Back to school for one New Orleans' family

Rehema Ellis Correspondent • Profile

BATON ROUGE, La. — So often young people at college worry about fitting in. But Christina Gerica, a sophomore at Louisiana State University thinks about it every day — fitting into her apartment, that is.

It's cramped quarters in her tiny, two-bedroom place with one small kitchen and one bathroom for six adults. That's right, six adults: Christina, her mother, her father, aunt, uncle, roommate and a dog all live here.

"I like having them around, but this close is a little uncomfortable," says Christina. "But nothing I can't handle."

If Christina's thought about bringing home friends, forget it. With an air mattress in the dining room, a chain saw in the living and boxes of papers — from her parents' East New Orleans' home — it's tight.

But no one seems to mind.

"Don't get me wrong," says Christina's mom Clara, "I would love to have a whole bed for one night to myself, but other than that? No. No. We're alive."

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That's no small accomplishment. The night of the storm their home caved in on them and the family was separated in rising flood waters.

"I figured I had to find some bodies and bury them, 'cause I figured I lost everybody," says Clara.

But, with the storm raging, Peter, a fisherman, managed to round up the rest of the family and tied them to a tree.

"Just like raccoons," laughs Peter. "We were hanging in the tree like a bunch of raccoons."

Mom and dad promise their daughter she'll have her freedom back soon, but for now they're alive, and together, and that's what counts.

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