Aurora –
Hurricane Katrina ripped apart the Gulf Coast, but the friendship between neighbors Bobby Youngblood and Freddie Sims weathered the storm. Their bond actually was made stronger as they sought shelter together with their loved ones and were all ultimately evacuated to Aurora.
“We were friends, but we all came together as a family,” said Sims, 56, who along with Youngblood was evacuated from their homes in Uptown New Orleans.
Today the friends will say goodbye to each other for the first time since their ordeal began, as Youngblood and dozens of other families leave their temporary homes at the former Lowry Air Force Base in Aurora.
The last of the hurricane survivors living at Lowry had been expected to move out by today, but many families will stay a bit longer.
“This wasn’t a drop-dead date. … Nobody will be kicked out,” said Barbara Kirkmeyer, a state official who has overseen the operation, of today’s move-out goal.
“We believe the people who have been here have been given a better chance for success,” Kirkmeyer said.
Operation Safe Haven – a collaborative effort involving several charitable organizations and local, state and federal governments – housed 500 people at one time at Lowry, said Kirkmeyer.
About 150 people remained until today. Of those, 96 have apartments or rental homes to move into.
The state is considering renting an entire apartment building for the evacuees who haven’t found homes, Kirkmeyer said.
Officials threw a Mardi Gras-themed party Thursday night as a send-off to those who were leaving. It wasn’t a raucous event – most of the rowdy ones (the children) had been bused to see the circus.
But about 40 or so evacuees quietly dined on Cajun-style shish kebab, barbecued wings and potato salad in Lowry’s cafeteria, which was decorated with balloons.
Byron and Ruth Hughes, who have lived at Lowry with their five children since Sept. 4, planned to move today to a four-bedroom house in southeast Aurora.
During the party, the couple untangled a pile of colorful beaded necklaces to distribute to others.
“I don’t feel like they’re throwing us out here,” Ruth, 44, said. “I’m ready to take the next step and get on with our lives.”
“It’s time to move on,” added Byron, 40, who playfully pulled up his shirt – a Mardi Gras tradition – to reveal a bare chest and show he deserved a mound of beads.
“We lost everything back home,” he said, “but we appreciate everything everybody here has done for us.”
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-820-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
