A visit home to Louisiana

Editor's note: Jennifer Williamson is a Fallon resident who grew up in New Orleans. She made a recent visit back to the city and writes about what the place looks like and how her family has fared since Hurricane Katrina hit in August.

By JENNIFER WILLIAMSON

Special to the LVN

I grew up in the suburbs of New Orleans - Metairie, La., to be exact. My husband, Craig, and I visited for Christmas and to help throw a surprise birthday party for one of my sisters.

Metairie suffered from Hurricane Katrina in that quite a few businesses are boarded up and many homes have carpet and debris piled up on the curbs, but life is moving along briskly and getting back to normal. Signs crowd every intersection, shouting what businesses are open, who is hiring and what services are available for such things as mold removal and construction. If you ever needed a job, Louisiana is the place to be. McDonald's, Burger King and other fast-food places are offering bonuses for employment. Never thought I would see that day.

We toured the neighborhood, called Lakeview, where my aunt and uncle lived, one mile away from where the 17th Street canal broke and flooded a large area with 8 feet of water for over eight days. I have more family that lost homes in the St. Bernard area, but we didn't go there. They have been allowed to go back to St. Bernard to find whatever could be salvaged, and as miracles go, my aunt found her cat, Rosebud, among the wreckage. Rosebud is healthy and happy. My cousins' pets didn't fare as well; all lost dogs, cats and even a bird.

Lakeview is a section of New Orleans that butts up against Metairie on the west side and rolls into what is called City Park on the east side. Lakeview has streets lined with oak trees and large "neutral grounds" where parks are set up. This is the area where the yuppies are coming in, buying small houses and refurbishing them or tearing them down to build bigger houses.

We went just inside the park entrance to see the tent city set up for workers who are helping in the rebuilding effort. Everyone commented on the trees and how damaged they looked, but knowing what they have been through in their 100-plus-year lives, people are sure they will survive.

People call it divine intervention that the residents of Lakeview and St. Bernard, for the most part, stayed away for a few days longer than necessary. The water rose so quickly when the levees broke that thousands of people would have drowned had they come back when they were told it was safe. As my aunt says, "The good Lawd (that's New Orleans' slang for "Lord") was with us all to keep us away."

What is truly inspiring is that, as unhappy as I was to see the mess, people were grateful to be alive. They have gotten over the fact they have lost everything and see it as an opportunity to make an even better life. Many even had new dogs and cats in their lives.

You've heard of hurricane parties? We had a surprise 40th birthday party for my sister, Jean, at another of my sister's home in Metairie that was damaged by Katrina. It was the perfect setting for a "Hurricane Jean-Category 40" hurricane party. My sister Marybeth's home had 4 feet of drywall ripped out, exposing two by fours, her carpeting, tile, and wood flooring that was damaged. It was removed, exposing the bare slab, and the painting was unfinished.

We came away with a sense that structures and lives will be rebuilt but with lots of thought behind it. My family waffles on whether or not they will return to their homes in St. Bernard and Lakeview, but their lives will forever be changed because of the visit from Katrina.