t stopped at all,” said Maj. Scott Sarver, 42, of Peru, Ind., as he looks on in amazement. At this particular distribution point, or “pod,” in Jefferson Parish, the toilets flush but the water is still not safe to drink. “I mean, it’s been a month since Katrina,” Sarver said, “and they are still dealing with it.”

The Indiana National Guard, 38th Infantry Division, is a month “late” to this city storm-savaged area that was first walloped by Hurricane Katrina and then partly deluged by Hurricane Rita. But in other ways the Guard is just on time. As the world witnessed, getting people out of New Orleans was a major problem. But getting thousands of people back in, and safely, comes with its own set of hassles and safety issues.



“As people come back into town that’s what they are going to need – people along the street to help them,” said Guard Maj. Jon Thurlow, 41.

The Guard’s assignments from now up to Oct, 15 will be varied, but mainly focus on helping whatever of the original population of 480,000 returns to Orleans Parish, which includes the city of New Orleans. Some missions will involve operating the distribution lines to help mass amounts of people, but some tasks will be more intimate and door-to-door.

Hilda Hopkins, 89, is one example. She lives in a robin’s egg-blue duplex on Tremme Street in historic French Quarter. She returned last Tuesday after having been evacuated to Baton Rouge. She is grateful for the help. She doesn’t have easy access to fuel gas, a hard-to-come-by commodity. So she relies on neighbors to give rides or bring items door to door.

“The only thing I need is food,” Hopkins tells a soldier, who asks if she will stay.
“I hope so,” she answers.

Hopkins, who counts herself blessed since her residence was neither damaged nor looted, says everyone seems positive. “It’s not normal, but I’m doing all right,” she tells a reporter. “As I told them all, I guess when it’s over that’s when I’ll fall apart.”

Area residents like Rudy Blume, 62, a married carpenter, say they will need as much help as they can get. Eventually, he said, the people will be able to help themselves and not have to request Red Cross help or to ask an out-of-state mortgage company to let a payment or two slide. He’ll get to work too, when the insurance adjusters give homeowners clearance to make repairs.

“It’s a mess, said his wife, June Blume, 66. “We’re just tired of it.”

Some 2,300 guardsmen from Indiana are glad to be here even thought they spent most of September working throughout Mississippi following damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history.

In Mississippi, the guard members provided security at gas stations to
prevent frustrated motorists waiting in long lines from getting into fistfights. They guarded prisoners and directed traffic on roads that didn’t have signals either because the power was out or because Hurricane Katrina blew them down. They also maintained safety at refuge stations where $2,000 debit cards were distributed. Some 450 soldiers are still in duty based out of Camp Shelby, Miss. “It’s one of the worst-hit places,” said Guard Spc. Joe Byrd, 25, of Indianapolis, a Ford dealership mechanic who is one of about 850 of the Hoosier citizen-soldiers who are here. “It’s kind of nice to get down and help them.”

Coastal city took Hurricane Rita's best shot

Indianapolis Star reporter Tom Spalding and photographer Adriane Jaeckle are in Louisiana following Hoosiers responding to Hurricane Rita. 

CAMERON, La. -- A dead cow lay inside the sanctuary of a Baptist church. Entire homes were pulled off their foundations. One resident knelt in rubble and teared up behind sunglasses; his beloved dog was missing.

While some parts of the Gulf Coast are moving closer to normalcy, this city is a stark reminder that other areas still are in crisis. Hurricane Rita seems to have packed a smaller punch than Hurricane Katrina, the damage I've seen here is as bad or worse than anything I witnessed in Mississippi after Katrina.

Officially, the city of 1,965 -- which is about 40 miles south of the I-10/Lake Charles, La., corridor -- is closed because of hazards, like gas leaks and downed power lines. But local officials on Tuesday offered a few reporters and photographers a tour after floodwaters receded enough for some roads to reopen.

As he drove along the coastal Highway 27 that leads into Cameron, Louisiana State Police trooper John Robinson, 34, pointed around at former landmarks he now can identify only by memory.

"I'm speechless," Robinson said. "Some people who were evacuated are going to come home to nothing, to empty slabs. One of the worst-case scenarios that everyone talked about became a reality."

In Cameron, the courthouse is "probably the only thing that is salvageable" among hundreds of damaged homes and businesses, said Scott Trahan, 40, the Cameron police juror, a type of county commissioner.

Bobby Lande, 62, Cameron, arrived by boat then walked through ankle-deep water to try to inspect a family member's house. He recalled Hurricane Audrey, which killed 500 people when it roared ashore in the same Cameron Parish area in 1957.

"As devastating as this is, it's not as bad as Audrey, because I'm not picking up any bodies," Lande said.
John LeBlanc, 42, assistant director of the Cameron Parish office of emergency preparedness, said he hoped federal officials would provide the same relief here as in New Orleans.

"It's small town U.S.A., but we want the same support that New Orleans did," he said.

Hurricane Katrina coverage, 8-30 through 9-8

An historic assignment – and a terrible one, too. Hurricane Katrina was the single largest natural phenomenon of the 21st century. It destroyed the entire southeastern region of the United States.

I had the opportunity to "join up" again with Indiana Task Force 1, which was dispatched to Biloxi, Miss., after a devastating blow by Katrina. I joined a traveling RV with Scott Swan and Scott Allen of WTHR-Channel 13 in Indianapolis, and wrote stories and took photos (with a point and shoot) until the Star wisely dispatched a real photog (Sam Riche).

8-30-05: Hoosier heroes. Task Force One, other groups to mount rescue effort on Mississippi coastline after Hurricane Katrina.
8-31-05: Travel day
9-1-05: Survivors welcome Hoosier rescuers. Indiana Task Force One continues its laborious door-to-door search in hard- hit Biloxi neighborhood.

9-2-05: Rescuers need rescue? Police provide escort and INTF-1 responders confront gun-toting looters -- stealing port-o-potties.
9-3-05: Rotten smell: The stench of devastation. (Also picked up by USA Today.)
9-4-05: Comparing tragedies: Some Indiana rescuers were at the World Trade Center for 9/11 and are here for Katrina. They compare the devastation.
9-4-05: Job done. Task Force finishes its assignment.
9-5-05: A Day In Biloxi: A day like no other includes a church service where a church once stood, as INTF-1 heads back to Indy.
9-5-05: Hanging on: Survivors in Biloxi are down but not out.
9-6-05: Together: Family with Indiana ties reunites after hurricane displacement
9-6-05: Other rescuers here: Indiana National Guard on duty, bringing aid in Mississippi.
9-7-05: In the dark? Disaster disrupts ability to stay on top of outside world.
9-7-05: Sticking together. Hoosiers help other Hoosiers to help the coast.
9-8-05: An unclear future for all. My recap of the week after Hurricane Katrina.

[By Biloxi's famous hard-hit Hard Rock Cafe casino->]

Some light-hearted moments -- a photo montage of our journey.


More memories -- my video tour of our RV.
Scott Swan and Scott Allen of WTHR-Channel 13 with Sam Riche (far right) of the Indy Star.


Photo galleries you might enjoy: A day in Biloxi; Task Force One at work;

Project: Are police chases worth dying for?

As a cops beat reporter for the Star, I had written about numerous police chases that had ended in tragedy -- including the case of Marian W. Woempner, 78, who was driving to church with her husband, Robert, 82, when a Indianapolis Housing Agency police car, joining a chase as it was ending, sped through a red light at Emerson and Edgewood avenues and hit the Woempners' car, killing the woman.

Coworkers Eunice Trotter and I embarked on a project in which we pored through thousands of pages of police IA records to look at crash reports. Our two-day series published by The Indianapolis Star of 947 police pursuits in Indiana from 2003 and 2004 showed police were virtually unrestricted when they chase suspects. They pursue fleeing vehicles at high speeds and usually for traffic infractions, according to The Star's examination of reports from the Indianapolis Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff's Department and the Indiana State Police. At least 86 people -- bystanders, suspects and law enforcement officers -- died as the result of police pursuits in Indiana from 1993 through 2003, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Twenty-five of them were bystanders not involved in the chase. Nationally, 3,877 were killed during the same period, 1,251 of them not a part of the pursuit.

The series included a graphic about average speeds by police in pursuits, had PDFs of actual pursuit policies nationally.

We also looked at cities in the U.S. that abandoned police pursuits because of safety concerns.

I also discovered that due to maintenance problems, IPD had helicopters in the air (to assist with chases) far less often than they had projected when they beefed up that unit.

It was profiled in IRE's Extra Extra for May 2005. Neill Borowski, who edited the series, also wrote about it in the American Editor. AP in Indiana gave it first-place in the 2006 competition.

Chronicling a mini-marathon, 1st-person

I wrote a first-person account of the 2005 Indianapolis mini-marathon -- to see if I could cull a decent time while gathering a story or anecdote per mile for 13.1 miles. Here is the electronic snapshot of that effort, which I thought was pretty funny.



[With pals Jon Murray, Brendan O'Shaughnessy and Matt Tully, from the 2006 race.]