A reluctance to return – Louisiana students very attached to Island

Published 4:39 pm Monday, November 24, 2008

By Katherine Sather

As the doors reopen at some New Orleans-area schools this week, at least two students who evacuated during Hurricane Katrina are reluctant to return.

They’re too attached to Mercer Island.

Scott Mayer, 14, and his sister Emily, 12, spent last week in Mercer Island classrooms while staying with Island residents Cary and Sharon Roth.

Before flying back to New Orleans Friday, Scott was fighting to stay. He’ll miss the scenery and the diverse classes, he said. Mercer Island High School offers things his Catholic boys’ high school lacks.

“I like the girls,” he said. “When I see lots of girls, I’m like `whoa,’ because I’ve never been to school with girls in a while.”

He and his sister live in Mandeville, La., a suburb located 25 miles from New Orleans. Their parents sent them to stay with family in Seattle a week after they evacuated. Since it was unclear when their schools would reopen, the pair moved in with the Roths — friends of their family — and enrolled in school on the Island. Scott enrolled at MIHS and his sister attended Island Middle School.

“We said `bring them over,”’ said Cary Roth, a real estate developer on the island. “It’s nice they were able to come up here, and the school opened its doors for them.”

The Mayers’ home in Louisiana was damaged by wind and fallen trees, he said, but their experience was tame compared to others in the state.

The hurricane was classified as Category 4 late on the night of Aug. 27 and Scott recalled that their family planned to weather the storm. They bought extra batteries and food and went to sleep. Overnight, the storm grew to a Category 5 hurricane and New Orleans was ordered to evacuate. Their parents woke them up at 5 a.m. and the family left, with two dogs and a pet bird in tow.

“I packed enough clothes for two days,” Scott Mayer said.

His family drove to Destin, Fla., a beachside town located about four and a half hours away where they’d recently vacationed. They waited out the storm in a rental home and spent two days without electricity as 50 mph winds whipped by, Scott said. About a week later, when the cleanup started in Mandeville, their parents sent them to Seattle. They remained on Mercer Island until last Friday. Their schools were scheduled to reopen early this week.

“These are two kids that are not living in a poverty stricken area or experiencing total devastation,” Cary Roth said. “It’s not as catastrophic of an experience for them.”

They said their stay with the Roths couldn’t have been better. The Roths have two children the same ages — Jason, 14, and Lauren, 12.

“At first we thought we had nothing in common, but we ended up becoming really good friends,” Jason Roth said.

He and Scott became particularly close. The two were freshmen at MIHS, which is the first public school Scott’s attended. They both play the guitar, wear the same cloths and listen to the same music.

“They’re outgoing, sound kids,” said Sharon Roth. “They like to have fun.”

This week Scott returns to St. Paul’s Catholic High School Louisiana and his sister returns to seventh grade at Our Lady of the Lake School. The hurricane caused extensive wind damage to their city of Mandeville, home to about 40,000 people. Electric companies are working around the clock to rebuild power lines and the city hired a contractor to clear the debris, which blocked area roads. Most of the city’s trees were knocked down, and one landed on the Mayers’ home, though it didn’t cause extensive damage. They moved back in this week.

Scott Mayer said his backyard was ruined and the wind ripped a wall off their pool. They have electricity, but not cable or Internet. Phone service is on and off.

“It’s going to be boring,” his sister said.

Before they left, their aunt, Seattle artist Catherine Mayer, said the reality of the situation hadn’t hit them yet.

“It will be interesting to see their reaction,” she said. “Everyone I’ve talked to who’s gone back has been overwhelmed.”

Depending on the situation in their hometown, there’s a chance they might be back, she said.

It’s something that Scott is lobbying for. The kids made lasting friendships.

“I’m sure Jason will be traveling to New Orleans to visit them,” Cary Roth said.