Gilbert and Sheila King

Mr. and Mrs. King will live in the house with their 20 year old daughter and their grandchild.  Mr. King was a teacher’s aide before the storm in St. Bernard Parish but hasn’t been able to get a job after the storm because there are still not enough people back.  Mrs. King has Crohn’s disease, so they’re currently working on building an additional bathroom in their house.  Mr. King chose to stay here for the hurricane, while his family evacuated.  When the water rose, Mr. King climbed up to his roof, where he stayed for a couple of days until a friend rescued him.  He went to a shrimp boat and stayed there for a few more days, all the time going out and rescuing other stranded residents from their roofs.  After a few days, he was able to leave and be reunited with his family.

After the storm, Mr. King gutted his own house with the help of friends and although they were living about an hour away, came to the Parish a few times each week to clean up, mow the lawn and generally keep things tidy at the house.  When we told him we were going to be able to work on their house, Mr. King couldn’t believe it.  He's been coming to visit the volunteers as often as he can, which is helpful because he’s very, very tall and can reach all of the high places without a ladder!