leebee
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Sep 14, 1999
- Messages
- 15,232
My younger sister evacuated New Orleans last Sunday and is safe in Houston with her DH and their 3 cats (staying with a friend, thank heavens, and not in the AstroDome). She has always been a fighter- born with cerebral palsy, she struggled to get through school and college only to be met with closed doors for 7 years when job hunting. She FINALLY found a job with the Archdiocese of New Orleans in the office of a food distribution program, a low-paying, lousybenefit, hard job she's stuck with for 10 years. Seven years ago she survived metastatic colon cancer, and now faces life with a colostomy on top of all her other physical challenges. Since Nov. '04 she has been hospitalized 3 times with a hemmorhagic disorder, losing more than half her blood volume each time. We also lost our mother in Feb and our grandmother in August, this year. NOW she has lost her job, her DH's job (file clerk for a N.O. law firm), her medical coverage, her home, and all her belongings. I don't know how much more she can take! I know this sounds like a sob story, but it is the truth. ALL the hurricane victims need help, but this one is my sister.
Like the situation with food/water relief, information and communications relief is also messed up. I am hoping that some of you have first-hand information with dealing with agencies like FEMA. Already they have been in touch with FEMA and received conflicting information, so I am hoping the good folk on The DIS can help. WHAT should they do about their house (their first, they spent 10 years scraping together a down-payment)? They cannot get into the area to assess the damage (they live in Gretna, in Jefferson Parish). Do you continue to make the mortgage payments? Are there federal programs so they can postpone payments? Who can help? Also, does anyone know anything about services for the handicapped in Houston? Blessedly, a total stranger donated the use of a wheelchair (they couldn'tbring hers- no space in the car, it was wheelchair or clothes/water), but she faces high monthly expenses for colostomy supplies. Obviously, neither have jobs- can they apply for federal assistance, like food stamps, and what do you claim as your income? This situation looks like it will go on for several months- it could be 6 months before the water is running and the lights are back on in N.O.- how do you survive this kind of thing? Do you relocate and start over?
I've been watching the CNN coverage of the flood in horror, but it was just yesterday that I came to the full realization- the only difference between my DSis and BIL and the folks on TV is that my sis isn't in a sports dome. HOW do you start all over, from nothing, with highly limited financial resources? If anyone knows HOW to handle all the mortgage stuff, FEMA stuff, getting back into areas to assess damage, etc., I'd really appreciate hearing from you. Either post or pm me here. Thanks so much!
Like the situation with food/water relief, information and communications relief is also messed up. I am hoping that some of you have first-hand information with dealing with agencies like FEMA. Already they have been in touch with FEMA and received conflicting information, so I am hoping the good folk on The DIS can help. WHAT should they do about their house (their first, they spent 10 years scraping together a down-payment)? They cannot get into the area to assess the damage (they live in Gretna, in Jefferson Parish). Do you continue to make the mortgage payments? Are there federal programs so they can postpone payments? Who can help? Also, does anyone know anything about services for the handicapped in Houston? Blessedly, a total stranger donated the use of a wheelchair (they couldn'tbring hers- no space in the car, it was wheelchair or clothes/water), but she faces high monthly expenses for colostomy supplies. Obviously, neither have jobs- can they apply for federal assistance, like food stamps, and what do you claim as your income? This situation looks like it will go on for several months- it could be 6 months before the water is running and the lights are back on in N.O.- how do you survive this kind of thing? Do you relocate and start over?
I've been watching the CNN coverage of the flood in horror, but it was just yesterday that I came to the full realization- the only difference between my DSis and BIL and the folks on TV is that my sis isn't in a sports dome. HOW do you start all over, from nothing, with highly limited financial resources? If anyone knows HOW to handle all the mortgage stuff, FEMA stuff, getting back into areas to assess damage, etc., I'd really appreciate hearing from you. Either post or pm me here. Thanks so much!
