Katrina Family Profile: Where Are They Now?
The Brooks Family
Release Date: August 21, 2006
Release Number: 1603-543
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NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The sound of New Orleans’ busy city buses and trolley cars, the smell of good food, and the vibrations of good music will forever be etched into the minds of postal worker Alice Brooks and her 85-year old mother, seamstress Dollie Wells.
They were among the 750,000 families forced to evacuate during Hurricane Katrina. “It took almost 16 hours to get from New Orleans to Shreveport,” said Brooks, who lost her home in Pontchartrain Park in Gentilly.
Brooks found help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The pair was given a room in a hotel in Shreveport for three weeks while Brooks searched for longer-term housing with the help of FEMA representatives. “I can remember going into the office, and because of all the frustration, tears began to roll down my face,” said Brooks. “I wasn’t giving up and I was not leaving until I got help.”
She got help. Brooks received rental assistance from FEMA and expedited assistance for walk-around money, and she qualified for an SBA loan. A postal worker for 15 years, Brooks found work in Lake Charles, La., but because of Hurricane Rita, she couldn’t start for two weeks. So she and her mother returned to New Orleans.
FEMA found room for Alice and Dollie on a cruise ship docked on the Mississippi in downtown New Orleans. The room was small, but the perks included three meals a day and laundry service once a week.
“Living on the cruise ship was hectic,” said Brooks. In February she and her mom moved to a trailer at Lafitte’s Garden, a FEMA site where they currently reside. And they have made some real progress toward getting their lives restarted.
After losing everything but the clothes on their backs, they’re able to be positive today. “I’m really grateful for the help I received from FEMA and SBA,” said Brooks. “Everything seems to be working out. I can see a new beginning for me and my family.”
Alice and Dollie have arranged to buy a home in Covington, just across Lake Pontchartrain, and they plan to move in during September. They also plan to come back across the lake from time to time to enjoy the wonderful sounds, smells and vibes of New Orleans.
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Temporary housing assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not require that an applicant file for an SBA loan. However, an applicant must complete an SBA loan application to be eligible for additional assistance under the part of the Other Needs Assistance (ONA) program that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses. There are other ONA grants such as public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses that do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan to be eligible. FEMA will process applications for housing assistance regardless of whether the applicant has applied for an SBA loan and eligibility determinations for applicants requesting FEMA’s temporary housing assistance will not be held up because the applicant has or has not filled out an SBA application.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 29-Aug-2006 15:57:49