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PdC Woman Helps Texas Friend

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Kathleen Kalina

Jo Arispe’s trailer was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. (Photo submitted)

Jo Arispe bringing Daisy to rehab to see Kathleen Kalina while Kathleen was recovering from a stroke in Rockport, Texas in May of 2016. (Photo submitted)

 

Local woman helping her friend, a Hurricane Harvey victim

By Ted Pennekamp

 

A Prairie du Chien woman is helping out in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey with more than just donations. Kathleen Kalina is helping to get her friend, Jo Arispe, to Prairie du Chien from Rockport, Texas and is also aiding in finding Arispe a place to live at Rivercrest Villages, an apartment complex. 

“I called on Thursday before the hurricane hit and Jo was still there,” said Kathleen. “I told her to get out.” 

Jo’s home was destroyed and she stayed at her sister’s son’s apartment in Austin for a few days. Austin is about four hours north of Rockport, which is near Houston. “She was safe,” said Kathleen.

Jo went back to her destroyed trailer to look for photographs and important papers such as her passport, titles and deeds. Jo and her nephew slept in her nephew’s flattened house for a couple of nights where the bedroom had three walls but no roof, said Kathleen. Temperatures were reaching more than 100 degrees and, because of the flooding, mosquitoes became a big problem.

The American Red Cross served food to all of the people of Rockport. The food lines were an hour long. Kathleen said Jo, 70, has applied for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who was there to document all of the damage to Jo’s home and property.

“She has nowhere to live,” said Kathleen. “She has never been to Wisconsin before but we’re trying to get her here soon. It may be a culture shock. She wanted to get her valuables and a few clothes, along with her photos and important papers before leaving. There are no motel rooms there. They’re either destroyed or full. The whole town was destroyed.”

Kathleen said she and Jo are working on getting a plane ticket for Jo. “We’re gonna try to get her here within the next few days,” she said. “I’m also making arrangements with the Rivercrest Villages manager. I hope it moves fast, she’ll be starting from scratch.”

Kathleen said it will take at least a year before Jo sees any of her FEMA funding.

“She will be the first evacuee to Prairie du Chien,” said Kathleen. “She was getting sick because of the heat.”

Kathleen, 66, said she met Jo when Kathleen, a retired environmental scientist, was in Rockport to for a year to help save sea turtles. “It was paradise down there,” said Kathleen. “There is no more beautiful place in the United States that I have ever seen.”

Three days before Kathleen was to head back to Prairie du Chien, she suffered a stroke. Jo took care of Kathleen’s dog, Daisy, while Kathleen was in a hospital in Corpus Christi and then in a rehab center in Rockport for a combined five weeks.

“She brought Daisy to see me while I was in rehab, said Kathleen. “That was a huge comfort.”

Kathleen said it feels extra good to give her friend, Jo, a retired social worker for a battered women’s shelter, some help because of the help Jo gave her.

“It feels good,” said Kathleen while fighting back tears. “She saved me by taking care of my dog, which was very, very important. But, now, it turns around.”

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