Who is Kathy's Family from Zeitoun and what is their importance?

When Katrina was on her way to New Orleans, Kathy decided to take the kids to Baton Rouge to stay with her relatives. She could only bear to stay a few weeks when the stress of too much togetherness became overwhelming. She took the kids and stayed with friends in Arizona. Her parents and siblings were never accepting of Kathy's conversion to Islam and often made derisive comments about it.