When it rains it pours a katrina shower: family and friends throw a housewarming party for a Hurricane Katrina survivor.

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Everybody agrees it was Heyward's idea. Rather than a fundraiser for Gisela (GEE-su-la) Perry, who lost her Pass Christian home in Hurricane Katrina, Heyward Hodges thought there should be a shower for her to replace the things she lost in the storm. Heyward's wife Loicka agreed, as did friends Mel Evans, Susan Turner and Ingrid Taylor, Gisela's daughter.

"We're a small group of friends who care about each other's parents," says Ingrid, as the rest of the group nods their heads in agreement. "Whether it's Loicka's mom in France or Susan's mom in Meridian, we're there for each other."

The friends are close in the way adult siblings are close, caring about the little details of each other's lives. They have rejoiced at the upcoming wedding of Heyward and Loicka's son. They have supported Susan as she cares for her paraplegic husband. And they have helped Ingrid as she steers her mother's life back to normalcy.

Gisela, or "Oma" as her friends call her, which in German means "grandmother," has endured disaster before. As a little girl in Germany, her family had to flee their home during a bombing that killed her sister. As a young woman in Pass Christian, she survived Hurricane Camille. Thinking that Camille was as bad as it gets, Gisela resolved to ride out Katrina. Her family urged her to evacuate. Her son even threatened to have her cremated if she died, which she vehemently opposes. But Gisela stayed.

As the storm approached in the wee hours of the morning, Gisela heard the wind as she lay in bed. Suddenly, the neighbor's jungle gym crashed through her bedroom window. She jumped out of bed, snatched up her three cats, and barricaded herself in the bathroom. After nearly 45 minutes of wind, the water came rushing in her home. Gisela grabbed on to an armoire and threw her cats on her back. She clung to the armoire until the waters receded, then was rescued by the Seabees. "She was in a nightgown on the side of the road with her cats," says Susan. With her one phone call, Gisela spoke to Ingrid, who had been frantic with worry.

"All she could think about was that she would be cremated," laughs Ingrid. "It was the one thing that kept her alive!"

Gisela's home, like hundreds of other Gulf Coast homes, was heavily damaged, and she, like hundreds of other Gulf Coast residents, took up residence in a FEMA trailer. She spent time at Ingrid's home, and at those of her other children, but she wanted to be back on the Coast with her friends. Even if it meant living in the trailer. "The trailer was so small that she could sit in her chair and fry an egg," says Susan Turner. "But she never complained."

A year after the storm, Heyward and Loicka traveled to the Coast to visit their daughter, and stopped by the little FEMA trailer to visit Oma. "We expected to see roofers putting shingles on houses, but there wasn't any building going on," Heyward recalls. "Seeing Oma in that trailer made me want to do something."

Ingrid's husband Timmy, an architect, set about redesigning and rebuilding Oma's house and found a construction crew in Jackson that would work on the Coast. As the house neared completion, the group of friends talked about ways to help Gisela. The idea of a homecoming shower began to take shape, and Heyward said, "Let's do it!"

The details fell into place. The party would be held at Mel's house, and the invitations to "Oma's Katrina Shower" were mailed. "We were sensitive to the fact that we were asking people to help," says Loicka. "We had an amazing response from everyone we invited."

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The gifts poured in. Each of the friends was responsible for a room in Gisela's house in order to keep track of the gifts, which included gift cards, checks, original artwork from local artists and gardening gifts. "Some of our friends gave her a shovel," Ingrid recalls, "with the promise of coming to her house to do some planting for her."

Nearly 100 people attended the May 2007 party. Mel created several floral arrangements that included gerbera daisies, spider lily mums, and ivy. She wound mums in her chandeliers, and decorated her mantles with tall floral arrangements and books. She displayed Gisela's gifts in a tiered fashion so guests could easily view them. Timmy Taylor found satellite photos of Gisela's house taken the day after the storm, and he displayed them on a tri-fold board along with pictures of the house prior to the storm.

Guests dined on marinated shrimp, pork tenderloin, onion and cheese souffles, marinated mushrooms, tomato sandwiches made by Ingrid's housekeeper, lemon squares, chocolate cupcakes, and even a birthday cake for Loicka. The bartenders and maids, dressed in lime-green aprons, donated their time. Having worked for the group of friends for many years, they knew Oma well and were delighted to help.

As the sounds of Pryor Graeber and the Tombstones filled the warm spring evening, Heyward decided to get Gisela in front of the crowd to tell the story of the day the storm hit her home." None of it was rehearsed," grins Heyward. "I thought she would be shy, but once I started talking, she really got into it!" Gisela regaled the crowd with her droll humor as she described the events of August 2005. The wind, the water, the cats, the armoire--she told it all in a very matter-of-fact tone. "People ask me if I was scared, but I really felt nothing," Gisela recalls. "I grew up in World War II, and in 1945 my hometown was bombed, so this wasn't the first time something bad had happened to me."

The work on Gisela's house is nearly finished, and in July 2007 she was finally able to move out of the FEMA trailer.

Ingrid hopes that her mother's life will soon return to normal. They are slowly replacing Gisela's clothing and furniture, which were lost or damaged in the storm. One of the first things Oma wanted was a new purse to replace the one that washed away. "Mama said, 'A woman needs her purse?' so I bought her one," Ingrid laughs. "She carried it with her even though there was nothing in it."

Even family photos are being replaced. "I lost pictures of my family in Germany," says Gisela. "I went to Germany to visit my family and friends, and they gave me pictures, some of which I had never even seen?" The friends remain in close contact with Gisela and are thrilled that their Katrina Shower has touched so many lives. But they are keenly aware of the many Gulf Coast residents who still have many needs. "The party was a unique thing," says Mel. "We hope others will do this for their friends."

Oma is grateful. "There are no words to describe how I feel in my heart," she says. "I feel blessed that I have my children and my friends and my children's friends. I feel so blessed and so rich."

photography by mike wann

CORN AND ONION SOUFFLE

7 (12-ounce) package frozen chopped onion
7 (32-ounce) package frozen corn
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2-7 cup whipping cream

Thaw onion; drain well on paper towels.
]haw corn. Roast on cookie sheet at
400 degrees for 15 to 30 minutes. Mix all
ingredients and pour into baking dish.
Cook at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with Frito Scoops.

Yield: 36 servings.

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LEMON BARS

1 cup butter (not margarine)
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons flour
4 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Combine butter, sugar, flour, and
salt using a mixer. Pack crumbly
mixture into a 9x13-inch greased loan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Crust should not brown.

Combine eggs, sugar, flour, and
lemon juice with a mixer and blend.
Pour mixture over hot crust. Bake
25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove
from oven and sprinkle with confectioner's
sugar.

Yield: 12-16 bars.

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MUSHROOM ROLLS

1 onion, chopped
1/2 package fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
74 cup butter
3 tablespoon flour
Dash of salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon accent
1/2 cup light cream
2 tablespoons chives, minced
7 tablespoon lemon juice
1 loaf white bread
Dash of Worchestersbire sauce

Saute onions for 3-4 minutes in butter.
Add mushrooms, cover, and cook until
done. Blend in flour, salt, and accent. Stir
in cream (more if needed). Add chives,
lemon juice, pepper, and Worchestershire
sauce. Let cool

Cut crust of bread, spread mixture, and
roll up. Secure with toothpicks if needed.
Before serving, cut each roll in 2 or 3
pieces, and place under broiler or in a 350
degree oven until hot.

Yield: 60 appetizers.

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MARINATED SHRIMP

5 pounds of shrimp
2 medium-sized white onions

Boil and clean shrimp. Slice onions
into rings.

MARINADE

7 1/4 cups Wesson oil
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
2 1/2 tablespoons capers and juice

Toss shrimp and onions in the marinade.
Chill for 24 hours before serving.

Yield: 30-36 servings.

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