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Sidney, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, has been a resident
of St. Bernard Parish for eighty years. He's owned his home since 1969, but is currently living in what he and his
son Joe call their "candominium" on the lot with their two dogs, a beagle and a lab. He lost not just his
home in the storm, but also his wife, as his son explains. They stayed in the house through the storm, were chased up
to the roof by the rising water (which reached 14 feet) and then were rescued 8 hours later by boat, which took them to a
three story house on the corner. They stayed there for seven days before they were finally evacuated out of the Parish.
They returned in October to see the damage, came back for Thanksgiving, then moved into FEMA trailers in May, separately
at first, until the sewage system for Joe's trailer broke and he was hospitalized. By the time he came back out,
his trailer and all his meager possessions were gone, so he went to live with his father.
They met Zach and Liz
of the St. Bernard Project at Camp Hope, where they went for their meals and were introduced by a friend. Work on their
house started a month ago. "The St. Bernard Project really has come to the rescue," Joe says. "My
dad's been smiling again."
Click here to see Pat Semansky's slideshow on the Navis family
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