Member news: Hurricane Katrina evacuees--one year later.

• Position: FeiNEWS

Last September, Financial Executive wrote about the experiences of two FEI members of the New Orleans Chapter just 10 days after Hurricane Katrina hit the area. For this followup feature, we asked the two to submit a brief on how they are doing; here are their stories, in their own words: From Stan Smith (former FEI Southwestern Area Vice President):

I am pleased to report that my wife and I continue to do well one year after Katrina. We are clearly among the fortunate. We have good health and a home that suffered moderate damage. Also, since my position before and after the storm was based in Houston, I was not impacted by relocation or loss of positions, as have been peers and associates.

Hurricane Katrina is an event that will impact and shape the remainder of our lives. We lost a personal friend to suicide and three others to stress-attributed deaths. We continue to fight with the frustration of negative publicity for a city we love. We struggle with finding and dealing with contractors. Despite this, we are committed to New Orleans and excited about the opportunities that come with reconstruction.

The city clearly faces a long path for reconstruction, but the signs are promising; and while progress is slow, every day brings more improvement. My wife is involved in the tourism industry, and while it is running at about 50 percent of pre-storm level, it appears to be picking up. In fact, New Orleans recently hosted its first large convention since the storm, receiving favorable responses.

As for my career: since the storm, I have continued my search for opportunities that would allow me to return to New Orleans, and am pleased to report success. I will be reporting to work in early August as CFO of the New Orleans Public School System. This opportunity comes with challenges--with a reduced and unknown revenue base, I'll be rebuilding the labor force and the facilities. Personally, I'm transitioning from 20 years in manufacturing to an entirely new field. However, my largest challenge will be adjusting to living with my wife full-time!

From Tom Sandeman:

On Aug. 28, 2005, my wife, Barbara, and I packed our computers, a lifetime of pictures and a few family heirlooms and evacuated to Atlanta to escape Hurricane Katrina. I continued to operate my consulting business from a hotel room in Marietta, Ga., from Aug. 29 until October, when I returned to my home in New Orleans. FEI was the first organization to contact us...