Losses mount for families at Cobb shelter: 'Our whole life is in that debris'

When the flooding came Lessie Daniels moved fast, but the water moved faster.

It toppled her refrigerator, scooted the furniture around and pushed dressers on their sides. Parts of the ceiling buckled. Who knows where the televisions ended up.

“Our whole life is in that debris,” she said Wednesday. Daniels and her daughter Ronique Green, 15, are staying at the American Red Cross at the Cobb Civic Center. The boxy building has become a haven for those seeking a dry stop on the long road back to normal.

The Red Cross has opened five metro Atlanta shelters — at First United Methodist Church of Lawrenceville, Clairmont Presbyterian Church in Decatur, the Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency south annex in Woodstock and Hiram High School — for displaced storm victims.

“The Red Cross is here to provide hope and stability to those who need it the most,” said spokesman Ruben Brown, who said the shelters are serving about 300 people. MUST Ministries, which operates a shelter, food pantry, clothes closet and is headquartered on Cobb Parkway, is seeing increased traffic at all of its locations.

“I anticipate that in the days ahead more will come once they find out about MUST Ministries and our services,” spokeswoman Sherry King Castellanos said.

Wednesday, the Cobb Civic Center’s residents included Manjou Jalloh of Austell, who spread his family’s soaked passports, birth certificates and tax papers on the pavement to dry. Cousins Keasha Fox, Derionna Fox, Jekaylen Kent, Talisha Roper and Yasmine Phillips didn’t mind their temporary digs.

“We got flooded during Katrina,” said Derionna Fox, who said the family moved to Powder Springs from New Orleans after the hurricane. “It was way worse than this.”

Denise Jackson and Lamont Jenkins of Austell sat in the trunk of their 2002 Ford Taurus, which they pay for in weekly installments. They hope Cavender Auto will not take it if they aren’t able to make this week’s $97 payment.

“It’s the only thing we have left,” Jackson said.

Mamadou Sangare sifted through donated clothes to find something for daughter Tiranke, 9.

“This is big for you, but you can wear it,” he said, handing her a top. “It is all right. We are not the worst. People have died.”

Daniels and her daughter have returned once to their Austell condominium, so that Ronique could retrieve her designer Prada eyeglasses, a one-time indulgence that they couldn’t risk losing.

“I can’t afford to get her any more,” Daniels said. “Even her textbooks are ruined. I’m hoping they won’t make me pay for them. We couldn’t help it.”

She cradled her head in her hands and started to rock.

“Lord, help me, help me, help me,” she said. “It hurts so bad. I can’t stop crying. The only thing I have is my Bible and my pocketbook. Everything else is gone.”

She and Ronique were sitting on their cots when they saw a tiara sparkle from across the room. Emily Cook, a former Miss Cobb County who is now Miss Georgia, came to the shelter Wednesday with books donated from Barnes and Noble. As Cook posed for pictures and handed out signed photos, Ronique marched up to her.