Mississippi River flooding victims turn to refuge set up for Hurricane Katrina ...

RUSTY COSTANZA / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Destiny Sinclair, 6, of String Bayou, holds Chico, at Canadaville in Simmesport on Friday, May 20, 2011. Her family left their home near Marksville for fear of flooding and are temporarily living in the community of Canadaville which also housed Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Sinclair was playing outside with children of other families who have fled their homes for fear of flooding. Until recently, the former Jefferson Parish resident had been one of just a few people still living in a village of 50 trailers set up by a Canadian philanthropist for residents displaced by Katrina.

Dubbed Canadaville by its inhabitants, the trailer park was scheduled to close May 31, prompting Nelson to make plans to move to Kenner.

But with another great flood threatening to strike the region, the park has taken in a new wave of evacuees. More than 100 people fleeing potential flooding in the Morganza Floodway are being housed in 30 trailers at the park just south of Simmesport and 60 miles northwest of Baton Rouge.

“In some ways, it’s like Katrina all over again,” said Nelson, who moved from Jefferson to Pass Christian, Miss., shortly before Katrina and lost her home two blocks from the beach. “To see the emotion of these people who are so upset and so worried about the future reminds me of myself.”

Community has come back to life

Frank Stronach, the Canadian auto parts mogul who opened the $12 million, 900-acre park in December 2005 is in talks to sell or lease it to a private for-profit entity, said Nelson, who is the executive assistant to the park manager. She said the floodway evacuees have been told they can stay rent-free until June 30.

“This place was like a ghost town, but now it’s kind of come back to life to serve another purpose,” Nelson said.

A group of children chased dogs and rode their bikes in the street in front of three homes occupied by an extended family from the Marksville area.

Angel Jemello said the three households packed up everything they owned when the Army Corps of Engineers released maps projecting up to 5 feet of flooding in their community. For the first time since 1973, the corps opened the spillway a week ago to divert water from the swollen Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya basin, reducing pressure on levees in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

“We’re worried about our homes, but it’s so peaceful here that it’s really helping us cope,” said Jemello, 23, who evacuated with her three children and fiancé. “We live on a highway, and the kids have a lot more room to play here.

Ruffled® | DIY wedding favors project strike-anywhere match jars

DIY Strike-Anywhere Match Jars

Today’s entry for the DIY Favor Contest is sent in by Mandy Fowler. These little match jars are way, way too adorable, and just imagine all the puns you can play with!

An important note before you begin: The most crucial detail about this project is that you absolutely MUST use “strike anywhere” matches. Matches that say “strike on box” on them will not work and will make you cry tears of bitter frustration before tossing back a whiskey and everyone knows you don’t even like whiskey. I found mine at Ace Hardware, and I believe you can also find them at Target. We love reading your comments! Remember that the couples who chose to share their weddings with us are real people, so please be respectful and mindful of that. We love promoting engaged couples’ unique tastes, so sometimes their style may not be the same as yours. Ruffled reserves the right to remove comments that we find inflammatory, offensive, and self-promoting. We will respond to any questions regarding the feature above in this thread, so everyone can benefit from the answer. Thank you!