Archive Record
Metadata
Accession number |
2007.077 |
Catalog Number |
2007.077.027 |
Object Name |
Audiocassette |
Date |
13 Jun 2006 |
Title |
Michele Criddle Oral History Interview |
Scope & Content |
Audio cassette tape of an oral history interview with Michele Criddle, staff of the Bossier Parish library. She and her husband are both from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and had several relatives directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina. She had family members staying with her at the time. At the same time, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Oral History Interview Michele Criddle Hurricane Katrina Series Interview by Sarah-Elizabeth Gundlach SEG: Sarah-Elizabeth Gundlach, at the Bossier Parish Library interviewing Michelle Criddle on June 13, 2006. Good morning, Michele. MC: Good morning Sarah-Elizabeth. SEG: This is an interview for Hurricane Katrina Series, and I'm going to ask you a couple of questions for it. MC: Okay. SEG: Uh, where are you from originally? MC: I'm originally from Biloxi, Mississippi. SEG: How did you end up in Bossier City? MC: Jeff and I got married in 1982, and in May of '82, he went in the military in September, and found out we were going to be at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. And we moved up here December 27, 1982. And we've been here ever since, except for five years in Minot, North Dakota. SEG: Does your family live here with you, or are they still in Mississippi? MC: No, it's just Jeff, and I, and the kids that live here. My parents and one of my brothers still live in Biloxi. And then my other brother lives in Houston. SEG: In regards to Biloxi, um, did your family make it through Hurricane Katrina, and if so, how did they do, and where did they evacuate? MC: My parents evacuated, thank God. Ah, they came to stay with Jeff and I, and it turned into an extended visit. My brother that still lives there, Kevin; he stayed along with his wife and his daughter. And also his son and his son's wife stayed there. Ah, the only damage my brother sustained to his house was part of his roof came off, and of course rain got in and ruined one bedroom; his daughter's bedroom. And, his son…my nephew's house, I think, all they had was rain damage in their yard and they got a little bit of flooding in their house. And that was it. SEG: How about your parents? MC: My parents, they had no damage whatsoever to their apartment that they lived in, or in the apartment that they had signed a lease to move to. So they lucked out. But, they did have a storage unit…ah…*…sorry… SEG: It's okay. MC: Um, it was completely flooded, and they lost almost every memento from the family…*…sorry…um…all the pictures of my grandparents that, that were in there, they only had a few left in the house where they were living. Um, my wedding dress…everything that I had saved, um, dolls that I had saved. Ah, different things that had belonged to my grandparents, that were in that storage unit…*… … they're completely gone. (Kleenex offered) MC: Thank you. Um, but otherwise, they are alive, and they are okay. Um, it's not easy losing things like that, but if you've got your life, and you're alive, and you made it through…that was the main thing. SEG: Were your parents glad they left when they did, or where they…? MC: They were very glad they left when they did. Um, they were really concerned about my brother and his wife. Uh, which I understand. We were able to communicate with my niece through her cell phone, because some cell phone towers were out, but believe it or not, you could text message. And the day after the hurricane, we got a text message from my niece, telling us that, that they were okay, and that her and my sister-in-law were on their way to my house. And, um, they came up two days after Katrina; and stayed overnight on their way to Houston. Because they had to…they could not go straight across on I-10, they had to come up to Shreveport to I-20, and go across, and then go down south to Houston, because of the damage from Katrina. SEG: How and when did your…did ya'll…did you hear about the storm and what were you doing when you heard about it, and…the reaction, you know, did that set in afterwards…like, how did you feel, how did your family feel? MC: Um, Jeff and I had been watching the storm. We had a bad feeling since the coast had been hit by a bad storm. The last one, of course, was Camille. Um, Jeff and I were really young whenever it had hit. So, we knew that it was…it was about time for the coast to get hit. Um, it was that Saturday we knew that Katrina was coming, and we were waiting on my parents to make up their mind, what they were going to do. Uh, and my in-laws, of course, the hard-headed people that they are; we were waiting for them to make up their mind if they were coming, also. They knew that they always had an open invitation anytime something like this was to happen…that the door's always open. Ah, my parents decided that they would leave early on Saturday…on Sunday morning. And they did. Ah, we knew it was gonna be bad. We had no, absolutely no idea that the devastation would be…as…*…bad as it actually happened. That half…I mean, not half…but over two-thirds of my hometown would be gone. And nearly every town on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi would receive so much devastation, with so many lives lost, and so many homes gone. We had no idea that this would be as bad as it was. SEG: Did your, um, parents, were your parents glad they left, and were they glad that they were, that damage wasn't worse, and well that and their personal effects, were they glad that they came to stay with you? MC: Yes, they were. It was…it was a difficult time. Um, two women in one household is never easy. (Laughter) MC: Never! Especially whenever it's a mother and a daughter…it makes it even worse. Um, it was emotionally straining, because of…I mean your nerves are just wrought…they're just pulled at both ends. And, of course, I have two sons that still live at home. And between them and my parents, and, uh, Jeff's parents, and his sisters and brothers…it was…it was crazy. SEG: How did this storm impact your children's lives, and how did they deal with it? Did they adjust, or did they [unclear] friends. Did they, not faze them as much as, or is it you know? MC: They really did not have a really strong reaction until they went down to Mississippi with my husband and a friend of ours to take supplies to my in-laws and to my brother. Um, Jeff and my oldest son Jack took, uh, they used our…they went with Jeff's friend Lloyd…and they took water and non-perishable food. And, of course, gas. The people were screaming for gas so that they would be able to, at least, use their, uh, chainsaws; and try to get around to check on other members of their family. And water was in very, very short supply because the Red Cross and other people were having a hard time getting into the city…within the city limits. And…when Jeff and Jack got to Biloxi…it was…it was disturbing. And it got even more disturbing the closer they got to Jeff's home-town, Pascagoula, because Jeff knew that his brother and his sister had both sustained…quite a bit of damage. And, it was…let's just say Jeff cried before he got home. And, and so did my son…who was, Jack was 20 whenever he went down there. They were, just, they were shocked. They had no idea what to expect, and it was much worse than, than they thought. SEG: Do your in-laws, and…Jeff's family, how did they make it through the storm? Did they, you had mentioned that did suffer a lot of damage, but, did they evacuate; or did they just stay and…how did they feel about it, even today? [Both: Unclear, laughter] MC: Exactly! Um, my hard-headed in-laws stayed. Uh, but, thank God, they sustained almost no damage to their house. Very little to the shutters, and a little bit to the roof, and a few trees down. And, of course, their yard was littered with tree limbs, and, and things like that. Which was not a problem. Uh, their neighborhood fared well. Uh, Jeff's sister, that is younger than him, lost her house completely. She, uh, lived on Beach Boulevard in Pascagoula, Mississippi; and her house was completely washed away. She had nothing, except for the concrete slab that it had been built on. His younger brother, uh, had close to nine feet of water in his house. The bottom floor of his house was completely gone. They couldn't salvage anything. Any mementos that his wife had, all the pictures of all the children, uh, the kitchen, living room, bedroom; everything was gone. Uh, in…in…when Jeff got back from his trip to Pascagoula, he made a statement, and I have to truly, I agree with him completely, I would rather have been his sister and lost everything and not have an idea of where it could be, than have to wade through debris, mud, and muck, and see if there was anything that I can salvage. At least I would know that it's gone. And I would not have to see it, the devastation of everything that I have. And not have to clean out my house, and just sit in the middle of everything and just cry. I would rather everything just…be…gone. And right now, as of today June 13, my…Jeff's younger brother David, they've completely redone their house. The only thing they are waiting on is a few little trim-work things for their house. They're waiting on the carpenters to come in and finish little bitty, minute things. Just little details. Otherwise, the house is fine. Uh, they happen to have a photographer, um, in his wife's family, and he had some pictures of the children. SEG: That's good. MC: So, he was able to reprint some of the pictures, and she's been working on getting things done for the, for the kids. Scrapbooks and things like that. SEG: That's good. MC: Um, his younger sister has bought another house in Hurley, Mississippi which is north, maybe about twenty-five, thirty miles north of Pascagoula. SEG: [unclear] MC: Well, it is. But she misses her hometown. And I know how she feels. It's not easy whenever you've been born and raised in a home-town, and you're forty-three, forty-four years old and you have to move away. Because there's…there's nothing. And you want to rebuild on your property, but, there's nobody to rebuild. There's no contractors available because they are so busy doing repair work, and, and getting things together for other people. You have to make an appointment with them, and that appointment may be one to two years away. Um, she was…she cried, when Jeff and I were there a couple of weekends ago. She said, 'I want to come back…I want to come home…but I don't have anything to come home to…and I don't know when I'll be able to be, to have something to come home to.' So, I mean, my heart goes out to her. SEG: When you first saw the damage, I know that there were other things going on in your life at the time…um, when were you first able to actually go down to Biloxi and see your home-town, and check out the damage yourself? MC: (sniffs*) Um, of course, at the time I was going through chemo, which…I found out two days before Katrina that I had cancer…and…[unclear]…um, a week after that, uh…well, no, wait a minute let me backtrack. Two days before Katrina hit, I found a lump…in…my breast. And about a week later, I had a biopsy and found out that it was malignant. That I did have breast cancer…and a week after that, I had a mastectomy. And a month after that, I started chemotherapy. And during this whole time, uh, Jeff and I were trying to, uh, my parents are living with us, off and on. SEG: How was that? MC: It was, it was difficult. Um, I could only imagine how my parents felt, knowing that their daughter has been given this diagnosis of cancer. Granted my cancer was only in stage one. And we caught it in time. But, it is, it's scary as hell. And you never understand until it hits you yourself exactly what, how it feels. (sniffs*) …Anyway, I started chemotherapy in October, and with everything going on…Jeff and I together, we couldn't down to the coast. So we went down for Thanksgiving. I promised Jeff that we could go, because it would be the first time that all of his brothers and sisters would be together at one time. And… SEG: When you got there, what was your reaction? MC: Um, I cried. My home-town is no longer existent…ha…part of it had already been gone because the casinos had moved in, and I was brought up in the Biloxi, uh, the shrimping industry. And I can remember as a kid walking out my parents' back door, and you could smell factory…and it was, like, 'Oh my God, this is the nastiest smell in the world!' But as I got older, I would walk out my parents' back door when we would visit, and I would say, 'Oh my God, I'm home!' Um…it's, it's gone. The people that I grew up with; they have no place to live on Back Bay in Biloxi, where a majority of the older people, or I would say older Biloxian families, lived. (sniffs*) Uh, it was completely wiped out. There's, there's nothing! Jeff took me by the house that I was raised in, that I lived, I would say seventeen of nineteen years. Uh, it..it's gutted. There's nothin' left but two by fours inside the house. And the dining room light. My papa's house, which is right next door, that was built in 1924…it's…it's, uh, completely gutted also. All you can see is studs, the studwork in, in both houses. Uh, my father told me that the houses were twenty-four feet above sea level. And he had that verified whenever they built their house next-door to "papa's". And we were told that the house…the water was so high, that you could you barely see the top of the roof. So that would mean that there was about thirty-five, about from thirty-five to forty feet of water covered that house. Granted, my parents' house was one block from Back Bay in Biloxi. SEG: Yeah, you had mentioned that, um, previously that Back Bay was pretty damaged, as well…a lot was gone… MC: The casinos, believe it or not, the one casino…the International…no, I'm sorry…the Imperial Palace; it, it sustained flood damage on the bottom floors, but otherwise the hotel and everything else was fine. Boomtown Casino was cut in half. Um, factories; one..one, two factories were left. Uh, shrimp boats, whenever hurricanes are coming like that, they always go up into, like, small creeks up in on Back Bay to park, and just, to stay safe, and get away from the dock so they won't be just thrown here and there. Uh, there were shrimp boats just tossed up on the land, uh, in North Biloxi. And shrimpers are having a difficult time this year. It's gonna be a very poor shrimp season. (sniffs*) 'Cause shrimp season opened the beginning of June, and they are saying instead of having five-thousand pounds they had, like, fifty pounds. So, shrimp season is going to be very rough this year. It is due to Katrina. There's…the only reason. SEG: Do you think Biloxi will be what it was, and, um, is the business there, or is it, do you think that developers will come in and do, you know, develop it so it doesn't have that charm like it used to…or, do you think people will prevent that from happening? MC: Ah…I firmly believe in the mayor, in Mr. A. J. Holloway. Ah, my family has known him for years and he said that Biloxi will be back. The one thing that still stood on the beach in Biloxi is the Biloxi lighthouse. All the antebellum homes from the 1800's are gone. Completely. They…there's nothing but, but slabs. SEG: What about Andrew Jackson's home? Uh…Jefferson Davis, I'm sorry! MC: Jefferson Davis…that's okay! Part of the house was damaged, but the main part of the house it still there. That is one of the only older homes that is, is still there. Um, but the one thing that is still standing is the Biloxi Lighthouse. SEG: Really? MC: And, that, people say that it is the beacon of light and hope for Biloxi. Biloxi will be back, and it will come back better and stronger. The charm will still be there, because the people will ensure that it will not change…that it will stay the same. And I have faith that Biloxi will still be Biloxi. You'll still be able to go there, and you'll be able to see the old things that were there before…but in a different way. SEG: Mmhm. MC: But, it'll still be there. SEG: Was it hard being in up in northwest Louisiana and only hearing about New Orleans, and not being able to really know what was going on in Mississippi, and while your parents were here, did they feel the same way; did you think there was too much coverage about New Orleans and would you rather have heard more about other places that were hit than just hearing about New Orleans? What is your opinions and feelings about that? MC: I believe there was too much coverage of New Orleans. They did not get hit by a hurricane. What happened to New Orleans was, uh, I think it was political, because the money had always been in place for the levees in New Orleans to be reworked…and brought up to standard. Politicians decided that the money could be used elsewhere. Shame on them, that is their fault. They did not get hit by a hurricane. Yes, what happened was because of a hurricane. And, yes, there was too much coverage about Katrina. And, I understand that people in New Orleans suffered. And it should not have happened. But, the news-people need to understand that the Mississippi Gulf Coast was almost completely wiped off the map. There are cities that lost all but maybe one or two buildings. They are, like, ninety-five percent gone. The people cannot move back. There is nothing there for them to try to go back to try to fix, but a slab. Katrina devastated more than just New Orleans, and right now…the Mississippi Gulf Coast is crying for help. And if they're not going to get it, they will find another way. If they have to do it themselves, they'll do it themselves. Excuse me, but New Orleans be damned. SEG: You think FEMA was slow in responding, and do you think that there could have been other ways to help the masses of evacuees that left? And… MC: Oh, definitely! SEG: …do you think that…do you think New Orleans will, you know, be what it was, or do you think it's a shell of its, former self? MC: Right now, it is a shell. But I think that the demographics are gonna change for New Orleans. Um, it's…I believe it's going to be maybe…more…I believe that the white population is going to come back stronger than the black population. A majority of the black population were very poor, and they lived, ah, right along the lines of poverty. They are going to have a very difficult time getting back to New Orleans. The housing is the problem that New Orleans has right now; there's no place for anybody to go back to. And what is down there should probably be torn down. Because it's been sitting there for months and months, and no one has done anything with it. Um, but the demographics it's, they're going to change. And New Orleans is going to come back. They received flood damage through a lot of the city and outlying areas, but it's, it's not that it's not fixable; it can be done. They're just…it's like everybody else: areas are just gonna have to wait their turn. It's gonna take awhile. SEG: Do you think that Biloxi…is in the same situation, where that it was, you know, people who left, it was noted in the news that people who left had money…and the people who stayed didn't have…do you think everyone had the same opportunity? Or did people just choose not to go, and … MC: I think people chose not to go. I know in Biloxi everybody thought that, uh, they compared Katrina to Camille before Katrina hit. And, they thought, 'you know, I made it through Camille…' , I made it through Camille, personally. Walking through the water to an upstairs apartment with my brother, and, and the rest of my family. But, they compared it, and, and they shouldn't have. But "hindsight is twenty-twenty". They had no idea that there would be such a storm surge, of, what thirty to forty feet, that would completely cover the Gulf Coast. They had no idea. Camille had a strong storm surge, but it was nowhere near Katrina. And, I think now people are realizing that…'next time, I'm going to get my butt out, I will not stay! If it is a category four or above; I. Am. Leaving.' I, I… there was an opportunity for people to evacuate in New Orleans by public transportation…that a lot of people chose not to. Whenever the floods started and before Katrina came. (sniffs*) They chose to stay. And they did the same thing in Biloxi, and a lot of people suffered. And a lot of people lost their lives. But, now, mm-mm. I don't think anybody's gonna second-guess another hurricane. SEG: Working in the library, did…how did that affect you when the, with the, like we all saw, you know, there's tons of people. Did you actually talk to anybody, and hear their stories, or did you just not wanna…talk to people about it, or did you just…'cause you were having your own things going on at the time, or…? MC: There's always somebody that's worse off than yourself. Always. Yeah, I was going through chemo and I'd had surgery and everything, but…these people lost everything. They have no idea if their family members were alive. They had no idea what was going on. And, your family is all you've got. You have to know what's going on with them. You have to know where they are and what they're doing. Um, I talked to different people…I talked to quite a few people, and no one really stands out in my mind right now. I do remember that I had a lot of tears on my shoulder. Um, and I cried with a lot of people because I understood. Because I've been there, and I, I know what it's like to "not know". But, to be able to help somebody and for them to see that their family is okay. For them to be able to get in touch with their family members. Um, or to show them pictures from NOAA on the computer. Or for them to know from WWL we have a live stream in the History Center, in the meeting room, that they can come in and watch WWL news and see what's going on first-hand. That, that made them feel good, which gives your own self kind of a little happy; makes you feel a little better. SEG: Do you, did your parents when they came up, were they watching the news, or did they…did they go back to Biloxi, and… MC: They did. Um… SEG: Were they able to…is that where they're gonna stay…or? MC: My parents…you…it would take a stick of dynamite to blow my parents out of Biloxi. (laughs) It really would. They're not leaving. They refuse. And I understand completely. If I had my "druthers", Jeff and I would be back on the Coast, too. But, something happens, they know, as well as everybody else in, in my family, I have an open invitation at my house. I, I don't care, ya'll come on. Just pack your crap and let's go. Get up here. (pause) Sorry, excuse me. Um, they won't leave. And neither will my in-laws. So, I just have to wait for the next one. SEG: Hopefully there won't be anymore of the same… MC: Hopefully, hopefully there won't be one for quite awhile. They've had enough. We all have. SEG: (laughs) Your in-laws, how did your in-laws fare, did they…you had mentioned they had some damage. Were they…they didn't lose their house or anything… MC: No, in fact, Jeff went down with Lloyd, and with, uh, with Jack that weekend after Katrina, and they got their yard cleaned up, and, and did some patchwork. Fixed the shutters on the house since they were askew. Uh, the main thing that Jeff, and Lloyd, and Jack did was; they took supplies down…which were in very short supply. It was very difficult to get enough water to be able to drink. Uh, by the time Jeff got down there, the water had already been turned back on in Pascagoula and parts of the city. People that had homes, they could use the water…they couldn't drink it, but at least you could take a shower. Uh, there was no electricity, but drinking water in Biloxi and in Pascagoula was in very short supply. So, when Jeff got there, it was…they were a little worried, 'cause they didn't know if they were going to be able to make it through town without getting stopped, and somebody trying to steal things off their trailer. SEG: Really? MC: Yes. …can get, uh, carjacked in… the middle of the highway. (sniffs*) The reason was…it was difficult getting down there because all the trees on Highway 49 going down to the coast, and then on I-10, parts of it were closed and they had to take back roads. And it was…not an easy going. SEG: Was Pascagoula hit as hard…um, as Biloxi…and…we…I really didn't hear that much about it, so, I didn't know… MC: Well, the…mostly, the most damage in Pascagoula was along the beach, and probably, I would say, three blocks in. Um, the storm hit…Katrina hit the hardest was Waveland, Bay St. Louis, and Ocean Springs. And, the furthest east you went, the, it got a little bit less and less. So, Biloxi is closer to the eye came on shore. So, they had more damage than Pascagoula did. But Jackson County fared okay; Harrison County and Hancock County were the worst hit. SEG: Um, your, your parents, did your in-laws' parents stayed in Pascagoula, right? Or were they in Biloxi? MC: Oh, they're the…they're in Pascagoula, my in-laws, and it would take a stick of dynamite to blow them out of there, too. They said they'll never leave. SEG: Um, your brothers, how, were they okay, and I know that you had said that it was hard getting in touch with some of your relatives, 'cause you didn't know where they were, how they fared, and you were concerned about them, and you mentioned text messaging, so… MC: It…slowly but surely, we heard from individual people, through my niece; through her text messages. And thank God for Cingular. Ah, I don't know what we would've done without it. And…it was a little surprising, and I had to get my boys to show me how to text message 'cause I had absolutely no idea (laughs) how to do it. But, um, my brother, he wrote…my brother is the executive director of Coast Transit Authority. Um, he was very busy. And right after Katrina…uh, doing mass transportation for people. But, he made sure that we knew what was going on with cousins and aunts and uncles in the immediate area. He let us know that everybody was okay, what type of damage they may have had, but overall, it was very miniscule, the damage that my, my side of the family overall had sustained. Um, the most damage and, and I would say devastation was on Jeff's side of the family. I could only imagine what it would be like to completely lose everything. It's just, it's mind boggling. SEG: Most of Jeff's family is in Pascagoula? MC: Uh, he has a brother and sister in Pascagoula, but he also has a sister that lives in Biloxi. SEG: How did she fare? MC: She lost a little bit of skirting off of her mobile home, and that was it. So, she fared really well. SEG: So, where is your family, now, today, after all the chaos that's been going on the past few months regarding the storms, and, are they all still in Biloxi, are they here, have they moved to Oklahoma…um…what's the, what's the status on everyone? MC: My mom and dad did move back, they did go back to Biloxi. Um, it was maybe a month after Katrina hit before they were able to go back. Because…their apartment complex that they had been living in was closed….uh…closed down because of storm damage. They didn't…they didn't get flooding or anything; they sustained mostly wind-damage and rain on the upper floors. So, they had to move into their new apartment, which is, really, it, it's far enough away that they wouldn't, they wouldn't have to worry about anything. [unclear 469] Um, so they're, they're doing well. They've been up, back up here to visit a few times, uh, but they're, they're doing well. My brother had his roof fixed… I think he finally got it done in either December or January. It took him that long to get a contractor to come out. Um, they are in the process still of doing my niece's room. (sniffs*) Uh, Coast Transit Authority has come back; my brother has done… a really fantastic job with Coast Transit Authority. He has won numerous awards for his reaction, or reactiveness to Katrina, and his help throughout the Gulf Coast with the buses that he has. So, he's…I'm very proud of him. He's done a wonderful job. SEG: How about your children? MC: Um, my daughter has recently moved to the Gulf Coast, she's a Gulf Coast freak, kinda like her mama; she loves…she loves the water and the beach. She is, uh, working for the Beau Rivage Hotel, uh, which is not quite open yet. They sustained quite a bit of flooding in there also because they are on the beach in Biloxi. (Sniffs*) She told me that Beau Rivage should be, ah, open for reservations at the end of June, along with some of the other casinos. And they're saying that by the end of 2006, there will be four casinos; four more casinos will open along with their hotels, and be available for gaming and, uh, overnight stays. And both my boys, they are still living at home. Ah, one of 'em, my oldest son Jack may go to the coast. He has…may have a job opportunity to go down there, but, it's one of those 'wait and see'. SEG: As, um, as in historical aspects, um, what was lost in history, you know, as important to the Gulf Coast that, um, mattered, that made Biloxi what it was, is there anything that, of historical significance that was not there anymore, but, you know… MC: Other than Beauvoir. SEG: Yeah. MC: Um, uh… SEG: You had mentioned that there were several Antebellum homes that were gone, and… MC: Almost every house on the beach is completely gone. If it's not gone, it is beyond repair. SEG: Will the casinos come in where they are…where those houses were, or the people who owned those homes going to rebuild there, or they just gonna… MC: There are some who have mentioned that they will rebuild. There are others who are waiting for developers to come in; to see what the developers will offer. Uh, it is a 'wait and see'. It's been almost a year. This is June, Katrina hit at the end of August…it's still a 'wait and see'. They don't know what they're gonna do. There've been proposals for [Flunkedan?] in Biloxi; which is the east end of the city. Um, instead of building houses, they want to build apartment complexes. And the people are up in arms, because they don't want that. They want their simple family dwelling. They want to be able to go in their back yard and have a barbeque if they want. They don't want somebody living above or below; or directly to the side of 'em…attached to 'em. And I completely understand. They've lived their life down there on the Point, and they want a house and a yard. And, they won't settle for anything less. They understand that with Katrina, the…board of supervisors and the city council is having to change what the sea level is. And how, where…how high they have to build their houses off ground. And it…they may have to build a house on stilts. And they understand that. They don't agree with contractors who say it's gonna be $185,000…but they're damned and determined that they will rebuild single family dwellings, and not apartment complexes. SEG: Is your daughter, um, she lives down there now. Did she have a problem finding a place to live, and, um, like you said…are they building more apartments or are they…is it just along the Gulf Coast and was she able to find a place that wasn't, you know…invaded by construction workers (laughs). I was in Pensacola when Ivan hit a couple of years ago. MC: Well, she lived with my parents for a few months. SEG: How did she do with that? MC: It was difficult, it wasn't easy. A young person living with an older couple like that is…there's a big generation gap. And, she had a difficult time finding a place. But it just so happens that my sister-in-law, my husband's older sister, um, and her friend own an apartment complex. And…they had to refurbish a few of the apartments because of wind and rain damage. And when they had a one bedroom available, they let Ruth know; and Ruth moved into one of the one bedroom apartments. She lucked out because…she's only paying $500 a month for a one bedroom. My parents are paying $850 for a two bedroom, which is about the going price for a two bedroom apartment. Or a duplex; my parents live in a duplex. The man that lives next door to my parents in their duplex is paying $1300 for his two bedroom. So, that…housing in very short supply. They are building as quickly as they can, but they cannot keep up with the demand for housing, uh, for single family or for apartments. It is…uh…of course it's price gouging. There's no reason for my parents to pay $850 and then their next door neighbor in a duplex is paying $1300, when it [is] exactly the same floor plan. But, you have those who will take advantage. And you just, and it's hard to find anyone that won't. SEG: Will your daughter stay down there, as well? MC: The only time Ruth'll come home is if I ask her to, or, if a hurricane hits. She's already told me that she won't stay; that she won't come up here. SEG: Really smart girl you've got there. MC: Very smart young lady. She loves the water, and…I…understand that she wasn't raised down there, she was raised in Louisiana; but she loves the water, and the beach, and the sand. And that's where she wants to be. And she has a great job opportunity, too. SEG: Um, do you think that, uh, when the evacuees left, uh, Biloxi and New Orleans; has Bossier City changed a lot since the hurricane. And do you think if there is another major hurricane, do you think Biloxi and um, New Orleans, and Pascagoula, and all those towns along the Gulf Coast, Gulf Coast, do you think they will be able to make, make it through another hurricane season. Or do you think that, um, Baton Rouge and Shreveport and Alexandria will become…uh, (laughing) the biggest cities in Louisiana? MC: Well, they will become havens again for evacuees. Which…every city along the Gulf Coast has an evacuation plan. Um, it is up to the people…it is a personal decision, they can demand, but they can't make you leave…which is one reason why so many people lost their lives during Katrina. Um, evacuation-wise…we're gonna be, we're gonna have a lot of people. It happens every year during hurricane season. Starting with June first and it runs through the end of November. Hotels'll book up, and then they'll leave. Um, I know right now Baton Rouge is busting at the seams, still. Because of, uh, they're not really evacuees anymore, they would be 'displaced homeowners'. Because they have nothing to go back to in New Orleans…or on Mississippi Gulf Coast. And Alexandria is the same way. Uh, Jackson, Mississippi, is busting at the seams, too. Because quite a few people went there, and they knew that they had nothing left on the Coast, or in New Orleans; so they stayed. And now, Jackson is their home. And that's happened to quite a few people. (sniffs*) Evacuees, we'll get 'em. I have no doubt about it. And we will just, we'll open our doors again…and we'll have tears on our shoulders. SEG: Do you think that Bossier City is gonna, is grown for the better and… MC: I think Katrina taught 'em a lesson…and, uh…yeah, I think that Bossier City showed its true side; that it is…hosp…we are hospitable. We do have…we greeted these people with open arms. 'Come up here, stay for awhile, let's get this straightened out, and then we'll work on it'. That's what…that's how we should be as human beings. And I think that's what Bossier City did. We do still have at Cashpoint, we have FEMA trailers with people living in it still. And they're not evacuees, like I said, they are displaced homeowners…or they are just displaced 'New Orleans'…'New Orleanians' Uh…it's just a matter of time. This is…it was devastating, and we'll just have to wait and see what happens. SEG: What will you take away with you from this horrible event that happened…what, what have you learned…from it? MC: Well, with everything that had gone on with Katrina, um, my sister-in-law losing her house. My brother-in-law losing the bottom floor of his house, ah…my in-laws, just nothing happening to them, my parents being here, my brother losing part of his roof, me going through cancer and cancer treatment…everything at one time…but, and it's…it was bad, it was rough. It was emotionally draining. And I think that all of us as a whole, and as a family are really just now starting to recover from…my God, it was, it's just depressing as hell! Uh, but we are all still alive. We all still have each other. There's nothing that cannot be overcome. We have…we just have to. Life is too short to be unhappy. You have to make the most of what you have. And if all you have is a 'pot to piss in', then you just make happy with that. SEG: Is there anything that you would like to add that we maybe have left out about your family, your friends…anything you would like to share with the rest of us? MC: I can't think of anything right off-hand. But thank you, this was…cathartic (laughs)…it, it helped. Because, like I said, we're still, we're still healing. And the healing process for grief sometimes takes awhile. And it was, it was a lot of people were grief-stricken, and terribly depressed. And it's, this was…good therapy. And thank you. SEG: You're welcome, thank you! [End of Interview…14 pages…6,587words…counter 738] |
People |
Criddle, Michele Criddle, Jeff |
Search Terms |
Hurricane Katrina Bossier Parish Library Historical Center Oral History |
Lexicon category |
6: T&E For Communication |
Interview date |
2006-06-13 |
Interview place |
Bossier Parish Library Historical Center |
Interviewer |
Gundlach, Sarah-Elizabeth |
Recording media |
Cassette Tape |
Lexicon sub-category |
Sound Communication T&E |
Inventoried date |
2025-06-12 |