BY KEITH LACEY
Allison Moisan was near tears Thursday morning
searching through the rubble in her New Orleans home for the second
time since Hurricane Katrina destroyed it six weeks ago.
Allison and Ray Moisan escaped the hurricane
but their home and belongings are destroyed and their lives have
been turned upside down. |
“I’m in the middle of going through the house to
see if we can salvage anything,” said Moisan, 31, speaking on her
cellphone from her New Orleans home.
“I don’t have a lot of time to speak to you
because we’ve been told it’s still not safe to be here for any
length of time.”
Not only did Hurricane Katrina destroy the home
the Sudbury native shares with her husband, Ray, but, for the time
being, halted her dream to
become a doctor.
Moisan is only weeks away from completing her PhD
studies in reproductive biology at Louisiana State
University.
Moisan is a graduate of Laurentian University.
She obtained her master’s degree from the University of Guelph
before moving to the United States three years ago to continue her
studies.
Moisan, the daughter of former Walden mayor and
regional councillor Alex Fex, is currently a student at Louisiana
State University in Baton Rouge. Moisan was working at a research
centre in New Orleans to complete her doctorate.
She and her husband, like one million other
residents, evacuated the region prior to Hurricane Katrina landing
and stayed with friends in Houston when it hit hard, said
Moisan.
They packed their clothes, two cats, her research
materials, some of her husband’s important work papers and left
hoping for the best, she said.
The devastation to their home and the entire area
is beyond words, she said.
“You really can’t explain what’s happened here,”
she said. “The damage is just unbelievable.”
Because of heavily polluted water and toxic
sludge that has covered most of the city, she and her husband were
told to get shots for hepatitis, tetanus. worries about e-coli
contamination are real six weeks later, she said.
In terms of completing her education, she says
she has deeper concerns right now.
“I was very close to finishing, but I can’t
complete my research right now, so I really don’t know what’s going
to happen,” she said. “Right now, we’re just trying to get life
back to as normal as possible. We have other things we have to take
care of right now before I can even start to think about what I’m
going to do with my studies.”
While New Orleans remains a virtual ghost town,
numerous businesses are up and running in most outlying communities
as clean water and power are back, she said.
Life will return to normal, although most
acknowledge it’s going to take several months and probably a couple
of years before that happens, she said.
She and husband have decided they are going to
return to Canada to live in the Greater Toronto Area where she
hopes to resume her studies to complete her PhD within the next
year or so.
Her father said he was never concerned about his
daughter’s health and safety because they evacuated the area well
before the hurricane hit.
“But we couldn’t get in touch for her for a brief
period of time after the hurricane and that was bothersome,” he
said.
After a traumatic event like losing your home and
most of your personal possessions, reality sets in and the next
little while is going to be very difficult, said Fex.
That’s why he, his wife, Erna and children want
to remain in close contact with Allison.
“Now that reality has set in and the shock has
worn off, it can be very trauamatic,” he said. “This is the period
where they’re going to need a lot of support.”
He is happy his daughter and son-in-law are
moving back to Canada and will only be a few hours away.
“Yeah, I have to admit that’s going to be nice,”
he said. “We’re going to make a real point of making plenty of
visits while they get back on their feet. Allison and Ray have a
lot of things to sort out and we’ll be there for them when they
need us.”
Allison’s sister Michelle, who attends
Laurentian, said she’s just glad her sister and brother-in-law are
in good health.
“When something this tragic happens, you forget
about material things and you’re just happy they’re OK,” she said.
“I’m really looking forward to
seeing them...they’re supposed to come home in
two or three weeks.”