Re-establishing a Home after Katrina: A Long and Winding Road

Striking the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm, 2005's Hurricane Katrina was the worst storm that the people of New Orleans had experienced in many years. The aftermath of the hurricane was widespread flooding of the city that resulted from the breaching of the levees. Eighty percent of the city and surrounding parishes were damaged and 4.9 million people were affected.¹ It was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded and it left 1,464 people dead in Louisiana alone.² Many of those who survived were forced to flee their homes, often going to other states. Approximately 1,400 found their way to Kentucky, most of whom staying in Louisville.

This narrative presents the experiences of two people who lived to tell their stories after Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005. The report has three central purposes: 1) to describe the effects of Hurricane Katrina on two individuals; 2) to demonstrate the attitudes, beliefs, and skills that helped two people in their survival and recovery; 3) to illustrate the social, emotional, and economic supports they harnessed for their recovery. Fifty-four year old Angela* lived in Bogalusa, 60 miles north of New Orleans. Married and non-Hispanic White, Angela is a registered nurse who was disabled nine years ago. Before Katrina she was very involved in a literacy program and provided home health to other disabled residents in her community. Angela stayed in her residence, which flooded, through the hurricane. After holding on for as long as she could to keep herself above water, Angela agreed to go to a shelter, but when it closed following Hurricane Rita and the residents were told to go north, she, her husband, and her dog went to Louisville, although they knew no one in Kentucky. Angela now works as a volunteer for local organizations and is being trained to be a member of an emergency response team.

Sam lived with his wife and his five-year old son in the 9th Ward of New Orleans. Thirty-five year old Sam is African American; he had just returned from active duty in the U.S. Army when the storm began threatening. His family had already left its home to go to New Iberia, Louisiana, where his wife's family lived. After some thought, he picked up his bags and fled, first to New Iberia, where he spent a few days, then to Louisville, at the urging of an old college friend who offered him the opportunity to start over. He was soon able to reunite his family and they stayed with his friend for the first two months. He currently works as a career advisor for Katrina evacuees in Louisville.

The authors had heard parts of Angela's and Sam's accounts of the hurricane and its aftermath, and in spring 2006 both agreed to tell their stories more formally. Sam agreed to be interviewed, while Angela preferred to write down her experiences in the quiet and privacy of her home. Each described the experience of the hurricane and being displaced as overpowering. Angela called it "overwhelming, massive, too big to comprehend." Referring to the alienation he felt, Sam said, "I was no longer a short drive from my extended family, i.e., mother, father, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws." What follows are their stories.

In the aftermath of the storm, Sam said, "Levees were breached, flood waters were everywhere, [I was in] a state of emotional loss. I have a sincere love for my hometown—the food, the culture, the music, the visitors, the beautiful architecture—all changed with the hurricane." Angela had also lost her home, but her reflections were different. Her first realization was of "being homeless, vulnerable and totally lost in the figurative and literal sense." They both expressed feelings of alienation and, while Sam was familiar with living in a city, Angela had only lived in rural Louisiana and the city frightened her. "I had lived in a rural setting and now...