By Mary Grieco
Catholic Herald correspondent

Rhinelander area welcomes Katrina victims

RHINELANDER -- Family, friends and strangers in the Rhinelander area are reaching out with warm hearts to welcome two families whose lives have been turned upside down by Hurricane Katrina.

"We are some of the lucky ones," said Terri Koszarek Derbes, as she recalled her family's evacuation from New Orleans and subsequent trip to her childhood home in the Northwoods. She and her two children, Sophia and Anton, along with her sister-in-law, Rebecca Derbes, and four or her five children (Scott, Breagh, Alex and Michael) are now trying to find some normalcy in their everyday lives.

They have been overwhelmed with the kindness of local businesses and individuals, as well as members of St. Peter the Fisherman Parish in Eagle River, where Terri's brother, Fr. Robert Koszarek, serves as pastor.

"Someone even offered us a house," Terri said.

Another sister, Kathy, a neonatal nurse practitioner, stayed in Louisiana where her expertise was sorely needed. She weathered the storm with her medical team in the only hospital to remain open during and following the hurricane.

"The power was out and the temperature was 110 degrees, but she stayed and kept taking care of the babies," Terri explained. "She and her team were even featured on CNN. She was very heroic." Kathy is one of the thousands who lost their homes, and after the storm she found herself sharing a house with 20 people -- a common scenario.

Terri and Rebecca have no idea what the future may hold for their families. Their husbands, Al and Eric, stayed in Louisiana and are setting up a temporary law office in the nearby town of Houma, where they are living in a small apartment with their parents and 16-year-old Edward. Terri and Al's house is destroyed; Rebecca and Eric's should be livable again after significant repairs. But it's more than their homes that are of concern.

"Yes, we have a house to go back to," said Rebecca, whose family lives in the suburb of Metairie. "But do we have a community? We are very centered with New Orleans, and that has all changed."

Terri and Al's Lakeview area of New Orleans was very hard-hit. "Now it is just 'lake,' she explained. "We had 10 feet of water in the area. It is a toxic soup right now."

Their neighbors have scattered, and they have yet to connect with many of their friends. But they have seen some on television. "It's very odd to see your friends and neighbors on the national news," Terri remarked. Some may be coming back; others are likely to relocate.

Even though their lives have been disrupted, "There is a lot of gratitude in my prayers," Terri said. "We are still here, and people have been so kind to us. Then there is also the prayer: 'OK, God; what is next? What is the plan?'"

This is the third time the Derbes families have been involved in a hurricane evacuation, but the first two times they were able to go home. The fact that other warnings proved to be false alarms may have given many people a false sense of security, Rebecca observed.

"This (Katrina) was a very fast and unusual event," she explained. "On Friday afternoon, emergency management said we wouldn't have to evacuate, and there were people going to the Saints football game Friday night. By 6 p.m. Friday, the word was out that an evacuation was possible. Then, on Saturday morning, people were told to start leaving."

On Saturday, Terri and her family planned a trip to a museum in Jackson, Miss., and took a few extra clothes along, but nothing more. "We left under the complete assumption that we would be back in four days," she said. "It never crossed our minds that our house would be destroyed."

"I was more of a believer," said Rebecca, who packed photos, important papers and other keepsakes. They left Sunday morning, with their dog, two cats, a snake and a rabbit in the entourage. Both families ended up in a hotel in Memphis, Tenn., the farthest south that any accommodations were available.

After a few days of indecision, Terri and Rebecca accepted the invitation extended by Terri's mother, Anne, to come to Rhinelander, where they arrived Labor Day weekend.

"It's wonderful to have a big family," Terri said. "The beds were made, the refrigerator was full, and we were welcomed with a terrific meal."

Terri recalls the days when she and her eight brothers and sisters filled that same house with energy and laughter. Now it again has youngsters playing in the yard and doing their homework on the big dining room table.

Rebecca and Terri have been impressed with how local schools have accommodated their children. Breagh and Alex are adjusting to Rhinelander High School, a big change since they were attending Catholic boys and girls schools in New Orleans. Michael and Sophia are happy making friends at Nativity of Our Lord School, in Rhinelander, while the two 7-year-olds, Anton and Scott, are home-schooled and attend a charter school one day per week.

Although they are trying to make the most of these new opportunities, they all miss their friends. "Mine are all in Texas now," said Breagh. But both she and Alex are anxious to get back to Louisiana. That dream may become a reality early next year for their family. Terri, Sophia and Anton, however, are likely to experience the four seasons in the Northwoods.

As a fall chill fills the air -- quite a contrast to New Orleans -- Terri and Rebecca think of home and put a big pot of gumbo on the stove for supper.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2005