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Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice –Katrina Style
Bob is an executive who makes a tidy 6 figure salary. His wife Carol is a lawyer, making almost as much as he does. They have a 17 yr old high schooler in a private academy, and a 20 yr old at Stanford. They built their dream house right on the gulf, sparing no expense, since it would be their retirement home someday. The house was outfitted with nothing but the best…a gem of a 5,000 sq. ft. beach cottage.
Katrina showed up on the radar screen and they decided it was too risky to stay put, so they took Carol’s jewelry to the safety deposit box, backed up a rented truck and loaded the most precious family heirlooms. They gassed up the cars and headed out early Saturday. They headed west, until they got to Houston…. Category 3, 4, 5 .. didn’t matter.. they knew they were vulnerable, and thought the house would survive, but better not take chances..
They caravanned and found a place to garage the vehicles., and a kennel for the dog and cat.Then they headed for the airport. This would be the perfect time to “get away from it all”. The kids were out of school and the family vacations were precious to them, since soon the kids would be grown and on their own.
Cabo San Lucas beckoned.
They sat, glued to the TV watching Katrina approach, and since they could reach no one near their home, they knew they were going to be disappointed when they did go home. They told themselves that there was nothing they could do and they decided to worry about that later.
Bob made some calls to business pals and his insurance agent. and found that if their home was one of the ones destroyed, they would be able to rebuild.
It would be an inconvenience, but they would be ok. His parents offered the use of a second home they had in Georgia, if worst came to worst. He and Carol decided that they could both work from home if necessary, so they could actually live anywhere and still maintain their lifestyle.
The 17 yr old would be sad to do his senior year in a new school, but his old school was probably damaged anyway.
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Ted & Alice have been married for 20 years and have 3 children aged 19, 17 & 14. Ted was a union automaker for a while, and things were good. Carol worked part time at a dentist’s office as receptionist and appointment scheduler.
They both volunteered at their kid’s school when they could and Ted coached his 14 yr old’s baseball team. They moved to Mississippi when Ted lost his job due to layoffs. They both found work in a casino, and with tips, even though the wages were not what he was used to, they did okay.
They found a nice apartment and after bills were paid, even had a small savings account. They had hopes of buying a house someday. The 19 yr old found a job at a local building supply store and she had plans to share an apartment with a coworker, so soon the 3 bedroom apartment would seem larger.
The 17 yr old daughter made good grades and was hoping to get a scholarship to college.
When Katrina was approaching, they discussed leaving, but their savings were not enough to pay for food and lodging and gas for more than a few days, and they lived inland far enough. They lived on the 3rd floor, and the apartment building is only a few years old, so they decided to stay and ride it out. Alice stocked up on water and canned goods and they taped up the sliding glass door, and they waited..
Their building was seriously damaged, but they made it through the storm. The kids were with them and no one was injured. They were thankful to be alive. As soon as the water subsided, they took a walk to the casino (their car was NOT so lucky…it is missing).
Unfortunately the Casinos are also missing.
The rent is due tomorrow and neither has a job anymore. Their furniture has water damage,they always meant to buy renter's insurance, but never got around to it. and they have no vehicle. They will pay their rent and have a month to decide what to do with the rest of their lives. Their families are unable financially to help them, and they will face real hardships for a long time coming.
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Two extremes, but I would bet that there are thousands of families just like these fictional ones..
The poorest of the poor have it worse than either of these families, and I shudder to think of what they have ahead. I fear that they will be herded from shelter to shelter, until they begin to just wander off out of frustration.
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