Lance family loses everything in storm
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“You keep thinking you can wake up and go back to your normal life, but you can’t,” said Lance, who is currently staying with his mother, Mary Jo, in McMinnville. “All at once it took my two jobs, my wife’s job, our house and everything in it, even my girls’ school. Losing your job would be traumatic enough, or losing your house, but losing everything together is tough to take.”
Lance’s home in the St. Bernard Parish, about four miles from New Orleans, is underwater. So is the nearby church where he is the preacher, Chalmette Church of Christ.
Lance listened to evacuation orders and left the area with his two daughters around noon on Sunday. His wife Tina, an employee at Chalmette Medical Center, was told by hospital officials she was required to stay.
“They told her it was mandatory to stay, although not everybody did,” said Lance. “She thought about leaving but she decided to stay. That was the hardest part, losing contact with her for a couple of days. She had a cell phone but they didn’t work.”
Tina rode out the storm while helping tend to patients at Chalmette Medical, which now has its first floor underwater. Her plan is to take a bus to the Astrodome in Houston, Tex., and to eventually take a plane to Nashville where she will be reunited with her husband and two daughters, Jessica, 15, and Katelyn, 13.
The New Orleans area is currently shut down because of widespread looting and criminal activity. There is no power and no drinking water. Lance says he thinks it will be three or four months before he can even begin the process of starting over.
“I have a home, a church and the community college where I work to help rebuild,” said Lance. “I’m going to enroll the girls in school here, although I have no idea what’s happened to their records.”
Mark is a Warren County graduate who lived here for 30 years. Tina is also from Warren County and a local graduate. Mark says he’s been “overwhelmed” with the people who have already offered assistance.
“I’ve had an enormous number of people to call,” he said. “I can’t even lay the phone down without it ringing again. I’ve even received calls from people in Arizona and New Mexico and I don’t have any idea how they got my mom’s phone number.”
Lance says anyone wanting to help him and his family can reach him at 473-7237. Anyone wanting to help rebuild his church can call elder Chris Kramer at (901) 756-0402.
“And I’m welcoming calls from anyone with Tennessee Vol tickets,” said Lance offering a rare smile.
The Lances aren’t Warren County’s only connection to the disaster. Warren County native Paula Abadie’s husband has most of his family still living in the New Orleans area.
Paula, who is formerly Paula Stewart, is best known through her business, Stewart’s Trophies. She has been married to husband Richard for about a year. His mother, sister and family members are now staying with the Abadies in McMinnville.
“We have four extra people and four extra animals,” said Paula. “You don’t realize what you lose when you walk away from your house. You wouldn’t believe what we had to do just to get a prescription filled for my mother-in-law.”
Paula said living conditions are certainly cramped, but that she’s more than happy to help. She said four more family members who were forced to evacuate to Dallas could also be staying with them in the next couple days.
“They’re anxious to see the condition of their homes and they’re real concerned about that,” said Paula, who indicated the family evacuated before the hurricane hit.
Anyone wanting to help the Abadies can call 473-1126.