Do you ever have a bad day? Thats the last thing we want. We want you to have nothing but good days! When your having a bad day you can think about the Broussard Family and thank God your day is nothing like June 27 1957 For one of the families of Pecan Island, Hurricane Audrey took more than their home, the storm claimed the lives of 4 children. Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Broussard June 27, 1957 The Broussards lived on the western end of Pecan Island. On the morning of Thursday June 27th, Mr. Stephen Broussard remembers getting up and looking outside to check the weather. The last report given the night before was that Audrey was to hit the Texas Coast. Mr. Stephen told his wife Florence the weather didnt look good and maybe they should get the children and leave. Mrs. Florence didnt want to disturb the sleeping children, so it was decided they would wait. It wasnt long after this discussion that Audrey hit, and the Broussards were caught in their home to ride out the storm. Mrs. Florences parents Mr. and Mrs. Sosthene Broussard had come to Stephens home thinking that because it was new, it would withstand the hurricane better than their old home. As the water began rushing over the marshland, the Broussards knew they were in serious trouble. It wasnt long before they had to move into the attic of their home. As the water rose, the house began to float off the pillars, and move the house into the marsh north of Pecan Island towards White Lake. Inside the attic was Mr. and Mrs Stephen Broussard, and their seven children (five girls and two boys), and Mrs. Florences parents. At the edge of White Lake, is where the home stalled as the wind shifted out of the southwest. When the wind changed direction, the house tilted, and the deep freezers slid and hit the wall. Thats when the house broke apart, and Mr. Stephen stated they lost one of their little girls Estelle. After the house broke apart Mr. and Mrs. Stephen and three of the children (two boys and one girl) held onto a piece of the roof to ride out the storm in White Lake. Mr and Mrs Sosthene were able to hold onto three of their granddaughters, and climb onto a piece of a wall. Six of the Broussard children at this time were still alive. One of the children with Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Broussard was a small infant. While fighting to stay afloat on the wall in the heavy winds and waves Mr. and Mrs. Sosthene lost two of the granddaughters that were with them. Mr. Stephen relates that the wind was so strong it ripped the clothing from their backs, and Mrs. Florences feet and the back of her legs were raw from sliding on the roof trying to stay on. The nails on the roof also took their toll on the Broussards, it cut into their skin as they slid back and forth on the roof. They remember animals floating around them in the swirling waters, but the worst fear was the snakes the gulfs tidal surge had stirred up and made angry; the snakes would strike at anything. Most of the snakes were cottonmouth, which are poisonous. At around 1:00 a.m. on June 28th, the storm finally started to abate, and the wind and waters began to calm down. Little Stephen Jr. sustained a snake bite to the cheek and ear from a water moccasin as the family waited for help. Mr. Stephen left the wood they had drifted on through the night to find help. He realized the storm had left them on the north side of White Lake. He also needed water for little Stephen Jr.; they remember he was very thirsty. Mr. Stephen spotted a hunting camp that he was familiar with, and decided to swim for shore. He remembers diving into the waters full of angry snakes, and dead animals. Once reaching land, Mr. Stephen entered the camp and was shocked at how may snakes were inside. He recalls they were everywhere; on the bunks, floor, and striking at anything, so he decided to go around back and enter through the kitchen. There he saw nutria, raccoons, and other wildlife inside the kitchen. Mr. Stephen also had to contend with an angry cow, he used a two-by-four to deter the cow from hooking him. Mr. Pie Touchet came upon Mr. Stephen while he as at the camp. After finding Mr. Stephen, and returning to the boat they heard yelling. That was when they found Mr. and Mrs. Sosthene Broussard and Carolyn their daughter. After picking up Mr. and Mrs. Sosthene and they continued on to pick up Mrs. Florence and the children. Mr. Touchet brought them to Intracoastal City where Mr. Earl Hardin Sr. and Mr. Bert Broussard proceeded to take them to Abbeville, Louisiana where they met an ambulance. Stephen Jr. died en route to the hospital from the snakebite he had sustained during the night. Hurricane Audrey claimed four children of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Broussards family. The three girls were never found, even though a search was conducted for nine days. Of the Broussards seven children, only tow girls and one boy has survived. One child by the name of Brent was with an uncle during the storm, he survived. During the storm at its height, they thought their infant son Michael was also dead; because he was blue and cold, Mrs. Florence wouldnt let him go, and held onto him through the duration of the storm. The infant Michael survived the storm in his mothers faithful arms. June 26, 1957 their were eight children in the Broussard family June 28, 1957 their were four children in the Broussard family IN MEMORY OF Stephen Broussard Jr.: born February 14, 1951 Veronic Broussard: born August 11, 1953 Lerissa Broussard: born November 17, 1954 Estelle Broussard: born December 13, 1956
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:35:51 +0000
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