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Family Separated By Katrina, Reunited In Detroit

A family finally gets back together in Metro Detroit, five years after Hurricane Katrina.

Five years ago, 38-year-old Jeremiah Thomas said goodbye to his mother and the rest of his family as they were separated at a Hurricane Katrina emergency shelter in New Orleans.

Six months later, the family was in contact while they were in Florida he was here in Detroit. But, Paula Thomas says that after that, she lost touch with her son.

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Jeremiah Thomas is seen in the background as his mother, Paula Thomas, talks to reporters (WWJ Photo).

"He had to move out of his building, and we lost contact with him then. And then, when he got in a group home, he found my mother's address on the computer," Thomas said.

A social worker helped connect the two -- and Monday, Jeremiah reunited with his mother and grandmother at Metro Airport in Romulus.

"I'm excited to see my people. I'm very excited, because I miss them... I miss all of the things we used to do around the holidays," Jeremiah told WWJ's Mike Campbell.

Jeremiah says he plans to stay in Detroit for years yet, but does hope to move back to his native New Orleans someday.

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