Sept. 16, 2005
By Bob Lowe, Pride SID

Family commitments took Eddie Montrell away from Greensboro College last year. It was a tragedy, however, that brought Eddie and his family back to Greensboro nine months later.

Montrell recently experienced both human suffering and compassion. As a displaced New Orleans resident from Hurricane Katrina, he witnessed the worst—and the best—of humanity.

Ten days after he entered a Texas shelter, Montrell still wears the Red Cross issued bracelet identifying him as a Katrina victim. As with many people who experience such trauma, Montrell needs to tell his story. It’s therapeutic to talk about his ordeal. 

Student-Athlete Leaves the Gate City 

Eddie Montrell arrived at Greensboro College in the fall of 2003. He came to play basketball under former GC Coach Lynn Ramage. As a husband and a father of a two-year-old daughter back home in the Crescent City, Montrell never felt at ease being away from his young family.

Yet he started 22 of 25 games and helped The Pride to a 12-13 season—the best in nine years—in 2003-04. A 6-9 forward on the nation’s tallest team, he averaged seven points, six rebounds and led The Pride with 34 blocked shots.

The following year, Montrell played the first nine games for GC. After the fall semester, he left Greensboro College to return to his wife, Tiffany, and daughter, Jimani.

Back in the Bayou

Montrell was working, attending classes and able to be a family man again. “I felt better because at least now I was able to baby-sit,” he said.

Life in the Big Easy was moving on normally prior to August 29th. Residents of the Gulf Coast are used to Hurricanes. Montrell, his wife and daughter decided to leave the city with Katrina approaching. His mother, Sybil, however, wanted to wait it out. Montrell sent Tiffany and Jimani off to Texas with her family, but he wasn’t about to let his mother stay alone.
 

Eddie Montrell

Katrina Arrives

On the morning of August 29, Eddie was welcomed by a current of knee-high water after he stepped outside his mother‘s home. He returned inside to arrange a game plan to deal with the rising water level.

Sybil grabbed some cereal and water and headed upstairs. Montrell got a hammer and began banging on the ceiling in order to get inside their crawl space. The lanky Eddie and his mother squeezed into the opening, but the water pushed by the category five storm continued to rise.

They were able to reach 911. However, authorities said no boats could be sent due to the wind gusts. The two then got outside and stood on top of the house. Electrical wires lay nearby. Eddie knew they had to leave.

Swimming to Safety

“If I was going to die, it was not going to be by electrocution,” he said. “Our idea was to swim to a neighbor’s two story house in order to buy time.”

There was one problem. Sybil could not swim. Eddie, who considers himself a “three on a scale of ten as a swimmer,” instructed his mother to grab onto an ice chest that was floating by their house. They hung on the best they could. Eddie swam and pulled his Mom much of the way. Eventually they made it to the neighbor’s home.

Montrell recalls seeing two dead bodies, both young children, in the water. It was one of the many horrific sights he witnessed. The toxic mix in which they would swim and wade through over the next few days was filled with gasoline, dead animals and humans.

Waiting to Be Rescued

After the Montrells made it to the neighbor’s house, they were able to get dry clothes, eat some Cheerios and drink water. Thirteen hours after their nightmare began, the Coast Guard spotted their waving flags and arrived for a rescue.

They were taken to a nearby bridge that was on higher ground. Montrell was dumbfounded by what he saw: people looting alcohol, electronics and other “luxury” items. “Those possessions were the furthest thing from my mind,” he said. “These folks didn’t have a home for a stereo or a television. They needed water and food.”

Eddie and Sybil were later transported to the Superdome. It didn’t take long for Eddie to realize that this was not the place to be. “There were too many people,” he said. “There wasn’t enough food and there was little medical help. The stories on the news were accurate: It was a hell on Earth.”
 
 
 

Leaving the Dome

How bad was life at the Superdome? Eddie and Sybil chose to leave the relatively dry dome and waded through waist deep water to get to the local hospital. Eddie had a severe cut on his leg and worried it was infected. His mom was tiring rapidly.

When they arrived, the hospital was being shut down. They were sending folks to the Superdome. Instead of returning, the Montrells walked—actually waded—to a hotel where his aunt worked. Initially, hotel security rebuffed their request to get in. Eventually, they made it upstairs.

“We got into a room on the sixth floor,” Eddie said. “We had our first shower in 36 hours and feasted on Spanish olives. In the morning, we even got breakfast. We stayed at the hotel—which seemed like Hotel Rwanda—with about 300 others for two nights.”

Returning to the Dome

While the hotel provided a short-term refuge, the Montrells knew they had to get out of the city. Unfortunately, the only way out was to return to the Superdome. They returned to the Dome and got in a line to board a bus at 6 p.m. on Sept. 1st.

“They had men, women and children separated,” he said. “The line stopped moving, the heat and stench was unbearable and people were getting restless, weak or even going crazy. The most important thing I realized in this terrible situation is how important a positive frame of mind was. It would’ve been easy to give up. But if I let down, then my mother wouldn’t have survived.”

At about 2 a.m. Sybil passed out due to exhaustion, dehydration or both. Eddie asked a National Guardsman to be put on a bus. Alas, they finally obliged—after incessant pleading from Eddie—and they were allowed past an armed barricade and boarded an evacuation bus.

“We thought we were going to Houston, but ended up in Dallas,” said Montrell. “I was happy to get out but was upset because I had no way of reaching my wife and daughter.”

Tiffany, Jimani and Tiffany’s family had hurriedly fled New Orleans. They had driven west and found the first hotel available, which was near Houston. Most cellular telephone service was not working so Montrell had no way of reaching his wife and daughter.
 

Good People: Part I
 

That evening, the Montrells enjoyed their first true meal in five days. They also met Kevin and Carla White, Red Cross volunteers who turned out to be guardian angels.

“These people did not know us from Adam, yet they invited us to stay at their house,” Montrell said. “We were extremely grateful to be in a home. A place to have a home-cooked meal, a hot shower, and to check email.”

It was at the White’s house on Sept. 3rd at 3 a.m. that Montrell received a most precious birthday gift. Carla awakened Eddie and informed him that his wife was on the phone. “That was an incredible feeling,” he said.

Tiffany and her relatives also encountered relief volunteers who opened their home to all 14 family members. Coincidentally, they were relocated to a ranch just outside of Dallas—not far from Montrell.

Good People: Part II

Meanwhile, word got out to Ramage about the Montrell’s plight. The former Pride coach contacted J.W. Willoughby, his former assistant coach, and mapped plan to help Eddie and his family. In a short time, they arranged for all four Montrells to relocate to Greensboro.

The Montrells arrived at Piedmont Triad International Airport—helped by disaster air fares—on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 10:30 p.m. They were met by Willoughby, current Pride student-athlete Justin Battle, Pride women’s basketball coach Jason Tuggle, former GC Assistant Men’s Coach Scott Bollwage, a crew from WFMY News, and local volunteers. Ramage—who now coaches at Millersburg Military Academy in Kentucky—was not able to greet the Montrells but deserves a big assist for the effort.

Moments later, the family arrived at a fully furnished apartment, assisted by local relief agencies.

“We were in shock,” Montrell said. “All of our basic needs were there: a stocked refrigerator, clothes, etc. We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of the Greensboro community.”

Eddie now has a job as a maintenance technician at Wendover West Apartments—his new residence. Sybil, who still has trouble sleeping each night, is hoping to transfer her job as a postal worker to the Triad.

What’s Next?

Ed Montrell loves his hometown, but doubts he will call The Big Easy home again. “I don’t think it’s worth going back,” he said. “You can see a satellite photo of our house today and it’s still underwater. I saw a lot of disturbing things. I haven’t heard from a lot of friends and I pray they are okay.”

In addition to working, Montrell plans to re-enroll in college, perhaps again at GC in the Spring. He’s also pursuing options of playing professional basketball overseas. The Nottingham Knights have shown interest and the Montrells could relocate to England.

In the meantime, Eddie has been playing pickup basketball with old Greensboro College teammates and getting back to living a normal life.

“Before this happened, I was always looking ahead for opportunities,” said Montrell. “Now I’m content that my family is safe and we are together today. The most important thing is we got out of there with our lives.”

Greensboro College is helping victims of the Hurricane Katrina Disaster. The Pride has already donated more than $700 to the United Methodist relief effort. Monetary donations and supplies are still being collected. Please contact Kama Tucker at (336) 272-7102 ext. 691 for more details.