Katrina was the second hurricane in six years to hit Judy Hearne's beachfront home in Ocean Spring, MS. Hearne, an ASHA Legislative Councilor, and her husband rebuilt after Hurricane Georges in 1998 completely destroyed their home.
"We built on stilts, so this time we still have part of a house, but there are very few homes around us," said Hearne, a private-practice SLP.
"What helped me most was going back to work right away, because being in private practice with a self-employed husband, I was worried about paying the bills," she said.
Hearne works with the state health department's early intervention program, and has been doing evaluations in FEMA trailers. She is staying with the parent of a young client with Asperger's syndrome in a rural area where her dogs can be housed, while her husband is living in a FEMA trailer on their house site and supervising repairs.
"We're going to see a whole new set of disabilities or delays that are Katrina delays. Many of these children are having problems since the storm. There is so much grief," she said.
Since the storm she appreciates more fully the simple joys of daily life.
"I just dug up four plates out of the sand behind our house, and they matched-then I found my mother's sterling silver in the mud," she said. "After Katrina, I refuse to save nice things for a special occasion-every day is a special occasion. And when I have a 6-month-old who smiles at me and communicates, it's something to celebrate."
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