New Braunfels Herald Zeitung
September 1, 2005
Written by Leigh Jones
Brothers Arthur and Eddie Williams had no idea how long they
would be gone when they loaded up their families and joined the mass exodus from
New Orleans Sunday morning.
Their only concern was getting out of Hurricane Katrina’s way.
Once the storm passed by, they thought they would return home to clean up the
mess and resume their daily lives. But the brothers quickly realized the return
journey down Interstate 10 would not begin any time soon.
The family caravan, 50 people strong, drove west, passing through Houston and
Austin before finding refuge in New Braunfels Wednesday afternoon at Slumber
Falls Camp and Retreat Center.
“It’s so peaceful here,” Arthur told camp administrator Charles Stark
after getting a quick tour of the family’s new home. “We are just blessed
you could make this happen for us.”
Thanks to the generosity of the South Central Conference of the United Church of
Christ, which owns the encampment, the Williamses will have a temporary home in
New Braunfels free of charge through the end of September.
By then, Eddie said he hoped they would be able to return to their homes in the
“Big Easy,” if they were still there.
“We have no idea what we will find when we get there,” he said. “All we
know is there will be a major cleanup effort.”
While Eddie and Arthur finished touring the camp with Stark, the group’s
youngsters congregated on the camp’s basketball court.
“We have to remind the kids this is serious,” Eddie said, shaking his head
slightly but not making a move to stop the only fun the teenagers had
experienced since they left New Orleans.
After shooting a few hoops, the youngsters moved to the volleyball court, but
that did not occupy them for long either.
They ended up sitting in a line on one of the cabin’s front porches. The
shell-shocked look in their eyes indicated they did understand the seriousness
of their predicament.
When the family abandoned their homes to escape Katrina’s wrath, they left
everything behind — clothes, prized possessions, family treasures and even a
few loved ones.
“My wife is a police officer,” Arthur said. “They wouldn’t let her
leave. I talked to her last night, but I haven’t been able to get through
since then.”
“He’s really worried about her,” Eddie said quietly after his brother
stepped inside the nearest cabin to check out the accommodations. “We’ve
seen pictures of the looting, and we heard two officers have been shot. It’s
hard to think about what she might be experiencing on the streets back home.”
Stark listened sympathetically and offered the only bit of comfort he could.
“You won’t have to worry about anything while you’re here,” he said.
“This community will step up to help in any way it can. We know what it’s
like to go through a natural disaster.”
While the camp has enough beds for every family member and three kitchens ready
to prepare meals, Stark admitted he would need help gathering food for such a
large group.
Tom Barrett, president of the SOS Food Bank, said his volunteer were ready to
help and had even done some advance preparation without knowing it.
“One of our local groups has been doing a food drive for several weeks, before
we knew anything about the hurricane,” he said. “Today, we received a
shipment of 1,200 pounds of food. How about that? The Lord’s in charge of all
kinds of good stuff.”