September 6, 2005 - Ninety-nine year-old James Matthews and his 93 year-old blind wife Mamie Matthews were rescued in New Orleans last week after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area. The couple's closest relatives in New Orleans were also displaced. Since their arrival at the American Bank Center Arena Saturday night, September 3, the Matthew's only concern has been to get a hold of their family, but they had no contact information in their possession. The Matthew's have captured the hearts of volunteers since their arrival; one of them introduced the couple to Liberty Garcia Swift, the media relations manager for the American Bank Center.
Swift could not stop thinking about the couple when she went home Sunday night. She decided to search the Matthew's names on the internet and found a desperate plea for help on weblog posted by their great-niece who lives in Washington D.C. on this site: http://www.nola.com/weblogs/. Swift called the great niece late Sunday night and delivered the incredible news to the family that the Matthews were okay. Up until that phone call, the Matthew’s family was unaware of their location.
The great-niece made contact with Mamie's nieces who were displaced to Houston. Shortly afterward, Mamie spoke with her nieces for the first time since her rescue over the phone from the floor of the arena and she could hardly hold back her tears. Needless to say, the Matthew's three nieces are drove from Houston to the American Bank Center Arena in Corpus Christi Monday, September 5, for what was an emotional reunion.
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