2,300 miles from home

Leatrice and Lloyd Coleman had just two hours to pack their belongings and flee their New Orleans home to safety on Aug. 30. They always thought they'd see their house again and figured they'd be back to collect the really important things - like wedding rings and photographs.

Now, 11 days after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans, the couple is living 2,300 miles away rethinking their retirement plan and wondering if there's anything left to spare in their home. The couple, Leatrice Coleman's mother, their daughter-in-law and two young grandchildren are staying with Coleman's sister, who paid for their airline tickets from Dallas, Texas to the Bay Area.

They have been here for a week and don't expect to return home for months. Coleman's daughter will stay here at least a year so her son can finish school in one place.

"I would never have thought in a million years the infrastructure could be destroyed in New Orleans," said Coleman, who lived in New Orleans her entire life.

At 64, Coleman finds herself prepared to build from the ground up - literally.

Her son, a New Orleans police officer, reports devastating damage to both his home and his parents' home. He, his wife and their two children lived about eight blocks from the elder Colemans.

Lloyd Coleman Jr., the police officer, encouraged his family to beat the rush and get out of town early. They packed for three days and figured they'd be back after the wind passed through the city. What they weren't expecting was a levee break.

Lloyd Coleman Jr. had only enough time to get in his car, drive to the neighbor's house and climb on their roof, which was higher than his.

That night he watched his house sit under water. He slept on the neighbor's roof from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. until a state trooper recognized him as a police officer and took him to the police station. Since then, Lloyd Coleman, Jr. has been working non-stop. He was forced to break into his cousin's home where he took the keys to her car. He drives the car to a Walmart near his precinct - where he knows it's safe - and catches a few hours sleep. He drives back to his cousin's house across town to shower and then back to the precinct for work.

In a few days, Lloyd Coleman, Jr. will visit his family in Woodside. The Los Angeles Police Department is paying for the trip and has also purchased him a bullet-proof vest, which he lost in the flood.

Leaving Louisiana may be hard for the Coleman family, but they haven't lost sight of the important things.

"We have a very close-knit family, I thank God for that," Leatrice Coleman said.

She also thanks God for the people from this area who brought over bunk beds, clothes, and honey-baked hams.

"It's just phenomenal," she said.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com