Evacuees and rescuers look for places to stay, ways to help

Published: 2005-09-08

RICHLAND, Miss. (CNS) -- Just before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, 86-year-old Howard Adams, a lifelong resident of New Orleans, left his home with a handful of insurance papers. He had seen storms and threats of storms before in Louisiana but never left. This time, he took the warnings more seriously, although he thought he would soon be back in the old neighborhood, four blocks from his parish, St. Raphael's, and 12 blocks from Lake Pontchartrain. He now knows differently. He bought some clothes and made friends at the Days Inn motel in Richland where he and his son had been staying for more than a week. He did not want to continue paying the daily charge for his room, but he also did not know where to go and had no idea what he will do in the upcoming months. Adams talked with Catholic News Service in the motel lobby Sept. 7 while a local television newscast reported on the hurricane's impact, and motel guests, looking almost at home in their temporary residence, shared bits of news they heard about the chances of returning to where they really belonged.

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