LEWISTON – Dean Libby could not have been happier around 12:30 Sunday afternoon.
Thanks to a series of phone calls Sunday between Louisiana and Maine, he’d finally located his mother, Dorathy Cassidy, in a refugee shelter about 300 miles from her home in New Orleans.
The Lewiston man quickly promised his 56-year-old mother that the family would get her out of there and bring her back to Maine.
About three hours later, he and his sister, Anita Lewis of New Auburn, were on the road in Lewis’ car, with some blankets, a pillow and an outfit for Cassidy, as they drove to the Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, La., to get Cassidy and her boyfriend, Lionel Roch.
“This is a big relief!” Libby said, as he planned their route to Louisiana.
Cassidy and Roch found shelter in Monroe with about 2,000 other people seeking refuge from the devastated Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi after the wreckage and flooding from Hurricane Katrina.
At the shelter, Cassidy found someone with a working cell phone and was able to borrow it for a short time.
Her first call was to her daughter.
Unfortunately, Lewis was at work when the call came in, so her boyfriend called Libby, who then called the number on Lewis’ caller ID.
“We were told there was 2,000 people there and it would be hard to find her. Then Dean spoke with a National Guard member,” said Monique Giguere, Libby’s girlfriend.
The soldier had Libby’s name and phone number broadcast over the public address system in the shelter.
Within 30 minutes, Cassidy called Libby back and plans were made for the brother and sister’s road trip.
“We have taken all of our bill money, rent money for our business and home in order to go get her,” said Giguere. “I packed an outfit for her and promised her a home-cooked meal. I told her to hang on and get some rest and we’ll be down to get her. She sounded tired, but relieved.”
Giguere said the siblings estimate their trip will take 30 hours. They hope to be in Monroe and reunited with their mother by 9 to 10 tonight.
The details on how Cassidy and Roch made it out of their New Orleans apartment were unclear as of Sunday, other than they got out by boat. Cassidy told Giguere that she was in water up to her neck and has severe sunburn on her face and legs.
Roch was in serious need of his medication for diabetes because he hadn’t had any since the ordeal started, Giguere said.
The hurricane was a Category 4 when it struck the Gulf Coast last Monday.
Libby had talked to his mother that evening, and believed she was safe and had weathered the storm. But when major levees protecting New Orleans were breached on Tuesday, the severe flooding began in that city.
When asked if Cassidy had plans to return to New Orleans with Roch after the area was cleaned up, Giguere responded, “I don’t think she’ll have a choice. Dean probably won’t let her!”
When Cassidy returns to Maine after almost 16 years down South, Giguere expects that she and Roch will alternate staying with Giguere and Libby and with Lewis until the family finds a place for them.
Meanwhile, Giguere has promised to have a lasagna dinner ready for the travelers when they get back. Giguere has talked to Cassidy but for the first time will be meeting the woman who’s been living so far away.
Staff writer Marj Patrick contributed to this article.
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