12/21/05
My family and I have a small camping trailer we use for hurricane evacuations. We had a trial run with Hurricane Ivan last year. We packed for a weekend trip from home. Little did we know our weekend would turn into a month.
We headed for Bosier City, La. with my parents who had friends residing there. I remember watching the levees break up there and praying a lot. By the next weekend we had relocated to Lafayette, LA to be closer to home. By that time I had a good idea that my home made it with little damage (no flooding) but my office suffered much worse.
I returned home for a look and see on Labor Day. We couldn't stay there was no electricity. We did however spend a night after burying our spoiled refrigerated food. It was strange to be staying in a town with no lights and very few cars in the streets.
I started work in Lafayette on September 14 and have been here ever since. My wife returned to her job at the Corps of Engineers a week later. My kids were back at school by early October. Work here has been hectic but it does keep me from getting too home sick. I hope to be moving home again in two or three months.

PS: I will not be returning to my downtown office until March, however, on January 17th I will be working in Harvey La and finally moving back home.
PPS: My office relocated to Covington in March 2008. I have to commute from Metairie every day.

Citation Information:

Michael Aucoin, "Untitled." Hurricane Digital Memory Bank, Object #42874 (July 23 2010, 8:13 am)<http://www.hurricanearchive.org/object/42874>