Ethel Thomassie

When the levees broke and hundreds of Louisiana bayou children were displaced by the flood waters, members of Flotilla 47 (Terrebonne Parrish, Louisiana) of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Eighth District, Coastal Region, reached out to bring comfort and encouragement to the youngsters and their families.

These children were asking, “Why did the water come in and flood our homes? Why couldn’t we go to school?”

For this Flotilla, it was just a part of an ongoing focus of reaching out to the children of the area.

Before Flotilla 47 got involved with the children of their Parrish, twenty to thirty children drowned on the area’s waterways per year. “Thanks to the public education and safety patrol efforts of Flotilla 47, the number dropped to zero for 2005,” according to Flotilla member Joe Thomisee.

Now, these children needed words of assurance, and something to take their minds off of the two storms they had endured.

With 15,000 bayou residents displaced by Hurricane Rita, The Civic Center at Houma, Louisiana became the hub of relief efforts in the Parrish.

Ethel Thomassie

On Saturday, October 1, Joe and his wife, Ethel, also a Flotilla member, went to the Civic Center with hundreds of "Inky the Whale" and "Officer Snook" coloring books. They also brought along an ample supply of crayons donated by Disney at the request of Flotilla 45 (located in Sanford, Florida), Commander Sue Smith, a Disney supervisor.

The coloring books and crayons were eagerly snapped up by the children, but that was only the beginning.

Auxiliarist Ethel Thomisee quickly became "Ma" to children looking for grandmotherly comfort. Joe, likewise, became "Pa.". Native American kids, Cajun kids, kids of every race and creed reached out to these caring Auxiliarists and found comfort in their reassuring words and hugs.

As many families had returned to the bayous to begin the recovery and rebuilding process, this initial effort, reaching out to hundreds of Parrish children, was just the start for Flotilla 47.

Members plan on bringing "Officer Snook" and "Inky" to children in area “Head Start” and kindergarten programs, and through the generosity of the Auxiliary National Supply Center (and its Director, Randy Ernst) and the Disney Company (through Flotilla 45), there will be plenty of materials available.

In the aftermath of Katrina and Rita, such non-traditional Auxiliary efforts are making a real difference in the storm-ravaged communities. "Ma" and "Pa" have reported for duty!