12/20/05

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/Storie ... 24,00.html

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/search/ci_3322661

Unfortunately I dont have the picture that went with the article. I emailed Ms Mazza asking her if these people were legal citizens, because they both hid their faces in a photograph that accompanied the article. Of course she never contacted me. The Hispanic had her hand over her face, and her boyfriend (his last name wasnt used) had a baby blanket covering his face. I would like to know if he is LEGALLY EMPLOYED BY UNITED STATES GYPSUM, who was kind enough to transfer him. Are we actually paying for this, and is the government breaking the law!?

She never answered me. So now I cant retrieve the photo. But she
Storm victims get a second chance in Southland
By Sandy Mazza Staff Writer

Editor's note: This is the third installment in a series about Hurricane Katrina evacuees attempting to rebuild their lives locally.

LA PALMA - Finally, everything is moving quickly for Soledad Akli and her family, who moved to La Mirada two months ago to escape the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Until this week, family members felt like they were trapped in limbo. Finding an apartment within their price range proved difficult - the family did not have money for furniture, and getting help from relief agencies and the government was confusing and difficult.

On Thursday, however, the family received the keys to a new apartment in La Palma in Orange County.

"We've been constantly changing from one place to another," Soledad, 31, said. "Now, I'm just trying to make it feel like home. Today I'm going to start getting it organized so they (her family) can get comfortable."

Her daughter Daniela, 11, is attending school at St. Paul of the Cross in La Mirada, which helped the family find an apartment.

Her husband, Stephan, 36, works at sheet metal manufacturer United States Gypsum in Santa Fe Springs. His employer offered to transfer him and his family to the area after their Jefferson Parish apartment was destroyed by the hurricane.

Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency paid their hotel bill through Dec. 15.

It took weeks to find an apartment in their price range. Finally, just days before FEMA's Dec. 15 deadline to move, the family got the call that they were approved for their new place.

Almost simultaneously, FEMA extended the hotel voucher program until Feb. 7.

Nova La Palma apartments approved the family for a fully furnished, two-bedroom second-floor apartment. The owner also offered them free rent for six months.

Southern California is a lot different from New Orleans, but the family is adjusting, Soledad said.

Their new apartment is just around the corner from Knott's Berry Farm. They already have visited Disneyland, the beach, Universal Studios and the L.A. Zoo.

"I like the weather and attractions here," she said. "There are lots of places to take children. It keeps them from thinking about over there."

"Over there," their Jefferson Parish apartment was just blocks from a levee. It was also larger and quieter than their new place.

But, Soledad said, she likes the light that streams through the sliding glass doors of her new balcony.

Oak trees lined the streets of her former neighborhood; now she sees palm trees from her street-front window.

When the sun set in New Orleans, Soledad could hear hundreds of chirping crickets; now she hears the whir of passing cars.

But she doesn't miss the mosquitoes or the rain.

Her family is spread between New Orleans and Nicaragua, where she was born and fled during the Sandinista-led civil war when she was 9 years old.

Before Hurricane Katrina hit, leaving 2 feet of water in her home and destroying everything the family had except some DVDs and clothing that were stacked high, the family planned on moving back to Nicaragua.

Soledad has already begun construction on a house there, and wanted to open a restaurant. Stephan, who was born in France and has lived in Amsterdam and New York City, also liked the idea of owning his own business.

But Katrina changed everything.

"Since I came over here, I see things different," Soledad said. "I'm thinking about the kids' future, and I want to go to nursing school."

First, however, Soledad is focused on making their new apartment a home.

She lost dozens of her cooking spices, essential for making the jambalaya and rice dishes she did before. These days, they're eating a lot of take-out food.

She also looks forward to spending some time alone with Stephan. Since her friends and family are in New Orleans, Soledad has no one to baby-sit Stephanie, her 18-month-old daughter.

For now, she is hanging pictures and unpacking the plastic containers with the family's belongings.

"Last night, Daniela said to me, `Mom, we're doing it again - starting all over.' She asked me, `Are we going to move again?' I told her I didn't think so."

sandy.mazza@sgvn.com

(562) 698-0955, Ext. 3026