East Montgomery - News
3 years later: Local hurricane survivors reflect on anniversary
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| Elisha James, who is originally from New Orleans, is one of the many people who relocated to Texas after Hurricane Katrina. Working and taking care of her child, James has managed to overcome the negative challenges in her life. She now lives in Porter. |
By ROYCELYN BASTIAN
When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005, it left thousands of people without homes, jobs, family and a sense of security.
Now nearly three years later, families like Elisha James’ have put their lives back together with the help of organizations like the Humble Area Assistance Ministries and are now calling Texas home.
“Since the hurricane, my life has had a lot of changes and the hardest has been moving away from all of my family,” James said.
She has been living in Porter since January 2006 because of the storm. Although it has been more than two years since she left her family in New Orleans, she now considers this community her home.
“At this time, this is my home. I do not plan to go back to New Orleans unless there is a big job waiting or there is a real estate deed waiting for me to sign,” she said. “At one point, I considered it because of my mom’s health, but now she is much better.”
James, who has a 7-year-old son, is working hard to establish a successful life. Although she has almost replaced all the items she lost during the storm, there are some that she will never be able to recover. Precious items like photos of her child and family, her high school diploma and her birth certificate were lost in the storm.
“I don’t like to dwell on what we have lost or the damages we incurred. I believe in moving forward and doing what I need to do to get my life back on track,” she said.
As part of moving forward, James is now working at First Convenience Bank where she was named Employee of the Month and is steadily climbing the sales chart at the branch. As a lifetime goal, the survivor is striving to continue climbing the ladder at her place of employment and one day hoping to become branch manager.
In New Orleans, she was hired the Thursday before the storm as a 911 emergency and child abuse dispatcher for the New Orleans Police Department, but was never able to start.
“To those who are struggling and need encouragement, do not give up and always keep God first. I had no choice but to move forward because I have a child to take care of,” James said. “I have ran into people who say it is hard to find a job. It is only hard if you are not looking.”
Although James has managed to start her life over after the storm, she, like others, has had negative responses from others in the community.
“I am not ashamed, but I do not tell people I came here because of the storm because I don’t want to be put in that category of those who are not doing what they need to do,” she said. “It is up to the individual to turn their negative into a positive, which is what I have done.”
Hurricane Katrina is not the only storm that devastated many lives in 2005. There are many families who are still displaced and are struggling due to Hurricane Rita.
Living in Humble with her three children, Margaret Vezia, who is originally from Lake Charles, La., is also struggling to make a better life for her family. When the hurricane caused her roof to cave in one of her bedrooms, she came to Texas for three weeks before she went back home.
“When I went back to Lake Charles, I lost my supervisor position with Harrah’s Casino because it did not reopen after the storm,” she said. “My children and I left and went to Reno, Nev., where I worked three months before we went back to Lake Charles.”
Her second trip back to her home proved fruitless so she permanently relocated to Humble. Here she knew that rebuilding her life with three children was not going to be easy, but she has found a way. While working at the Marriott Hotel near George Bush Intercontinental Airport during the day, Vezia is attending classes at the Texas School of Business to become a medical assistant and a phlebotomist.
“Making almost $34,000 while working at Harrah’s to my current hourly wage is extremely hard because I have three kids to take care of as well as paying for the necessities such as rent, food and utilities,” Vezia said. “But I have no choice because I want to have my good life back like I had in Lake Charles and to better take care of my children.”
Through her hard work and depending on HAAM, Vezia has almost replaced the items that were lost during the storm such as clothes, furniture, bedroom sets and more. The mother of three, two boys and girl, has plans to continue with her education and purchase a home in the Humble area. To people who have not yet gotten on their feet as a result of the storms, Vezia stated that nothing will happen unless people work for it.
“Nothing will be handed to you. You have to get up and earn it for yourself; you have to have the attitude that you want to be self-sufficient and not waiting on others to help,” she said. “Get a job and stand on your own two feet.”
Now nearly three years later, families like Elisha James’ have put their lives back together with the help of organizations like the Humble Area Assistance Ministries and are now calling Texas home.
“Since the hurricane, my life has had a lot of changes and the hardest has been moving away from all of my family,” James said.
She has been living in Porter since January 2006 because of the storm. Although it has been more than two years since she left her family in New Orleans, she now considers this community her home.
“At this time, this is my home. I do not plan to go back to New Orleans unless there is a big job waiting or there is a real estate deed waiting for me to sign,” she said. “At one point, I considered it because of my mom’s health, but now she is much better.”
James, who has a 7-year-old son, is working hard to establish a successful life. Although she has almost replaced all the items she lost during the storm, there are some that she will never be able to recover. Precious items like photos of her child and family, her high school diploma and her birth certificate were lost in the storm.
“I don’t like to dwell on what we have lost or the damages we incurred. I believe in moving forward and doing what I need to do to get my life back on track,” she said.
As part of moving forward, James is now working at First Convenience Bank where she was named Employee of the Month and is steadily climbing the sales chart at the branch. As a lifetime goal, the survivor is striving to continue climbing the ladder at her place of employment and one day hoping to become branch manager.
In New Orleans, she was hired the Thursday before the storm as a 911 emergency and child abuse dispatcher for the New Orleans Police Department, but was never able to start.
“To those who are struggling and need encouragement, do not give up and always keep God first. I had no choice but to move forward because I have a child to take care of,” James said. “I have ran into people who say it is hard to find a job. It is only hard if you are not looking.”
Although James has managed to start her life over after the storm, she, like others, has had negative responses from others in the community.
“I am not ashamed, but I do not tell people I came here because of the storm because I don’t want to be put in that category of those who are not doing what they need to do,” she said. “It is up to the individual to turn their negative into a positive, which is what I have done.”
Hurricane Katrina is not the only storm that devastated many lives in 2005. There are many families who are still displaced and are struggling due to Hurricane Rita.
Living in Humble with her three children, Margaret Vezia, who is originally from Lake Charles, La., is also struggling to make a better life for her family. When the hurricane caused her roof to cave in one of her bedrooms, she came to Texas for three weeks before she went back home.
“When I went back to Lake Charles, I lost my supervisor position with Harrah’s Casino because it did not reopen after the storm,” she said. “My children and I left and went to Reno, Nev., where I worked three months before we went back to Lake Charles.”
Her second trip back to her home proved fruitless so she permanently relocated to Humble. Here she knew that rebuilding her life with three children was not going to be easy, but she has found a way. While working at the Marriott Hotel near George Bush Intercontinental Airport during the day, Vezia is attending classes at the Texas School of Business to become a medical assistant and a phlebotomist.
“Making almost $34,000 while working at Harrah’s to my current hourly wage is extremely hard because I have three kids to take care of as well as paying for the necessities such as rent, food and utilities,” Vezia said. “But I have no choice because I want to have my good life back like I had in Lake Charles and to better take care of my children.”
Through her hard work and depending on HAAM, Vezia has almost replaced the items that were lost during the storm such as clothes, furniture, bedroom sets and more. The mother of three, two boys and girl, has plans to continue with her education and purchase a home in the Humble area. To people who have not yet gotten on their feet as a result of the storms, Vezia stated that nothing will happen unless people work for it.
“Nothing will be handed to you. You have to get up and earn it for yourself; you have to have the attitude that you want to be self-sufficient and not waiting on others to help,” she said. “Get a job and stand on your own two feet.”
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