[StBernard] Family Marks Holiday in Katrina Trailer

[Westley Annis]

Family Marks Holiday in Katrina Trailer

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
The Associated Press
Saturday, May 13, 2006; 6:36 PM



ARABI, La. -- Sometimes a little less togetherness would make a great
Mother's Day gift.

Especially for Tiffany Hudson, who lives with her fiance and six of their
combined nine children in his 31-foot Katrina trailer.

Bath time starts about 7:15 p.m. and can last until after 10 p.m. because of
the 20-minute wait for water to heat. The hardest part is just finding space
to turn around, Hudson said.

"So many times you just find yourself bumping into somebody or having to
wait in line for the bathroom," she said.

Her fiance, Jimmy Nye, can't start rebuilding his house in Chalmette until
he and his ex-wife work out how much he pays for her half.

They broke up more than a year ago, and he and Hudson were introduced
shortly before Thanksgiving. The couple plans to marry May 27.

"I thought the hurricane was tough, but living after the hurricane is even
tougher," said Nye, whose trailer is among those which Domino Sugar set up
for workers at its plant after Hurricane Katrina.

Nye said he had been trying to get a larger trailer for himself and his own
children even before Hudson moved in. A Federal Emergency Management Agency
worker who visited this past week said he thought that should be possible,
Nye said. But, he said, he's been told that before, and nothing came of it.

FEMA spokeswoman Ashley Small said she was looking into the matter, but the
agency cannot talk about specific cases without signed permission from the
people involved.

In the meantime, the family is finding that illness spreads quickly in such
close quarters.

Hudson's three youngest _ Tyler, 14; Joshua, 11; and Hannah, 5 1/2 _ all are
being treated for impetigo, a highly contagious skin infection.

When Nye's ex-wife drove down to pick up 13-year-old Tyler (yes, each has a
son named Tyler) and 9-year-old Hunter, Nye learned Friday that one of his 3
1/2-year-old twins who joins them every other weekend has it, too.

Despite the hardships, Hudson says the togetherness has its benefits.

"The best thing is we're all together," she said. "The kids all get along
good. There's a lot of emotional support."

C 2006 The Associated Press