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.”
