News

Picking up after Katrina disaster

By Heather Chrudimsky
Compass Correspondent

	GOT OUT: Patt and John Ploen, and their two children, Hannah and Jack, evacuated from the New Orleans area prior to Hurricane Katrina making landfall. They stayed for a while in Allouez, where John was raised, with his father, Jerry. (Ploen family photo)

As millions watched Hurricane Katrina strengthen as it moved toward the Gulf Coast, the Ploen family was packing for evacuation as they have done whenever a hurricane threatened New Orleans.

"We have evacuated so many times in the past that we didn't think anything of it," said John Ploen, a native of Allouez and a graduate of Resurrection School, Abbot Pennings High School and St. Norbert College.

Hurricane Katrina
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Partners Parishes in the Green Bay Diocese who would like to help parishes devastated by Hurricane Katrina to rebuild can take part in a parish partnership program sponsored by Catholic Charities USA. For more information go to www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/ parishpartnership.

John, his wife, Patt, their 10-year-old daughter Hannah and 7-year-old Jack, had no idea that this time was different, and that their home in Slidell, La., on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, would sustain 190 mile per hour wind gusts and a 26-foot storm surge.

Louisiana gets lots of hurricane warnings, John said, adding that he is thankful that his family was able to evacuate.

The Ploens went to the home of their neighbor's parents in Mississippi and waited for the storm to pass.

"We didn't realize what was about to happen," John said. "All I packed was two pairs of shorts, two shirts and a pair of flip flops."

The hardest part during the days after the hurricane was the unknown, he said. All forms of communication were out and, like other evacuees, the Ploens couldn't get any information about their neighborhood and house.

Two days after the hurricane hit, Ploen was able to return to his house to assess the damage. Luckily, their home was spared any extreme damage, although they have a lot of work ahead of them putting the pieces back together, he said.

Still, a large amount of worry was lifted, Ploen said, for him and his family when he knew his house was OK. He is still worried about the two TCBY Treats stores he and Patt own in Louisiana and when and if he will be able to reopen them.

One of their stores is in New Orleans and the other is in Metairie, just outside New Orleans. John said he hopes to reopen the Metairie store, which wasn't flooded but received severe roof damage, after some hard work. But he isn't sure if they will ever be able to reopen its New Orleans location.

He said the thing that scares him the most is the uncertainty of the days, weeks, months and years to come.

"After something like this you are just more thankful for what you have," Ploen said. "You appreciate the little things."

Ploen witnessed the absence of relief during his first visit to his home on the Thursday after the hurricane. But during a second visit a couple days later the area was flooded with rescue workers, rescue vehicles and supplies, he said. The relief there is "more than enough," he said.

For nearly two weeks, the Ploens stayed with his father, Jerry, in Allouez before leaving last weekend for their Gulf Coast home. They arrived back early this week, in time for warnings that Hurricane Rita could be headed toward New Orleans.

Ironically, after fleeing the storm in the Gulf Coast, the Ploens were caught in the strong storms that blew through northeast Wisconsin on Sept. 13, knocking down trees and power lines. His father's house was without electricity for one day and two nights. Although it was nowhere near the devastation in Louisiana, the Ploens helped clean the neighborhood, giving them a preview of what awaits them at home.

John said he knows several people who have lost their homes, boats, jobs, but luckily not their lives.

Ploen has registered with FEMA and has filed a claim with his insurance agency, but is unsure what help, if any, they will receive.

While in Allouez, the Ploen children, Hannah and Jack, attended Resurrection School. John said the support and compassion from both teachers and students was overwhelming.

Hannah was nervous about how the students would treat her, but she said they were nice to her and went out of their way to make her feel comfortable.

Schools near their home are expected to reopen in early October, John said, while schools in New Orleans aren't expected to reopen this school year.

Now the Ploens plan to clean up and work to get life back to as close to normal as they can. As they still struggle with the disbelief of what Katrina left behind, they are thankful for what they have - each other.

John said one thing he has learned from the hurricane and the devastation is: never hesitate to evacuate.