i felt deeply that we should get our adult children and young grandchildren together and leave. My husband was working nights when I called him and said I really want you to come home this looks serious and I have already gotten the kids together. Let\'s pack up and go. He agreed but our hearts were broke when our caravan drove off without my oldest son who then worked for an area Sheriffs dept. We all cried knowing he would be stuck in a building with prisoners having only the bare essentials with him. He was brave as he watched his wife and new baby drive away not knowing the future. We had two vehicles loaded with 7 adult and 4 babies. Thank God we left Little Cypress early in the morning before the heavy traffic started. But with each stop we made it was catching up with us. We traveled all the way to Texarkana before finally finding two hotel rooms inwich we stayed for 6 nights. We maxed out credit cards and took out a loan at a local branch of our bank just to get back home and so that we would have cash once we got here. We had no idea we would have to stay another week in our travel trailer before we could get electricity and water in our home. We had over $15,000 worth of structural damage to our home and we had just bought this home a year prior to the hurricane. Overall we were blessed but heartbroken to see our neighborhood looked nothing like it did when we left. It was hard to watch the events of the hurricane unfold on TV knowing my son was there and must be scared but having to appear strong. I knew he would be worried about his wife and daughter and of course me his mom and dad. He was able to leave the make shift jail long enough to come to Orange and check on our homes and called me. I\'ll never forget his voice when he said, \"mamma, I can\'t even get to your house by car so I had to walk and the brick is off the house and the gable blown off. The roof is nearly gone and the shed is in the neighbors yard.\" He was exhausted from working yet he took time out of his day to go and check on every family members homes wich were spread throughout the golden triangle. I\'m so proud of my son for all that he did for the community, his parents, grandparents and in-laws. We could not have recovered without him.