T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Collection

ABSTRACT

INTERVIEWEE NAME:    Lucy Boyer Thomas                        COLLECTION:   4700.1687

IDENTIFICATION:  Longtime resident of New Orleans’ Ninth Ward; Hurricane Betsy survivor

INTERVIEWER:   Nilima Mwendo

PROJECT:   Hurricane Betsy

INTERVIEW DATES:   December 10, 2003

FOCUS DATES:  1965, 2003

ABSTRACT:

Tape 3341, Side A

Introduction; spent night of Hurricane Betsy in attic; next morning got out through windows; boat that took children and mothers to end of Industrial Canal; baby son got separated, taken to Port of Embarkation; fear that son was among drowned children; husband Francis swam through the water to get help for his family; looking for a place to stay until water went down; terrible muddy state of house post-flood; joyous reunion with missing son; children that drowned; furniture and school uniforms ruined; received vouchers for sheets and towels; some people got more help from government than others; received grant money and small business loan; didn’t have flood insurance; mortgage note was through GI Bill of Rights; husband rebuilt the house himself; house is falling into disrepair again now; remodeling improvements Francis made after hurricane; Francis also worked on neighbor’s house; Lucy missed out on a lot of grant money; after hurricane, stayed with lady who stole her food vouchers; people exploiting hurricane victims; volunteers took people with children in after storm; children’s grandmother wouldn’t take them in; unfair division of hurricane aid money amongst people and churches; missed out on money from church because she was staying outside of neighborhood initially; conditions in Municipal Auditorium after hurricane; anger that sister’s mother-in-law wouldn’t help her children after storm; sister’s kids were up visiting, so Lucy took care of them during storm; post-flood stench; canal on Tupelo Street; many people took refuge in McCarty School during flood; got water from Abita Springs; had to get shots and fingerprints; conviction that Mayor Schiro ordered the canal at end of Florida Street to be busted, flooding Ninth Ward; blamed Schiro for drowning deaths; brother-in-law claimed to see destruction of canal; Schiro didn’t do anything to help people during flood; busted levees also flooded Carolyn Park in Chalmette; water flooded in fast; white people in area got out of flood zone first; water rushing into house, furniture upended; National Guard rescued people in the area; veteran housing and Good Citizen housing; neighbors who lived in government housing; government houses cost nine thousand dollars; contacted senator to ask for memorial plaque for neighborhood; big shots also taking shelter in auditorium during storm; people who rescued others during storm; lots of people moved to Pontchartrain Park after Hurricane Betsy.

Tape 3341, Side B

Change in neighbors after hurricane; people in neighborhood no longer so friendly; neighborhood is going down; neighbors who used to live nearby; Good Citizen, a black-owned insurance company; Paul Simon, owner of Good Citizen, neighborhood bigwig; people no longer check on their neighbors; Lucy’s kids look after her; problems in neighborhood.

TAPES:  1 (T3341)                                                    TOTAL PLAYING TIME:  1 hour

# PAGES TRANSCRIPT:   52 pages

OTHER MATERIALS:  Interviewee questionnaire, correspondence, obituary

RESTRICTIONS:  None