Melinda Guidry is finally on to her post-Ida life. More importantly, she is finally home.
For almost two years, Guidry has made due – first with the remains of her almost totally destroyed by Ida Destrehan home, then with a trailer supplied by FEMA. But she is finally in her new home, purchased through a $78K grant awarded through the Restore Louisiana program. Catholic Charities assisted Guidry through the application process and connected her with the program.
She can finally look ahead.
“I feel like a new person,” Guidry said. “I sit right there and just look around … this is mine. At first I didn’t want to start hanging things up, I just wanted to look. My boyfriend said, no, let’s get started … we’re mostly all set now.”
Guidry has lived in St. Charles Parish for 45 years and in Destrehan for the past 35, where and her family have made many memories.
The last two years are largely filled with experiences Guidry would like to forget, though. Already dealing with the loss of her father, she put $35K he left to her toward renovating her home, specifically the kitchen and master bedroom. Soon after that work was completed, Hurricane Ida landed its blow to the region and rendered Guidry’s trailer – and all of the improvements to it – lost.
As was the case for many following Ida, finding answers proved a struggle. With no clear timetable on receiving a temporary trailer to live in from FEMA, she did her best with what she had – the remains of her home.
“I wouldn’t let people in the house because I knew where you could and couldn’t step without falling through. They didn’t,” Guidry said. “My sister was worried about me. She’d say, ‘You’re gonna fall through one day.’ I told her, ‘I’ve got this, I’ve got this.’ When this is where you have to live, you have to make things work.”
Making matters worse, Guidry also had significant health issues to battle, and the stress of the day to day fight to get her living situation back in order was not helping.
“Sometimes I’d call and I could tell it was an especially tough week … maybe this is a week I call twice,” said Muriel Lewis, Catholic Charities case manager for Guidry. “I’d call the next time and she’d be crying … I know those types of worries can cause other issues. All kinds of things, heart disease, can come from worry.”
The financial assistance Guidry applied for and received at the time was put directly back into restoring her trailer, not knowing when another option from FEMA might come.
When she was ultimately granted a trailer from FEMA, it marked the final days she’d live in what had previously been her home for her time in Destrehan. When that damaged trailer was taken away, Guidry said so many memories went with it.
“It’s what hurts me the most,” said Guidry, tearing up. “I feel like when they moved it away, my memories were in there. But I realize now that this is something new and I have to start new.”
As part of Catholic Charities Spirit of Hope disaster response program, Lewis worked closely with Guidry for nine months. Disaster case management is a process where a case manager serves as a single point of contact for individuals or families who were impacted by the floods. This person helps households return to a state of self-sufficiency.
Case managers like Lewis help families identify their unmet needs, present these needs groups providing assistance to victims and coordinate with volunteer groups for home repairs. They also help clients get connected to services, provide referrals to the appropriate agencies, and help them access services such as government benefits, SNAP, SBA and FEMA applications and appeals, mental health services, housing, home repairs, transportation, and other essential services.
“It’s such a blessing to see her here in her new home,” said Lewis. “I know while she was here waiting and not knowing what was next, making phone calls over and over, it was hard on her. She was fixing up that old trailer … she put a new roof on it, because she didn’t know when she’d have another option or when she’d get some help. So, seeing her here today, it’s so uplifting.”
Guidry said Lewis and Catholic Charities lent a much-needed hand.
“I could not have done this without them. I couldn’t afford to go buy something and have a note when I’m on social security. I don’t know where I’d be today,” she said.
In front of her previous home, Guidry had a front porch where she and her friends and family would spend time with one another. Her children and her boyfriend are planning to rebuild that area.
“This one’s gonna be bigger,” Guidry said. “I’m excited about it.”
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