Choosing to change a lifestyle is one thing. Losing nearly everything and being forced to start over is a whole different story.

For the last six weeks, the Perez, Soriano and Cabrera families, all closely related, drove 5,000 miles between six cities in hopes of evading the destruction of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. One mother and the families of her son and two daughters stuck together throughout the last month and a half, living through terrible traffic conditions and an ever-changing living situation.

Seven days ago, the families finally arrived in Warsaw, where they plan to make a fresh start and put the memories of hurricane evacuations behind them. Their optimism is genuine, but the strained looks on their faces expose the recent bouts of insomnia, stress and horrific memories they experienced on the journey to their new home.

On Aug. 28, after hearing the warnings of Hurricane Katrina, all 12 family members packed enough clothes and food for a weekend trip out of New Orleans, their old home. Leaving 24 hours before the storm destroyed the coastal region, five cars, full of the family, drove out of the city limits towards the safety of Houston, Texas.

"Leaving New Orleans, we thought it would be a weekend thing," Ana Cabrera, a New Orleans resident for 25 years, said. "We thought we were coming back."

Ana's brother, Carlos Perez, said for the last 10 years the family evacuated New Orleans at least 10 times because of hurricane warnings. The safety precautions became somewhat routine.

Carlos said the New Orleans contraflow plan, which had been in horrible shape a year prior to Katrina, worked efficiently as they left for Houston. Contraflow systems turn major highways into complete outgoing traffic lanes to allow for mass evacuation in times of crisis.

A normal trip from New Orleans to Houston, without evacuation conditions, was estimated to take five to six hours of driving. The family arrived in Houston eight hours after departure.

Once in Houston, they stayed in a hotel and watched in horror as their hometown was destroyed on television. Less than two weeks later, while the family discussed its future plans, they learned they had to evacuate Houston to avoid Hurricane Rita.

"We simply couldn't believe we had to go through it all over again," Carlos' wife, Cesiah, said. "Rita was supposed to hit Galveston, and Houston was only an hour away. We didn't want to risk it."

The family loaded their cars for the second time, still only packed with their "weekend" supplies they had taken from New Orleans, and began a drive to Dallas to avoid yet another enormous tropical storm.

Unlike the contraflow plan out of New Orleans, Houston's own plan, according to Carlos, failed miserably.

In a drive estimated to take four hours, the family experienced a 36-hour ordeal before arriving in Dallas.

"It felt like the end of the world," Luis Soriano said. "After 18 hours of being in a car, we were still inside of Houston. That many hours of going nowhere- you can no longer think or sleep, and people were absolutely losing it."

Luis and his wife Lidia said their drive on I-45, the main highway system connecting Houston and Dallas, was complete chaos. An estimated 2.5 million people attempted to make the drive during the time the family drove to Dallas. Cars were running out of gas, people were sleeping on and around the interstate, others were walking from car to car pleading for food, a commodity few individuals had.

Restaurants and grocery stores surrounding the highway closed their doors to avoid looting. Gas stations either refused service to drivers or simply ran out of fuel to provide. On top of all that, drivers on the highway could feel the gusts of Rita slowly coming towards them, causing many to panic.

Not only did the family have to worry about fuel shortages and lack of food, they also kept a close eye on Luis and Lidia's daughter, Viviana, who has diabetes and needed insulin and specific nutrition during their drive.

The family waited in numerous gas station lines, only to find out each station had emptied their supplies. They finally decided to stay three hours., from 3 to 6 a.m., at one station awaiting tankers to come and refill the location's gas supply. Many family members slept inside the store before the tanker arrived and the cars were filled with fuel.

"I don't know how we didn't run out of gas in any of the cars," Lidia said. "God was watching over us. Those gas tanks stretched out to the last drop."

They wearily drove into Dallas, where they immediately bought food, and places to sleep for the night.

From there, they traveled back to Houston, then to New Orleans to access damages to their homes and property. When they arrived back in Louisiana, they soon realized nothing they owned in New Orleans remained.

"We lost everything," Carlos said. "Lost our houses, cars, furniture, all of our belongings."

Carlos said no property could be identified. Everything was merely rubble from other buildings.

Once they realized their homes were gone, the family traveled to Baton Rouge, and then, five weeks after Katrina hit, began their drive to Warsaw to begin a new life.

"We chose the right place to start. We couldn't be happier that we're here." Cesiah said.

The family opted for Warsaw because of its school systems, which they believe is far superior than any school Louisiana had to offer. Weather-wise, Indiana's security from natural disasters also played a role in their choice.

"We've been warned about the snow," Luis said. "I'd rather be hit with snow than with contaminated water any day."

For the first six days in Indiana, the family slept in a Fort Wayne hotel room and traveled to Warsaw during the day. While commuting back and forth, David and Trish Collins allowed them to stay at their residence while in Warsaw. Thursday, the American Red Cross of Warsaw supplied the family with hotel rooms at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on Center Street.

Each member is currently looking for employment in the Warsaw area. Carlos, who is a minister, is working with the Assemblies of God churches to find a new occupation. The rest of the family is cooperating with the Red Cross to find work in their various fields.

"It feels wonderful to stay in one place for awhile," Ana said. "But it's not over. There's still alot we have to do before we can truly relax."

"Our children have been so patient with us," Luis said. "We run errands all day and haven't gotten to spend as much time as we'd like to with them. They've been treated like adults for most of the time since we left New Orleans."

Once they solidify work and permanent residence in Warsaw, the family said a trip back to New Orleans will likely not happen.

"The trip would be too much of a hassle and I'd see too many problems with being there," the family's mother and grandmother, also named Ana, said. "With everything we've been through, I just don't like the idea."

The fact that the family survived the ordeal is impressive enough. That they all stayed together throughout the journey is amazing.

"When I think about it, I don't know how we did this and got here," Cesiah said. "It really is amazing."

Information regarding job opportunities or donations for the family can be directed through the American Red Cross, 574-267-5244. [[In-content Ad]]