Katrina victims find new home in Bloomington

While New Orleans begins to rebuild its shattered walls, many former residents are trying to start new lives. Hurricane Katrina took them away from their homes and left the Gulf Coast looking for answers. \nThousands of New Orleans residents have been scattered across the country and are looking for direction. \nSome have relocated to Bloomington to attend IU. Others came to find a new beginning. Gerald Powell, a victim of the hurricane, came to Bloomington to stay with his mother.\nRight now there are 12 people staying in Gerald's mother's two-bedroom house.\nHe hopes to find work and housing soon, which has taken longer than he would have wished since he lost all of his identification in the flood.\n"I lost everything. No money, no IDs. I have nothing," Powell said. "There is nothing in New Orleans for me to go back to."\nPowell had to drive back to Louisiana last Thursday to receive new identification in Baton Rouge. \nPowell lived in uptown New Orleans, an area that received several feet of flooding. \nHe said the Federal Emergency Management Agency promised victims $2,000 of "start-up" money. However, Powell has had a lot of trouble receiving the aid. \n"FEMA told me that since me and my brothers, Emanuel and Kenny, used the same address, they would have to investigate the house before anyone is eligible for money." he said. \nPowell is also concerned that other members of his family are not getting the help they need.\n"My sister Tasha only received $180 from the Red Cross for her and her two kids," Powell said, "How are you supposed to feed and clothe an adult and two kids with $180?"\nThings, however, are looking up for Powell. He spent countless hours on the phone with FEMA and was finally able to confirm who he was. He is now expecting to receive a check from the agency, which will enable him to move into his own house.\n"I got (help) through Bloomington, which will pay for the house but not the deposit," Powell said. The money he will receive from FEMA will make it possible for him to put down the deposit, he said.\nPowell expressed his determination to make the best out of his situation. He, like many of the hurricane victims, just needed assistance.\n"I am an able body, wanting to work, willing to work. I just need some help," he said.\nHe hopes the government will do a better job supporting the people that still remain in the devastated region.\n"I see millions of dollars donated everyday," Powell said. "They need to do a better job of getting it to the people who are really in need." \nPowell is thankful for all the people in Bloomington who have done what they can to help. He has already interviewed at Bloomington Hospital for work and has plans to start taking classes at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. \n"There have been a lot of real nice people here who have been doing everything they can to help," Powell said. "Without the kind people in Bloomington, life would be miserable."\nRobert Althauser, the supervisor at the relief center in Bloomington, explained that the Red Cross is not an organization designed to help with long-term relief.\n"The Red Cross helps with immediate emergency needs," Althauser said. "Other organizations like FEMA are there for the long term."\n"We assess emergency needs; the help we give is different for every case," Althauser said. "A household with a large number of people will get more help than a smaller house ... We try to determine what is needed right away."\nAlthauser explained that the Red Cross can refer families to other organizations to receive long-term care. \n"We assess their situation, and then we can write a referral for medical help, or refer them to FEMA for housing," Althauser said. "That way they can go to another organization and give proof they are a Katrina victim and hopefully receive the help they need."\nAlthauser also explained why the 120 hurricane evacuees that were expected to relocate to the city have still yet to arrive.\n"We were prepared to house 120 evacuees in Bloomington, and other cities in the state were expecting evacuees as well," Althauser said. "That no longer is the case. Many people did not want to come this far north."\nRyan McDonald, a native of Bloomington, who was attending Tulane University before Katrina hit, is trying to adjust to life at IU.\n"I'm not sure if I will go back," MacDonald said. "I had to evacuate last year for another hurricane. It would be hard to return to Tulane."\nHowever, McDonald is thankful for his situation in Bloomington.\n"At least I was able to eat the day after the hurricane ... A lot of people had it a lot worse"