A series of photos by Gerald Herbert documented the scene as Don Duplantier paddled a canoe to and from his flooded home to rescue two items of precious cargo: Lovey the cat and a bridesmaid’s dress Don’s daughter will wear at her brother’s wedding.
The Duplantier family evacuated ahead of Hurricane Isaac last week, and Don went back yesterday to retrieve Lovey and the dress. Residents are officially barred from returning to their flooded homes at present, but Don was able to talk his way in past the barricades.
The intrepid rescuer told the New York Daily News it was important that he return home to rescue Lovey, in part because she is recovering from her spay surgery and because she is very people oriented and was bound to be lonely being stranded in her bizarrely transformed flooded out home.
Don said the waters from Isaac had gone up to the ceiling and was worse than the flooding from Katrina.
Photos Gerald Herbert
