2005 - 09-15-05

Her return flight from Costa Rica to New
Orleans was scheduled for the day Katrina hit New Orleans.
Naturally, Bernadette was stuck in Costa Rica and she had
to wait quite some time before she could get another return
flight. But when she made those new return flight
arrangements, it only included her
flying to Miami and then to Tampa. She didn't know how (or
if) she could return to New Orleans. And, of course, American
Airlines charged her extra because of the change in her
travel plans.

Bernadette didn't know if her apartment had survived the
hurricane. She was hopeful because it was on the second
floor of her building. She had a son in New Orleans who had
tried to board up his house but was unable to finish the job
and forced to evacuate the area by the New Orleans Police.
If I remember correctly, her son's house was close to her
apartment.

Bernadette told me she had just auctioned off most of her
possessions before she ever left New Orleans. She asked me,
"They'll have to pay me won't
they? After all, my possessions were auctioned off before
the hurricane." Apparently, when you work with an
auction house, you don't get paid until 30 days after your
items have been
sold. But again, she was asking me, "They'll have to pay me, won't
they? I mean, after all, my stuff was auctioned off before
the hurricane."

I didn't have the heart to point out to her
there was a great possibility the auction company
no longer existed. That it may very well have been destroyed
by Hurricane Katrina.

She told me she didn't mind if
people looted her apartment. She said there was nothing
to take but furniture and paintings. She didn't think the
looters were very much interested in furniture. And she was
hopeful they didn't understand the value of her
paintings.

In any case, here she was, having survived
the horrors of World War II and now (at 77 years of age)
trying to survive the horrors of Hurricane Katrina.
Bernadette was
attempting to return to her home (if it still existed) with
very little money and no possessions except what she took
with her on her trip to Costa Rica.