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By Audrey Scruton
ascruton@mckenziebanner.com |
 It's
been one year since Hurricane Katrina blew through the
gulf August 29, 2005, creating thousands of homeless
people with nothing to their name. Hundreds of evacuees
made their way to West Tennessee, where small towns with
big hearts fed, clothed, and sheltered as many as they
could manage.
As time went on, most evacuees left, some returning to
their hometown to rebuild, while others found new starts
in other parts of the country. For New Orleans native
Lionel Lombard, McKenzie offered him a new place to call
"home."
Surviving the Storm
Like many other New Orleans residents, Lionel
believed he could ride out the storm. "We had hurricanes
all the time-you just weathered the storm, then the sun
came out and you cleaned everything up and laughed about
it," he said. "No one had any idea that this time would
be different."
Lionel, who did maintenance work at The (Clarion)
Boutique Hotel on St. Charles Avenue in downtown New
Orleans, said he almost stayed at the hotel during the
storm. "All the guests had evacuated, and my boss said I
could stay there to take care of any little repairs that
were needed after the storm passed," he explained. "But
the hotel's insurance company called and said no one
should be in the building, since the storm was going to
be so large." The hotel was completely destroyed in the
storm.
During the hurricane, Lionel said the wind scared him
more than anything else. "The wind was so bad the
building was rocking back and forth, and it sounded like
rocks were hitting it," he said. "Water came from
everywhere," he said, describing how rain came in
through broken windows in addition to the rising
floodwaters.
Lionel described the day after Hurricane Katrina hit New
Orleans as very eerie, with lots of sunshine and a clear
blue sky. "If you'd slept through the whole thing, you'd
never know the storm had hit from looking at the sky,"
he said.
Lionel, along with a few other residents of his uptown
apartment building, remained in the building for a week
following the storm. "I opened a few of the vacant
apartments on my floor for the people downstairs; there
was no sense leaving them stranded with the water down
there," he said. They had no electricity, water, or
outside communication except for a small battery-powered
radio.
"Only one radio station would come in, and whatever they
said was all we knew," Lionel said, pulling the same
radio out of his desk drawer, noting that he had been
worried about the batteries' power at the time. "It
still has the same batteries in it, it hasn't stopped
working yet!" The radio also served him well during a
spate of tornadoes around Carroll County last April.
Finally, on Wednesday after the storm, September 7,
Lionel said the National Guard came through, informing
everyone of the mandatory evacuation. Guard members took
him to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International
Airport, and he described flying over the Ninth Ward and
being stunned by the devastation.
"I had no idea it had been that bad from where I was, we
didn't get as much water as they did," he said, adding
that he was shocked to see looters around the city. "We
passed a Walgreens, and I thought they must be open
because people were running in and out, but then someone
told me they were looting the place. I couldn't believe
it," he said.
Lionel was part of a group of over 100 evacuees flown
from New Orleans to Nashville. "I only knew one person
on that flight," he said. From Nashville, evacuees were
driven by bus to a shelter in Lavinia, located at the
Tennessee National Guard Training Center (a part of the
Milan Army Ammunition Plant).
A few days after arriving in Lavinia, the Tennessee
Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) announced the
consolidation of several rural shelters, including the
Lavinia shelter, into a large one in Franklin, which
would place evacuees closer to a major airport. A few of
the evacuees, including Lionel, chose to relocate to a
smaller shelter at the old Long Heights Baptist Church
building in McKenzie instead of traveling to Franklin.
The Long Heights building, which was transformed into a
dormitory for evacuees, had only been vacated a few days
before Hurricane Katrina, when the church officially
moved to its new location on Old Paris Road, near
Highway 22. Lionel had nothing but praise for the people
at Long Heights and those in the West Tennessee area.
"We had everything we could have wanted or needed under
the circumstances," he said.
Life Before Katrina
There's much more to Lionel than just being a
Hurricane Katrina survivor. He was born in New Orleans
at Charity Hospital in October 1945 to John and Audrey
Lombard, both of whom were also born in New Orleans. "I
celebrated my 60th birthday at the Long Heights
shelter," he said.
Lionel's father was a sergeant major in the U.S. Army,
and Lionel found himself being raised all over the
world, from Australia to Italy to Thailand. His father
wanted him to graduate high school in the United States,
however, so the family settled in Fayetteville, North
Carolina, where Lombard graduated from Fayetteville High
School in 1963 while his father was stationed at Fort
Bragg.
After high school, Lionel attended trade school before
joining the U.S. Navy. He served several years,
including an 18-month tour of duty in Vietnam during the
late 1960s, and was honorably discharged as a Petty
Officer, 2nd Class.
Following graduation from East Carolina University in
Greenville, North Carolina, he decided to return to New
Orleans. "I had been all around the world, to all of
these places everyone always talks about going, but I
felt like I needed to go home and learn more about my
birthplace," Lionel said.
After settling in New Orleans, Lionel held several jobs,
including law enforcement and journalism. He did
freelance photography for area publications, as well as
for national magazines, such as Jet and Ebony.
He was also a news anchor for several years, he said,
becoming the first black male news reporter for WDSU-TV
NewsChannel 6. He worked at the station for 10 years
until the company ownership changed. "If I had stayed
with them, I would have been transferred to Atlanta, and
I had no interest in doing that," Lionel said.
For the next 10 years, Lionel taught English, including
literature, poetry, and communications, at various New
Orleans high schools. "A lot of the kids didn't like to
write, especially the guys," Lionel said.
"I used everything I could to get them started; I even
told the guys that women really like love letters, and
that it would set them apart from the other guys if they
wrote nice things for the women," he said, laughing.
"But it worked!"
Those in McKenzie who have met Lionel have nothing but
positive things to say about him. "From the beginning he
was one of the ones who immediately wanted to go to
work," said Bro. Kenny Carr, pastor of Long Heights. "He
never slacked off and is a very productive citizen."
"He always had a smile on his face and was really
good-natured," said Tammy Houston, a senior English
major at Bethel and former Wildcat Cove resident. "He's
a familiar sight over there now, and everyone knows if
they need something fixed, he'll do it."
Kathy Hull described Lionel as a "very intelligent, fun
person to be around." Lionel rents his house from Hull's
husband, Robert, and the three were also able to share
stories about New Orleans, where the Hulls lived for six
years during the 1980s.
Hull added that she and her husband have also gotten to
experience Lionel's talent as a cook, specializing in
Cajun cuisine. "He has a lot of courage and seems to be
happy in McKenzie. I know he's grateful for all the help
he's had in getting back on his feet," she said.
Picking Up the Pieces
Lionel has returned to New Orleans only twice during
the past year. The first time, a few months after the
hurricane, he joined a mission group from Long Heights
Baptist Church; the second time, in mid-July, he made
the journey with the help of friends.
He described the city as being in "complete upheaval;
everything's topsy-turvy, and nothing's cohesive." He
said little things, like not seeing familiar faces or
hearing the rumble of the daily streetcars, disturbed
him most. The store where Lionel always purchased his
fisherman's hat-one of his clothing staples-was closed
when he returned. "If you'd never been there, you might
not notice the little differences, but to me it was very
noticeable," he said.
"All the houses were empty, and I couldn't find anyone I
knew," he said. Outside of the French Quarter, which was
the least-damaged area of the storm, Lionel said "it's a
complete mess for miles and miles." He noted that there
is still no electricity or water in most parts of town,
and crime has increased with the absence of a solid
police force.
"It's pretty dangerous back there, especially after
dark, mainly because people know they can get away with
it," Lionel said. He described a two-vehicle accident at
an intersection where traffic lights were out of order.
"The one guy got out of his car and pulled a gun on the
other one, I'd never seen anything like it," he said.
Lionel described how difficult it was for people who
decided to return to New Orleans to rebuild. "Anything
you need, there's at least 50 other people who need the
same thing as you," he said. "There are so many people
trying to do the same thing, and hardly any businesses
are open," he added, noting that several governmental
offices, such as city hall and the court house, are only
partially open and have had to relocate some offices to
other parts of town.
"It's all very sad to see," Lionel said. "The picture of
the city as it was in my head-it's never going to be the
same again," noting several decade-old buildings that
were completely destroyed. "You can rebuild, but you
build new stuff; you can't replace antiques."
None of Lionel's immediate family was injured in the
storm, but he's not sure about extended family. "There's
no way to contact any of them now, all of the phone
numbers are useless," he said. "I have a New Orleans
phone book, but it has no value now."
Lionel said he's been in contact with his family since
the storm, but that at first communication was
difficult. His only son, Lionel Lombard, Jr., an
employee of TimeWarner Company, was stationed in United
Arab Emigrates at the time of Hurricane Katrina. "There
were several Web sites that helped people get in touch
with family, and he found me on one of those," he said.
He spoke with his sisters, Caryn and Athena, who were
both New Orleans residents at the time of the hurricane,
shortly after arriving in Tennessee. Both women had
evacuated the city the week before the storm, thinking
they would be able to return a few days later.
"They packed up their cars and took the kids and went to
Augusta, Georgia, where they had friends," he said.
"They were lucky too-they both had jobs that could
transfer easily, and knew people in the area." Caryn,
who worked with the U.S. Post Office, and Athena, a
manager at Walgreens, were both able to find work
quickly after realizing they would not be returning
home.
"I get to talk to them by e-mail and on the phone
regularly now, and they've come to visit," Lionel said,
smiling. He said the women had lived in New Orleans
East, which is a newer part of the Ninth Ward. "I went
over to their houses when I went back, and took pictures
for them," he said. "They were completely destroyed,
nothing was salvageable at all. It would have been a
waste of time to try."
Lionel also keeps in contact with Alberto Casanova, the
only other Katrina evacuee still living in McKenzie. "He
lives just down the road from me," he said, referring to
his current home on Main Street. The two met while
staying in the Long Heights shelter.
Lionel keeps up with the status of reconstruction
efforts online, with his favorite Web site being
www.NOLA.com. "They even have Web cams, so you can
visually see progress or things going on," he said. He
even followed recent city elections, since he knew all
of the candidates. "It's the next best thing to being
there," he said.
Settling In
During his first trip back, he stayed for three days,
rented a truck, and found a few friends to help him
salvage what he could from his apartment, which wasn't a
lot. "I was able to salvage little things, like books
and my computer, but the furniture, clothes; they were
too far gone," he said.
Lionel explained how he was able to save his
refrigerator because he had the forethought to empty it
before the storm. "I buried the food in the backyard and
bleached it and bought other food beforehand," he said,
adding that many people expected power, if it went out,
would return quickly. "When I went back, almost every
house had a refrigerator sitting in front of it, taped
up so it wouldn't open because the smell would be
horrendous," he said.
Lionel returned what he could to McKenzie, where he put
it all in storage at South Main Storage on Main Street
until he found a permanent place to live. He described
the owner as a kind man who was very helpful, telling
Lionel he could store his belongings there until he
needed them. "That really helped," he said.
Lionel said seeing the devastation up close and personal
in New Orleans "re-convinced" him that he made the right
decision by remaining in Tennessee. "I needed some sort
of normalcy and a routine," he said.
"It was the realistic thing to do, to stay here," he
said. "I was lucky enough to have help and get
organized." He said he doesn't see New Orleans being
fully livable again for at least another five years, if
there's not another hurricane.
Lionel soon found a job at McKenzie Healthcare and
Rehabilitation Center as a maintenance employee. He
walked to and from the Long Heights shelter every day to
get to work, since he did not have a vehicle. "It wasn't
that bad, I could make the walk in about 15 minutes," he
said.
By Thanksgiving, Lionel was able to rent a house and buy
a car with the help of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency's hurricane relief program. Even with all of his
luck, each day small problems arose that had to be
addressed.
For instance, Lionel's New Orleans bank did not have a
branch in Tennessee, so he had to transfer his account
to a bank with Tennessee branches during one of his
trips home. His cell phone company's service did not
work in this area, so he had to find a new service
provider in McKenzie. All of his official documents,
such as military forms and Social Security card, had to
be reissued, a lengthy and involved process of sending
multiple forms to governmental offices.
Then, just when things had started to pan out, Lionel
suffered a fall. "I was standing on a chair, trying to
change a light bulb, and I just lost my balance. I fell
and injured my arm and shoulder," he said, explaining
how he actually re-injured an old war injury from his
time spent in Vietnam. The injury forced him to stop
working temporarily, but "I was back on my feet in no
time," he said.
"I just took each day as it came and dealt with
everything as best I could," he said, evidence of his
easygoing nature.
In April, Lionel began working for Bethel College, doing
maintenance work at its newly acquired off-campus
apartment buildings, Wildcat Cove Apartments (formerly
known as McKenzie Apartments).
"It's fantastic; I can literally walk to and from work,
which saves a lot in gas money," he said, pointing to
his backyard, visible from the apartments. He does
"whatever needs to be done" at the site, from painting
to furniture repairs. "I'm very fortunate, and I didn't
have to draw unemployment," he said of his work history
the past year.
Although he's been here almost a year, he's still trying
to get acquainted with the area. "I've met quite a few
people, but I can't remember all their names," he said.
"I keep a book with people's names and numbers to help
me remember," he said, also pointing to various maps of
Carroll County and West Tennessee he keeps pinned to his
wall. "I hear people say different city names, but it
doesn't mean anything to me. When I can find it on a
map, then it makes more sense," he said.
In retrospect, Lionel wishes he had evacuated before the
hurricane hit. "I thought I was doing the right thing by
staying there, but I was wrong," he said. "But I'm doing
okay now, and I've been very, very blessed."
As Carr says, "He is without a doubt a true survivor." |
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