Lawrence now home away from home

Glenda Swetman, of New Orleans, and her boyfriend, Stephen Quick, react to news that the homes of some of Swetman's family members who live in Biloxi, Miss., were destroyed. The pair fled their home in New Orleans and are now living with Quick's parents in Lawrence.

As Hurricane Katrina approached New Orleans, Lawrence resident Colleen Quick sent a desperate message to her son, Stephen.

“PLEASE get out of town,” she wrote to him Sunday by e-mail because her phone wasn’t working. “PLEASE remember that all the martyrs are dead.”

The next day, Quick got a call from her son telling her he was alive and on his way to Lawrence with his girlfriend, Glenda Swetman. Now the two are staying in Lawrence and watching from afar as their city decays.

“There’s no way to get back into town even if we decided to go back,” said Stephen Quick, 26, an artist who lives at Rampart and Desire streets in the low-lying Ninth Ward. “We’re total refugees.”

The elder Quicks – Colleen and her husband, Ed – recently moved here after retiring from careers in Washington, D.C.

Stephen Quick and Swetman said they’re grateful to be alive and to have a place to stay.

Still, they’re living with uncertainty – watching news, checking e-mail nonstop and pacing inside the elder Quicks’ temporary apartment at Pinnacle Woods, 5000 Clinton Parkway.

They can only assume from news reports that their homes and personal belongings have been damaged, if not washed away or raided by looters. They left with only two backpacks’ worth of clothes, Swetman’s dog and a laptop computer.

They haven’t been able to reach Stephen Quick’s roommate, Richie Kay, who stayed behind with his girlfriend and family. The last time they spoke to him, Monday morning, Kay told them he was getting out in a canoe.

They’ve set up an e-mail account, katrinarefugee@yahoo.com to solicit information about friends and family members.

They estimate that they’ll be in Lawrence anywhere from two weeks to three months and are looking for temporary work.

“There’s no way to deal with it right now,” he said. “We just have to wait.”

How you can help

Whether it’s selling lemonade on the street corner or sending donations to the American Red Cross, Lawrence residents are showing their generosity by contributing to hurricane-relief efforts.
A group of about seven children living near Harvard Road and Langston Court set up a lemonade stand Wednesday afternoon and raised about $30.
The Douglas County Chapter of the American Red Cross is collecting donations locally and, as of Wednesday, had received $5,700. Peoples Bank also said it would donate $10,000 to the Red Cross and serve as a collection point.
People wanting to donate to the Red Cross can call 843-3550, bring it to the agency’s office at 2581 Ridge Court or go online to www.redcross.org. The agency can only accept cash donations, not items such as food, clothing or bottled water.
About 92 cents of each dollar goes directly to emergency-relief services, said Jane Blocher, the local chapter’s executive director.
The Salvation Army also is accepting donations. People wanting to donate using their credit card can call (800) SAL-ARMY or visit www.salvationarmyusa.org. Checks can be mailed locally to The Salvation Army, 3637 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo. 64111.