Katrina Kicked Off Troubled Souls' Odyssey (AP)

[mcscajun]

Worthwhile reading the entire article. It's an amazing story.

HOUSTON (AP)
(snip)

Others - hundreds of thousands of them - had also escaped from New Orleans. But few could match the extraordinary, even miraculous odyssey of Fruge and his comrades - 16 mentally ill men and recovering addicts, cast out of their group home, Abstract House, by the storm.

For a week the men stuck together through Hurricane Katrina and its rising waters, following a survival instinct like a candle in the dark and gamely caring for each other as they traveled unsupervised for nearly 500 miles. They arrived at dawn in Houston, a sprawling and unfamiliar city among the thousands of hurricane refugees who have made the exodus to Texas, but without a friend in sight.

(snip)

"Vic came up to us at the medical triage center and said there were 16 mental patients in a group," recalls psychiatrist Allison. "We asked him if he was their caretaker. He said, 'No, I'm one of the patients!'"

(snip)

What's next for the Abstract 16? It's the same question dogging more than 1 million Gulf Coast residents now scattered from Utah to Cape Cod in the greatest American diaspora since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, or even the Civil War.


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http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KATRINA_THE_ABSTRACT_16?SITE=LABAT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-09-18-18-14-55

[bloom]

1. That's quite a story.

I was great to read about how they took care of each other.

What a great example of people doing the best they can.

---

I had waded into Freeperville for the first time in months - out of curiosity of how they were reacting to all of this.

So I find this:

"This is how we treat the poor (barf alert)"

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1486953/posts

Every one said something along the lines of, "Interesting that these cities with the most pockets of poverty are the most liberal cities in the country. When you promote the "victim" ideology you get a lot of victims."

---

I wonder if those Freepers ever sing "Amazing Grace" - I think they are still blind. They refuse to see that some people need more help than others. "Victim" ideology does not make people schizophrenic, bipolar, or give them PSTDs from the Vietnam War (or Iraq).

But the mentality of Freepers and those like them is why there are fewer places for the mentally ill to go. And why other programs are being eliminated. :(

[mcscajun]

2. That's the key to the Freeper mentality -- an absence...a total absence

of compassion.

"Fellow-feeling" is something lost on them. They have NO Ability to put themselves into the other person's shoes, or to imagine that anything terrible could ever happen to them that would require them to have assistance.

I'm no believer, but "there but for the grace of God" MUST sometimes occur to these folks? Maybe? What am I SAYING? Never mind.

[bloom]

3. kick...

[faithnotgreed]

4. sigh - what love i have for them

amazing

on edit: thank you for posting this most beautiful story

[faithnotgreed]

5. nominated for all the beauty and the tragedy

[mcscajun]

7. Thanks!

:)

[mcscajun]

6. Kick for the morning crew...

...This is one incredible story.

[mcscajun]

8. One last kick -- for the DU Lunch Bunch

:kick:

[MamaBear]

9. Nominated and kicked ...

This story deserves to be read. Thanks so much for bringing it to our attention.

As for the Freeps: they are much to afraid of their harsh and punishing deity to be able to soften to the plight of another human being. As above, so below. :shrug:

[soup]

10. thanks for the kick.

I'm glad I didn't miss this one.

What a great story. So glad they were able to stay together. Can't imagine what would have happened if they'd each been on their own without the support of the others.

and cheers for Miss Aretha. She sounds like a woman who gets things done and loves what she's doing. I'm glad they're under her care for now.

nominated.

[mcscajun]

12. Thanks for the nom and the kick

I really, really wanted to share this with as many people as possible.

:)

[faithnotgreed]

11. i am kicking this again

i thought the writing could have been better (seemed to include some superficial/cliched tones amidst a powerful story) but i love that it was told at all

[bloom]

13. kick...