Barbara Robinson has seen plenty of hurricanes, but when the
Metairie, La. resident heard reports about the approaching
Hurricane Katrina late last month, she knew she had to leave her
home.
Hollister – Barbara Robinson has seen plenty of hurricanes, but when the Metairie, La. resident heard reports about the approaching Hurricane Katrina late last month, she knew she had to leave her home.
“The first thing I knew, we had to get out. I have a mother who’s going to be 88 in November,” she said. “I’ve been through hurricanes, but never one of this magnitude. I knew if this hit the way it was headed, we had to be out of town somewhere.”
Uncertain if her home would weather the storm, Robinson and her mother, Florence Burns, left Metairie on Aug. 27, just before Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, and flew to California. She stayed with one of her sons in Valencia for a bit, and last week arrived in Hollister to stay with her son Mark Robinson, who is the chief financial officer at Hazel Hawkins Hospital. Barbara Robinson’s friend Roy Picou, who initially evacuated to Texas, has since joined her in Hollister.
Robinson, Burns and Picou are among at least eight hurricane evacuees who have ended up in San Benito County since Katrina battered the Gulf Coast late last month, leaving hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands homeless.
For Robinson, the worse part was not being able to contact her youngest son, who lives in Metairie, for more than a week. But after eight days, they got a chance to talk. He was okay.
“Once we got to hear from him, it was clear sailing for us,” she said.
When she finally spoke to her son, she found out that her house was still standing. But the news was bittersweet. She also found out that a good friend’s home had been destroyed by a fire caused by a gas leak.
“That’s when I started crying,” she said. “She’s a lovely person, and all I could think is now she’s got nothing. I couldn’t have felt any worse if it was my stuff.”
Robinson said she is thankful that she had sons in California to help her through the difficult time, adding that the local Red Cross has been a great help, Robinson said, assisting her with some cash and getting a hotel room for Picou.
“The Red Cross has been phenomenal,” she said.
Also, she said that most all of the Hollister residents she has met while she has been in town have been gracious and kind.
“Everyone says they’re praying for us,’ she said.
Robinson is not yet sure of when she’ll be going back to her home. Her two sons who live in California will travel to Louisiana next week to see how the conditions are.
“I’m not worried about next week or next month, we have today,” she said. “We’re just taking it a day at a time, a step at a time.”
Luke Roney covers politics and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected]
