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Late last month, Susan Cowsill wasn't particular worried. True, Hurricane Katrina appeared to have the singer's hometown in its sights. But people who live in New Orleans are used to dire predictions that never come true.
"You know, we have these drills once a month during hurricane season," Cowsill says, "if you were to pack up your whole home every time they told you to, it would cost you an extra $600 every month. It's always so unpredictable, and usually it doesn't come. So . . . "
So Cowsill went about her business and headed out for a show in Tulsa, Okla., with her longtime pal Dwight Twilley. And when the evacuation order came, Cowsill's husband packed up three days' worth of clothes and their two dogs and left New Orleans to join Cowsill on the road.
Everyone know what happened next. After Katrina's floodwaters were done with their house, all the couple had left were those dogs and clothes and the guitars Cowsill had taken with her. Everything else - family heirlooms, furniture inherited from grandparents, musical equipment - was gone. So is her brother, who remains missing.
Cowsill did go back to her ruined house long enough to rescue her cat. With no home, however, she'll be on the road for the forseeable future. She plays tonight at the Pour House, and there's no cover charge. But donations to get the Cowsill family back on its feet will be gratefully accepted. And she has a message to everyone who has been watching the aftermath of Katrina from elsewhere.
"In every city and every state in America, there are criminals," Cowsill says. "There are less fortunate people, well-off people, middle-class people. We're no different from any other city. What happened in New Orleans in regards to how people reacted is no different than it would have been anywhere else. Honestly, in the overall scope of things, the looting thing was only a small handful of people. The majority of what was going on was a lot of people helping each other out and trying to survive a catastrophe.
"You know, walk a mile in their shoes, man," Cowsill adds. "And in conclusion. I'd like to say that most of us are going home. And we're gonna rebuild our town and have bigger and better festivals, barbecues and parties."
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