A Family in Limbo
Since Hurricane Katrina swept over the peninsula a year ago, Dale and Rodelle Scarabin have lived in tents and a tool shed before finally getting a FEMA trailer delivered to their lot near the high earthen levee that holds back the waters of the Mississippi River in the town of Venice, near the southern tip of lower Plaquemines Parish.
The trailer, crammed with their belongings, provides shelter while they work on repairing their house next door. But the four walls can’t long contain the energy of their five active kids, who are often found outdoors, riding a bike along the levee or searching for treasures among the debris left behind by the storm.
Dale is eager to return to fishing, but until he can repair his boat he earns money by repairing the nets of other fishers in the community.