39 That Fled Katrina Cram Into Pa!!!!!!. Home God Bless you Family or no
By MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press Writer
September 7, 2005, 5:56 AM EDT
LANCASTER, Pa. -- Patricia Edwards' home is virtually bursting at the seams.
After taking in 39 of her relatives fleeing Hurricane Katrina -- 20 adults and 19 children -- the washing machine runs nearly nonstop, mattresses are everywhere and meals require restaurant-sized pots.
Edwards, a New Orleans native who works as a machinist, opened her home to all her extended family after her mother told her they had nowhere to turn.
"I said, 'Wait a minute, stop right now.' I didn't think twice: 'Bring them all, I don't care,'" she said. They showed up a few hours before dawn Sunday.
The Edwardses and their family are now living "like sardines in the can," she said. But surprisingly, there is order amid the madness -- thanks to the continual cleaning and organization, and plenty of food.
For the refugees, the focus is now on assembling life's bare necessities. On Tuesday, a neighbor's donation of new underwear, diapers and baby supplies was eagerly divided up.
"The clothes that we did have were the clothes on our back," said Bryant Major, 33.
Major left Violet, La., with his wife, Leile, and their three young children the night before the storm hit. The family scraped together about $500 and joined a six-car caravan filled with relatives for what they figured would be a short stay in Texas.
A few days later, with money running low, the group got word the Edwardses would take them in, so they left their crowded hotel rooms to drive 1,200 miles to leafy Amish country in south-central Pennsylvania.
The evacuees, ranging in age from 7 months to 72 years, were hungry, exhausted and relieved. They spent their first hours drinking coffee, praying, crying and hugging.
"I was just so happy, I was just overwhelmed. I get emotional every time I think about it," Edwards said.
Donors have come out of the woodwork -- from the co-worker who stripped blankets off his children's beds to the neighbors who contributed a spare barbecue grill, a refrigerator and mounds of food.
Housing, of course, will eventually be an issue. Some people have offered shelter, but for now, the family is reluctant to split up. They figure they got this far together, and they want to stay together.
More may be on the way, including a cousin who was trying to catch a flight from Baton Rouge. Six others are unaccounted for, and Edwards is determined to make room for any who need it.
"I'll take some of my furniture out of my house and put it in storage if I have to," she said. "Stick it out in the garage."
Link Here
Associated Press Writer
September 7, 2005, 5:56 AM EDT
LANCASTER, Pa. -- Patricia Edwards' home is virtually bursting at the seams.
After taking in 39 of her relatives fleeing Hurricane Katrina -- 20 adults and 19 children -- the washing machine runs nearly nonstop, mattresses are everywhere and meals require restaurant-sized pots.
Edwards, a New Orleans native who works as a machinist, opened her home to all her extended family after her mother told her they had nowhere to turn.
"I said, 'Wait a minute, stop right now.' I didn't think twice: 'Bring them all, I don't care,'" she said. They showed up a few hours before dawn Sunday.
The Edwardses and their family are now living "like sardines in the can," she said. But surprisingly, there is order amid the madness -- thanks to the continual cleaning and organization, and plenty of food.
For the refugees, the focus is now on assembling life's bare necessities. On Tuesday, a neighbor's donation of new underwear, diapers and baby supplies was eagerly divided up.
"The clothes that we did have were the clothes on our back," said Bryant Major, 33.
Major left Violet, La., with his wife, Leile, and their three young children the night before the storm hit. The family scraped together about $500 and joined a six-car caravan filled with relatives for what they figured would be a short stay in Texas.
A few days later, with money running low, the group got word the Edwardses would take them in, so they left their crowded hotel rooms to drive 1,200 miles to leafy Amish country in south-central Pennsylvania.
The evacuees, ranging in age from 7 months to 72 years, were hungry, exhausted and relieved. They spent their first hours drinking coffee, praying, crying and hugging.
"I was just so happy, I was just overwhelmed. I get emotional every time I think about it," Edwards said.
Donors have come out of the woodwork -- from the co-worker who stripped blankets off his children's beds to the neighbors who contributed a spare barbecue grill, a refrigerator and mounds of food.
Housing, of course, will eventually be an issue. Some people have offered shelter, but for now, the family is reluctant to split up. They figure they got this far together, and they want to stay together.
More may be on the way, including a cousin who was trying to catch a flight from Baton Rouge. Six others are unaccounted for, and Edwards is determined to make room for any who need it.
"I'll take some of my furniture out of my house and put it in storage if I have to," she said. "Stick it out in the garage."
Link Here
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