Posted on 09/05/2005 8:41:28 PM PDT by Mount Athos
A FAMILY stranded for a week in the hurricane hell of New Orleans were plucked to safety yesterday — by The Sun. {U.K. Journalists}
And last night relieved mum Anna Jenkins told our team: “We prayed to God someone would save us and he sent you. Thank you.”
Anna, 44, and her family had spent days living on packaged food and soft drinks which husband Tim grabbed by swimming into a submerged fuel station — braving corpses and poisonous snakes.
But their agony ended after a passing volunteer told Sun staff in the area of their plight and we rushed to their rescue in a speedboat.
Our crew ran the gauntlet of looters — and the horrific sights, sounds and stench of Hurricane Katrina’s wrath — to sail a mile into the flood zone in Louisiana.
And we eventually found the Jenkins in an abandoned motel.
Anna and engineer Tim, 47, ran out as we approached, then carefully passed down sons Marshall, six, and Tabien, four.
Then they gathered up their meagre collection of clothes and belongings and climbed aboard our boat with Anna’s sister Artellia, 47.
We made two trips — even making room for the family’s pet poodle Henry and an abandoned pup.
Then we ferried them to a shelter. They now plan a Texas reunion with Anna’s mum and sister.
Anna said: “At times I thought we’d never make it out, but now my children are safe I’m overjoyed. We’ll never forget your kindness.”
The family had taken shelter in the motel after heeding hurricane warnings to flee their home.
Anna said: “Our decision to go saved our lives. I fear many of my neighbours who stayed are dead.”
There was more good news as 81-year-old diabetic Rosella McCoy — featured in yesterday’s Sun — slowly recovered in hospital.
But thousands of people are believed to have died, with many bodies still submerged.
The Foreign Office yesterday despatched a team of rescuers to search for 131 British people still missing in the New Orleans area.
A spokesman said: “We hope to find many still alive although the situation is worsening by the day.”
Tony Blair apologised to Brits who complained of a lack of Foreign Office support.
The PM said: “I’m sorry if some people felt they didn’t get the help they needed. We will look into that. Officials are doing everything they possibly can.”
With thousands of evacuees sheltering at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, Brit Michael Brocken told how he had to stand guard over his daughter to stop her being RAPED after the storm.
Michael, 50, a Radio Merseyside presenter, was told by cops to camp outside New Orleans’ Superdome with Stephanie, 18, to await evacuation — because the arena was swarming with drug addicts.
But he said: “Locals were yelling sexual abuse. They thought we were getting better treatment. If it hadn’t been for the US National Guard we wouldn’t have made it.”
A British boy of 14 was hailed a hero after paddling his family from the New Orleans hell in a canoe.
The lad, who lives in the city, saved his trapped mum and ten-year-old brother after three days.
He sailed off and towed home a bigger canoe in which they fled.
Meanwhile, officials plugged the 200ft levee hole that swamped much of the city and began pumping flood water out.
Good for them. Out here in AZ our newspeople help out all the time. Wonder why I am hearing more stories like this coming out of NO?
There is a common theme to all the articles written by foreign Katrina/Superdome survivors.
The National Guard troops are always praised.
The Superdome was almost beyond description- hell hole seems like a compliment.
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