Ms. Frank's Story

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Ms. Hilda Frank couldn’t get a full night’s sleep for months after the broken levees flooded her Hollygroove home in August 2005. She often woke to the sounds of what seemed like wild animals scrounging outside of her FEMA trailer.

“One night, I thought I heard a mountain lion,” she recalled. “I don’t even know what a mountain lion sounds like, but that’s how loud it was!”

But not even sleep could have offered peace of mind to Ms. Frank, who suffered anxiety attacks throughout the night. She had difficulty catching her breath, choking on the trailer's stale air.

“I would walk outside at two, three o’clock in the morning to get some fresh air.” The dark night was always unsettling, and she found herself crying daily, unable to control her sadness. Since the storm, Ms. Frank has successfully overcome some of her troubles, but she is still experiencing depression and sleep apnea.

“Mentally, I went through a lot,” she explains. “I’m not that kind of person. I usually can keep it together.” But like many who lost everything in the storm, there were just too many shattered pieces. Consequently, she gained 45 pounds, jeopardizing her diabetes and already high blood pressure.

Although Ms. Frank was able to return to work shortly after the waters receded, she was unable to perform up to previous standards. She could not remember how to do her job at the Office of Motor Vehicles where she was once a manager and supervisor of 24 employees. Over the past three years, she has re-taught herself 75% of what she was once capable of doing.

Despite all that has happened, Ms. Frank is grateful for God’s grace, which she believes has kept her family safe. And amidst all of the painful moments, there is one fond memory of their time in the FEMA trailer that still shines, and that is when her younger brother sweetly reminded them of the following truths: “It’s a little box and a tight squeeze, but we’re together, and that’s all that matters.”

Welcome home Ms. Frank! PNOLA finished Ms. Frank's side of her house June 17, 2009. We are still working to complete the other half and hope to have it finished soon!