New Cumberland, Pa. - Four years ago, 21-year-old Michael Neeb was looking forward to high school graduation when the costliest and most destructive natural disaster in U.S. history struck his hometown of New Orleans.

"Everything was brown. All the trees were dead," he said. "In the water they had gasoline, oil, sewage."

The Neeb family, like thousands of other evacuees, ran for their lives. They resettled in central Pennsylvania. Periodically, they were able to return to the Crescent City to help rebuild.

"That's your city," Neeb said. "You can't leave her when she's like that."

Neeb's parents and relatives eventually returned home, but he stayed behind to run the snoball and ice cream business he built with his dad in New Cumberland. He says snoball stands are a mainstay back home and the business was a way of staying in touch.

"I need a little New Orleans in my life, so I tried to bring a little of it up here," he said.

Neeb admits to some homesickness, but running the shop keeps him busy and focused on the job. He credits new friends and customers with making the transition easier.

"The people are warm, they're open. They really embrace the store," he said.

As a marine biology student at Penn State Harrisburg, Neeb's studies will include the oceans and their impact on man. He says his degree will most likely take him back to the Gulf Coast in a few years, but for now he's happy to bring a taste of New Orleans to New Cumberland.

 Email To Friend