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BOOTH FAMILY REUNITES TO ESCAPE RITA

By Wilson Brown/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Saturday, September 24, 2005 10:50 PM CDT

The Booth family is having a reunion of sorts this weekend as family members from Lake Charles, La., left their homes and fled to Pine Bluff two days before Hurricane Rita passed over their town early Saturday morning.

"We like to get the family together, but it's unfortunate under these circumstances," said Bob Booth of Pine Bluff, who is currently housing 21 relatives -- all of them his brother's family -- along with their four dogs, cat and duck named Howard.

"I'm helping to coordinate all of this," said his grown daughter, Shannon Booth, who drove from Memphis to help.

His house in the 6000-block of Middle Warren Road is now a temporary home to the family's grandchildren and to their 91-year-old grandmother.

As her father helped place family members, along with friends who were in visiting from Romania, in rooms and on couches, Shannon Booth was coordinating the meals for the 24 people.

"We're doing pretty good," Bob Booth said. "We have a place for everyone. We opened a trailer and we have six or eight out in a camping trailer.

"Everyone's faring pretty good."

"He told us his doors were open," said Gloria Booth, his sister-in-law, who called her brother-in-law earlier this week to let him know that they would leave Lake Charles if the city declared a mandatory evacuation.

At 10 a.m. Thursday, Gloria Booth left with her 91-year-old mother in tow and drove for 11-and-a-half hours before reaching Pine Bluff.

"We took just what we needed," she said. "We took water first, food second and medicine third."

The family didn't have enough time to board up the house or take family photo albums, but were able to grab a second set of clothes.

Other family members, including her daughter, son-in-law and grandsons, also left Lake Charles but took alternate routes up to Arkansas.

"We're glad we left when we did," she said. "The traffic was so congested up to Monroe, La."

It took almost a day for her daughter and son-in-law to reach Pine Bluff after their car broke down at Eunice, La.

"We were just slowed down so much," Gloria Booth said. "The trip was difficult on my mother."

Meanwhile, she said she's trying to get two of her grandchildren, who are stuck in a motel at Ruston, La., up to Pine Bluff.

The family is safe, she said, but her brother who has health problems decided to stay at his house in a small town near Lake Charles.

"We're going to go back as soon as they say it's safe to go back," she said. "And we're going to have to hear that from someone in Lake Charles.

"President Bush said this morning that Lake Charles was among the hardest hit."

So far, the family has been watching the news and waiting for updates from Gloria Booth's grandson who returned to the hospital he works at in Lake Charles.

"I'm also pleased with the Lake Charles authorities," she said. "I think our town was just about all evacuated."

In the meantime, family members are taking turns babysitting the pets, which could be heard in the background.

"I haven't seen the duck, though" she said. "I don't know where it is."

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