A Face in the Crowd

MELISSA BIANCHINI, from Chalmette, La., and currently living at Clearview Baptist Church with other hurricane survivors Did you lose everything to Katrina? They say our apartment is under water, and we left our car there, so yeah, we lost it all. How’d you wind up here? That’s a long story. Basically, my aunt’s boyfriend helped us get to Mississippi. From there, we went to my boyfriend’s grandmother’s house in Laurel, Miss. And from there, we went from church to church asking for a place to stay. Then someone at the information center on the Tennessee border told us about Clearview, so we came here. Everyone here has been so nice. How many family members are here with you? Ten, ranging in age from 1 to 89. What has the journey taught you so far? Well, when we first got here, I cried and cried and felt so depressed. Then, on the third day, I couldn’t cry anymore. It’s like we came here for a reason. My boyfriend has already found work. Everything since we got here has fallen into place; it’s like a red carpet.I feel totally blessed, and even though we lost it all, I still woke up this morning. Everything happens for a reason. Are you ever going back? No. There’s no reason to. A lot of folks think it’s so nice in New Orleans, but really it’s not. People fear for there lives there. We’re here, and it’s so nice. Miss Maggie told us yesterday that they found us an apartment. I just want to thank everyone here. They are truly wonderful What’s your favorite song? “Kashmir” by Led Zepplin. Know a Face in the Crowd? Email Eric England at facencrowd@comcast.net.