A family faced with Gustav just three short years after Katrina
5:50 p.m. Saturday, August 30, 2008
"That was my baby, you know, I had to go get my baby," said Rodney Johnson, a former New Orleans resident.
When he spoke about his son and remembering Katrina, tears came to his eyes.
The pictures and memories of Hurricane Katrina are still fresh in his mind. "The water was three inches from the top of the sign, and I'm going 'oh my Lord." Rodney says he remembers watching the footage on TV and seeing his mom's block.
Many people in his family lost everything, but there's one thing he saved, a cuckoo clock. "As I recall, the battery went dead about the time Katrina must have hit, or sometime in that time frame. I don't know when, but it had that same time, and I was able to salvage it," Johnson said.
Now his mom has a new home; she's been there a year, but his mother-in-law's house isn't finished yet. "She's living in a FEMA trailer, as it is," he said, and another hurricane is approaching.
"I am concerned for her in that she never made it in her home, and now we're facing the same dilemma that we were facing three years ago when they became homeless because Katrina washed out everything they owned," Johnson said.
"They are starting the evacuation process all over again," Johnson said, and traffic has picked up as his family disperses from their homes.
"They're concerned that Gustav, it's on the path to hit New Orleans, they want to make sure they get out."
Rodney and his family are hoping for the best. "Just dispersing, like up we're gone, we'll come back if its safe Monday night," he said.
Rodney said his families spirits are high, and they have faith everything will turn out okay. They're hoping Gustav takes a turn in the Gulf and goes away from New Orleans.
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