Canoe and a gun get duo to safety

[Wyoming]

By Stephen DeFerrari as told to Jessica Fargen
Friday, September 2, 2005 - Updated: 11:23 AM EST

Stephen DeFerrari, a Dedham native whose sister-in-law lives in Hanover, and his wife, Pam, escaped from their New Orleans home yesterday, brandishing a shotgun, in a canoe with their seven cats. Stephen spoke to the Herald last night after they arrived at a Baton Rouge hotel.

It was so dark last night. Pitch black. That was the scary part.

I was standing on the front porch with a shotgun keeping an eye on things. I could hear people breaking into houses right around the corner. We knew. We knew we had to get out. There was no police presence. The people are just going crazy. There doesn't seem to be any authority at all.

It took a canoe trip of about an hour and a mile long. It started to rain. More water. Just the thing we didn't need. It kind of felt good because we were so hot, so filthy. It felt good to have cool, clean water.

We had to make two trips in the canoe to get the cats and the dogs and the people we were with to get to higher ground. We saw fires and looting going on. If we didn't keep on moving and stay away from some people I feel like we would have been in trouble.

Earlier today, a man came up to me. I think he wanted the canoe. He saw I was armed and gave up.

We happened to pass this mall and people were looting it.

People told us the police went in there so they started shooting at the police. So the police left. They (looters) just set the place on fire. We saw it burning and we saw the fire department not even going near the place because the looters were going nuts.

We made it to dry land. We got into an Explorer rented by one of our friend's daughters. There weren't too many people on the roads in the beginning. As we got closer to Baton Rouge there started to be more people. There are people with their bags, looking lost. It's so eerie and strange. People are just lost. I guess most of them probably lost everything they got.

We are lucky, very lucky. Our house didn't get destroyed. We are still alive. The first thing my wife did after she and her sisters hugged and cried at the hotel, she took a shower. I'm about to do the same.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[KC135]

Glad you got out safe!!

[rstickle]

Glad to hear you got out safely and have something to go back to.

[FortyFive]

We are happy for your safety and your family safety. The story can be read quickly but I would guess the actual event must of lasted a lifetime. Boy it must be one dangerious place down there. Best to you.

[P95Carry]

Proof if any were needed, that with resourcefulness goes a weapon....and folks would have legit law abiding people disarmed.

A great outcome thru adversity.

[ExSoldier]

My wife's family was MIA for several days in Slidell LA. They are very close cousins to my wife. The husband is a deputy sheriff in their Parish and the wife works for a tv station in NO. The kids are aged 10 and 15.

They were found in a partially destroyed home, but alive and well.

Other family members went up there two days ago with multiple generators, food, water, enough fuel to run the generators and their 4x4 crew-cab for the entire trip out and back to Orlando. They went armed but mostly hunting weapons, shotguns, I think. They saw predators laying in wait at two rest stops who decided not to challenge these B-I-G Good Ol' Boy's in their "Bubbah" truck.....they made the pickup safely and returned home. But the encounter on the highway had enough of an impression on one of these guys who is mostly into guns for hunting...well before going back to Orlando, he went out and bought a 1911 Government Model. A serious gun...for serious times....

The Deputy stayed behind to work and rebuild his home which is over 100 years old. It's the only partially standing home in the area and about 90% of his sheriff's office shift is using it as a home base, and conditions are better now, thanks to the generators. I'm not worried about looters at his place....But folks it really IS getting like MAD MAX out there with these "Highwaymen" bushwacking folks....