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URGENT APPEAL
Moyra Kaighen of New Orleans needs our help
Update:
Latest news, January 25th. See the bottom of the page.
I will post all updates that we receive
from Rodney or Moyra at the bottom of this web page. Please check back often.
2 September 2005, 2100 HST
Dear Kaighin cousins,
Firstly, thank you all for the help you have given me to document our
collective Kaighin family. Without your input this project would never
have been possible.
I'm writing you because one
of our own is need of our immediate help. Moyra Kaighen is 75 years old
and until last Sunday, lived on Arthur Street in New Orleans. She made it
out before Katrina hit and is staying temporarily with friends in Fort Myers,
Florida. As all of us are acutely aware, that area of New Orleans is under 10-15 feet of water, sewage and
chemicals. By most accounts, if New Orleans ever recovers, most structures will need to be torn
down and rebuilt. In any event, the destruction to these homes will
surely be total and recovery for the city and each survivor will take years.
Moyra’s nephew Rodney Kaighen
tells me that they don’t know where she will wind up. The hardship that she has
experienced and will continue to experience is something that all of us have
imagined as our worst nightmare. Not only has she lost her home, but
likely all her possessions as well. Here is some of what Rodney has
relayed to me:
The only info I
have so far is Moyra left New Orleans Saturday with a British friend and went
to stay with some friends in FT Myers Florida. I have not been able to get
through on the phone to her as yet but my sister has talked to her. The sad
part of the story is Moy’s friend’s 19 year old daughter at the last minute
decided to stay behind in New Orleans to take care of their home. Needless to
say they don't know if she is dead or alive. I cannot even imagine the
emotional pain that lady must be going through. I get worried if my wife is
late coming home. Something hitting this close to home really starts to put
life in perspective.
Yes, Moy did
live at 4711 Arthur Dr. and from what I have seen of Meterie(sp)
everything she had is gone. I just hope she got some of her heirlooms out but I
even doubt that because she thought she would be back home by Tuesday. As I
stated in my previous email Moy is one tough lady. She has lived in New Orleans by herself since my grandfather died. My
family actually lived with her (in New Orleans) for a couple of years when we originally
moved to this country. So New Orleans was the first part of Americana I was exposed to.
Moy was in a
serious car wreck (sometime in the mid 60s) when a drunk driver ran a red light
and broadsided her, naturally the driver had no insurance. It was a miracle she
survived but she has lived with a disability ever since I tell you this to
point out that Moy is a survivor, she will come through this and put her life
back together. I just hope I have half the strength and fortitude she
possesses. Moy has lived on a fixed income which she subsidized by
babysitting most of her life. Financially I wouldn't think she has much to fall
back on but there are no worries that she will be taken care of! Anything folks
could contribute to help her get back on her feet I know would be very
appreciated but I also know these are some tough times. So I do not want folks
to give anything thinking she is destitute. If folks have the means or a little
extra great if not a "we are thinking about you" would be just as
good. Money can't heal the emotional scars. The knowing they are not alone in
this quagmire and people are concerned about them can make a tremendous
difference.
These are dire times for Moy but she is
surrounded by family who will come to her aid at a moments notice. Your email
just shows that this philosophy even extends past her immediate family. So
anything folks can contribute would be welcome and as soon as I make Moy aware
of your efforts I will get back to you with more info. Until I have some direct contact with her I
am unable to give any specific needs but as soon as I have more info I will
pass it on.
Thank you
Rodney Kaighen
So we are asking for your assistance, financial or otherwise. This is a
way for all of us to be able to directly affect someone in need, and you will
know exactly who your assistance will reach.
Please contact me if you can help by replying to this email. If you will
be offering financial assistance, my preferred method of payment, particularly
from those of you outside the United States is through Paypal. If you don't already have a
Paypal account, please go to www.paypal.com
and set up an account. It's very simple. You can tie an email
address directly to your checking account and then transfer funds to my paypal
account. This process will take about 48 hours due to account
verification. My Paypal account email address is gregkaighin@hawaii.rr.com.
You will use that for the "Recipient's Email" field.
Paypal accepts currency transfers in American Dollars, Australian Dollars,
Canadian Dollars, Euros, Japanese Yen or Pounds Sterling. If you would
prefer to assist Moyra by using a personal check, even from outside the US, please mail it to me so I can convert it to US
dollars. My address is:
Greg
Kaighin
4280 Salt Lake Blvd. D22
Honolulu, HI 96818
USA
All money will go immediately and directly to Moyra’s nephew Rodney who will
present it to her personally. If you would like to offer Moyra your words
of support please email her via Rodney at soccerjox@aol.com
or via the post at this address:
Moyra Kaighen
c/o Rodney
Kaighen
94 El Dorado Dr.,
Friendswood,
TX 77546-6001
USA
Please forward this email to any other Kaighin cousins you know, or anyone else
willing to help. Your generosity will surely be appreciated.
Thank you,
Greg Kaighin
www.kaighin.com
“These
are the times that try men’s souls”
- Thomas Paine, Common Sense – 1776
UPDATE:
3 September 2005
Email from Rodney Kaighen:
Greg:
Good
news! I have talked to Moy three times since my last email to you. She is alive
and physically well except for a bad knee that she was supposed to
have had replaced this week. Talking to her I believe she is still in
disbelief and probably even shock at the state of her home and predicament. She
is still hoping her house might be OK and wants to return. I tried to
explain that if the house still stands it would be uninhabitable for months if
not years. I think she is slowly starting to come to believe that realization.
She told me the only thing she has to her name is her small address book. I
offered to send her some immediate funds but typically she refused. She
believes she should be able to pick up her social security check locally and
can survive on that short term. She stated that the folks she is staying with
are treating her very well and she is no immediate distress. I am
still trying to get her to come live with my family until her situation is
resolved but I think she just needs some time to clear her head and decide what
she needs to do. I conveyed the effort you were putting forth on her behalf and
for once she was short of words. I believe it totally shocked her that folks
would do that for her. This event is so traumatic it is indescribable.
I
have the phone number where she is staying and wanted to post it but I don't
want the kind folks who live there to be inundated with calls. I will pursue
this issue further and get back to you. Maybe find a specific time
that anyone who wished could call and say hello.
Some more good news was
Moys friends daughter who remained in NO has been in contact (not sure
how) but is still stranded on the top floor of a building in Mid
town NO but she is alive! Hopefully she can get transported to Houston where we can pick her up.
My son has been working at
the Astrodome and has conveyed that the situation there is extremely sad. I
believe Houston has close to 100,000 flood survivors looking for
help. The situation becomes more heart wrenching everyday but the out reaching
of Houstonians as well as the rest of the world to these people is beyond
belief. All the bad we see on TV is totally overwhelmed by the millions of
everyday folks reaching out to help their fellow man.
Also, Sonda
and myself have decided to raffle of our Mustang GT to raise some more money
for Moys benefit. Anyway, just wanted to touch base with you. Thanks again
Later
UPDATE 6 September 2005
Email from Rodney Kaighen:
Greg:
We are talking with Moy 4 or 5 times a day now and are in the process of getting her an airline ticket to Houston. I believe she is coming here at
least in the short term. I am trying to work out those details and trying to see if I can get into New Orleans to check the damage to her house. I
will send you an update soon. Oh yes, Moy’s friend’s daughter made it out of New Orleans and is now in San Antonio. So things worked out well
in that area.
I will print all the letters of concern folks are sending and get to Moy.
Take care
UPDATE
10 September 2005
I
have some encouraging news to report today and we are being cautiously
optimistic until someone can go in and verify.
We have been able to obtain satellite images of Moyra's neighborhood
using Google Earth. The water
surrounding her house appears to be less than four feet deep. Please see the photo below. Moyra's house should be located somewhere
near the center of this image. Notice
the two vehicles on the road. The hood
and trunk (or boot and bonnet for our UK friends) of both vehicles are visible,
suggesting that the water level is less than that height. The 10 to 15 feet water levels being reported
in neighborhoods to the north and west of her house appear to have spared her
street.
UPDATE
19 SEPTEMBER 2005
Email from Rodney Kaighen:
Greg:
Just wanted to give you an update on Moyra…
She came over the house last night and she is in really good spirits. We spent 2
or 3 hours talking about the family in the Isle of Man. Quite a bunch! Now I
know what they mean by skeletons in the closet. She told me where a lot of my
relatives are buried so I plan on visiting there when I go over in October. I
showed her some of your genealogy research, she was quite impressed.
She told me she and my sister spent over 5 hours on
the phone holding for a FEMA representative. I guess that’s better than
standing out in the hot sun. Anyway, they are wiring her some emergency funds.
My mother took her shopping for some clothes, So she at least has a couple
of changes of clothes. She is now in the process of trying to find a
Doctor here in Houston to do her knee replacement. She is anxious to get
that done so she can start her rehab. She doesn't seem to overly concerned
about her house and belongings anymore. I think she has accepted things as they
are and has a lets move on kindda attitude. Like I've said before she is an
emotionally strong person. Don't know about any long term plans yet will just
wait and see how things begin to unfold.
Aside It’s been a great experience exchanging emails with some very nice
folks from all over the world. Once again thanks for all your efforts. They are
very much appreciated.
UPDATE
20 SEPTEMBER 2005
Email from Rodney Kaighen:
Due to some folks misgivings about the
efforts put forth here to assist an individual in a time of need. I would
like to make a short comment about the efforts of Greg Kaighin and
his attempt to raise some emergency funds for a victim of Katrina. The
victim being my aunt, Moyra Kaighen who until a few weeks ago resided at 4711 Arthur Dr. in New Orleans, La.. Her home for some 40 years. She got out
of New
Orleans prior to the storm but was expecting to return in a day or two.
The failure of the levee system changed all that for her and for thousands of
other evacuees. She considers herself lucky, she wasn't trapped with the
thousands of poor souls just trying to survive in the war zone that used
to be New Orleans. The magnitude of the devastation to property and more
importantly to lives is extremely hard to imagine until you have looked some of
these survivors in the eye and listened to their stories of heroism and horror
Or tried to hold back your own emotions as tears swell up in their eyes as
they try to comprehend the fact that everything they once owned,
including their dignity in some cases, is no more.
This is not a plea for money or pity
or anything else other than for a show of compassion for folks in trouble
and appreciation for an individual who stood up to help out someone less
fortunate. This is also not intended to diminish or ignore the
response by any other persons or organizations to this emergency. I applauded
all efforts made to help these folks and others like them around the
world, in what ever form or fashion it is given. I just do not want Greg's
name and reputation to be besmeared or defamed for his attempt
to make this world a better place. I understand folks reservations
about giving, as scams and con artists tend to run rampant in this cyber
environment. It just seems that all too often the bad casts a long dark
shadow over the good of the world and in turn inhibits peoples natural
response to help each other. That is sad.
Anyway, This is not intended to be a
negative or angry letter or attacking of anyone so please do not interpret
it that way. It is actually a letter of thanks. The many folks I have
corresponded with through Greg's efforts have been wonderfully supportive
individuals. Every last one of them. On behalf of my aunt as well as
myself I thank them all for their genuine concern whether they were in a
position to donate or not!
May I suggest if there is
skepticism to the authenticity of this fund raising effort don't send
any money just send a note of concern. Maybe another option is to give a
dollar or can of food to an established charity(Salvation Army, Food
Bank etc.). These folks need our help and I am sure these type of organizations
exist all around the world.
There should be no concerns as to the
well being of Moyra as I along with the rest of the family in Houston will personally attend to any needs
my aunt will require. Moyra may even be evacuating again but
this time from Houston as Hurricane Rita seems to be heading in our
direction. Living 30 miles north of Galveston with an elevation of about 3
feet, we may all be looking for a helping hand and place to stay by
next week.
Once again Thanks to all for their
support and a special thanks to Greg for his unsolicited but much
appreciated thoughtfulness and concern shown towards my aunt.
Rodney Kaighen
UPDATE
27 SEPTEMBER 2005
Email from Rodney Kaighen
Greg;
Just got back to Houston. We all evacuated to Livingston, about 100 miles north of here, to get outta the way of Rita but guess what ....She
changed course and came right over us. We had sustained hurricane winds for about 5 hours with gusts up to 120mph. Had 1 tree fall on the
house but everyone is OK. There are many horror stories to tell. This experience is another I will not to soon forget. 26 hours to drive 100 miles!!!
But we survived! I hear Moys house in NO flooded again. I gave Moy a check for the amount in the Paypal account (~$300) plus one from us for
$250. I also gave her all the correspondence I had. She sat in the kitchen and cried the entire time she read them. Greg, You put a little sunshine
in someone's life. Thanks for all your efforts.
Will write more after I get caught up.
Later
Rodney
UPDATE
28 SEPTEMBER 2005
Email from Rodney Kaighen
Greg:
I have a little more time today, So...
Things are starting to get back to normal around here. We can now get gasoline and bread! It seems Moy is a magnet for these hurricanes this
year. We told here we were going to have to put her in a dingy and sail her out into the gulf if this keeps up. :) Everyone's spirits are quite good
despite all the turmoil we have experienced the last 5 days and for Moy the past couple of months. If anything, these acts of nature have brought
our family a little closer together. During the power outage up in Livingston I listened to the world war 2 bomb shelter stories that some of the
elders in the family experienced back in the UK. Stories like that tend to keep things in perspective for me as a little of that self pity begins to
creep into my mind. Anyway...
Moy is still working on getting her surgery scheduled. She is anxious to get this completed as walking has become a real problem for her. She
steadfastly refuses to walk with a cane or crutches! There is a definite stubborn streak in these Kaighens, Kaighins, Kaighns etc. I think I
mentioned some of the stories about the horrific traffic jams. My daughter taking 26 hours to drive 100 miles. My son spending more than 20
hours to drive the same. My wife and I made 3 separate rescue trips to get gasoline to people stranded. I have never been so happy to be out of
a car. The final count at our place in Livingston was 26 people, 7 dogs, 4 cats and a snake. So after the storm with the power no existent it was
quite miserable. The day after the storm we had 105F heat index and no power or running water! The storm for us began about 2:30 am and
lasted until about 8:00am. We were on the edge of the remnants of the eye and received steady hurricane force winds with the highest gust
recorded at 117mph at the Livingston dam. The dam later had to be open to prevent it from failing. We have numerous trees down one of which
actually landed on the house. It was about a 40'-50' Oak that just came up by the roots. It scared the $*@! Out of us! It landed directly on the roof
where Me and my son were sleeping. If the tree were 10' closer to the house I would not be writing this today. Not to dramatize the situation, Its
just fact.
Experiences like this educates you to how life just hangs by a thread. It reinforces the attitude that we should live every day as if there is no
tomorrow and to communicate our feeling with the people we care about most. The sounds during the hurricane were nothing like I had ever
heard before. The trees breaking sounded like gunshots and every time you heard one your heart would stop. The trees were snapping probably
one every 10 minutes or so. The wind sounded like a freight train. You could hear it as it was approaching through the trees then the blast of
energy would hit like a sledge hammer. I have been through 3 hurricanes but never anything like this. They are thinking it will take about 3 weeks
to restore electricity to the area. It was absolute devastation in Livingston. We ended up evacuating into the path of Rita. These storms are truly
unpredictable. Anyway, that's enough of the hurricane saga.
I believe I told you about giving Moy all the correspondence I had collected. It was a very emotional experience for her but in a warm way. She
shed some tears that have needed to be shed for some time. I think it was a huge emotional release for her. We have always been a family that
does not show tears or pain but I think maybe we have now breached that hurdle. So showing these emotions for Moy was not easy but it was
beneficial. She was very thankful for the support she received and I am not talking about money here. Experiences like these just leave you
emotionally devastated and there is nothing like a smiling face or an outreached hand to help heal those scars. I seen it stamped on the faces of
the stranded folks I took some gasoline. Experiences like these either build character or destroy it. I have been lucky but I would now like a break
from my character building experiences! :)
Once again, (I will never be able to say it enough) Thanks to all the warm hearts out there.
Take Care,
Rodney
UPDATE
18 OCTOBER 2005
Everyone is doing well. A friend of Moyra went to her house last week and rescued her china. Everything else is pretty well destroyed. They
said the house looked like it had about 4 foot of water in it. They said the stench from the house is unbearable. I guess the combination of
rotting food and a closed up house full of water in 90% humidity will tend to do that! Anyway, the doctors here are still trying to get Moys
medications straightened out before they will do her knee surgery. My wife asked her this weekend what her future plans were and she stated
she wants to return to her home in New Orleans. I guess that's understandable she has basically spent her entire adult life there but
we'll see what happens.
UPDATE 25 JANUARY 2006
Email from Rodney:
There is still a lot of ambiguity as to if her neighborhood will be rebuilt. The last conversation I had she still has the desire to go home but there
are many variables involved in that decision. If her neighborhood isn't rebuilt or her friends don't move back she may have a change of heart. I
suggested she consider moving to the piney woods of east Texas. A lot of open space and the urbanites haven't invaded that part of the world
as yet. Not that there is anything wrong with urbanites it's just a different way of life. Anyway, time will tell.
Moy has finally got her health clearance and now has an appointment with an ortho on the 27th to talk about her knee replacement. So even if
she does move back home I am sure it will be in the distant future. The rehab on her knee I am sure will take a minimum of 6 months. I think I had
told you earlier she has returned to her house to inspect it and salvage what she could. Damage is quite extensive and I cannot see this house
being rebuilt or I would at least strongly advise against it, if that ever becomes an option. Wasn't much that was salvageable but she did get her
china which seemed to make her quite happy. I guess in these modern times the importance of the family china is a somewhat forgotten
tradition. My kids didn't quite understand why a bunch of plates made her so happy. Well, all in all things are going well in Houston town. Moy has
her health and the future looks a little brighter each day and none of us can ask for much more than that. Thanks again to all the folks who have
shown concern towards Moy’s wellbeing, I personally guarantee it has meant a lot to her as well as to her extended family here in Houston. This
small outreaching of concern and compassion for a fellow man should renew anyone's waning belief in man’s humanity to man.
Again, Thanks to all and especially to Greg the person that put this vehicle of compassion in motion.
Best wishes to all
Rodney
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