Living in tents

Should anyone question the indomitable spirit of local residents, and their will to stay and rebuild, many are enduring the most primitive conditions imaginable.

The Times-Picayune:

Longtime friends Judy Morgan and Cheryl "Cricket" Livaudais kept in touch by phone as Hurricane Katrina's storm surge covered the streets of St. Bernard Parish ....

Both were able to swim to safety as floodwaters topped rooftops and, after days of very unsettling conditions, were able to make it out of the parish. ...

In October both women moved into a pair of tents pitched on the slab of what used to be Morgan's home, and they remain there now, almost five months after Katrina. When it rains, they get wet; when it's cold, the fireplace next to their tent struggles to keep them warm.

The two are awaiting FEMA trailers. Although parish officials have tried to move quickly to get trailers in place, many residents of the devastated community continue to bide their time in tents, garages and gutted homes, said Parish Councilman Craig Taffaro. ...

"I'd rather live in this tent than live somewhere where they feel sorry for me or are letting me stay out of obligation," Morgan said. "It would be nice if FEMA would give me a hand.

"This is all that I have. This is all I have ever owned," she said by the light of a lantern, huddled inside her tent on a recent cold night. "If I get assistance, I probably would rebuild where I sit."

Photos here.