Twenty years ago, many lives were shattered as the city of New Orleans was hit by Hurricane Katrina. This catastrophic event remains one of the most devastating storms in American history. Nearly 1,400 people died and many thousands had their lives turned upside down in the aftermath. David and I happened to be in New Orleans just before the hurricane hit and just barely got out in time. That trip, and what followed, changed our lives in so many ways.
Hurricane Katrina
20 Years Ago…
I’ve shared our story a number of times so I won’t go into detail here again. But in short, we came very close to getting caught in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. My birthday is August 27th and the mayor declared a mandatory evacuation that day. Our flight was Sunday morning and since there wasn’t much else we could do, we attended a Hurricane party on Bourbon Street Saturday night.
We flew out a little before noon on Sunday, August 28th on one of the last flights out of the city. And then Katrina landed early the next morning. We got up early to start watching the news coverage with ever-increasing horror at what we were seeing.
I’ve loved New Orleans since my first visit for our honeymoon in 1981. But I feel certain that our experience with Katrina gave us a connection to the city that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
We returned to New Orleans 6 or 7 months after the storm. The city was obviously struggling and tourists were scarce. It was sad and encouraging in about equal measure. We attended an Easter church service that I’ll never forget. We sat in folding chairs because the pews had to be sent off to be refinished due to water damage. There was electricity in the church but most of the neighborhood around it was still without.
It was the first service back in the sanctuary following the storm and the joy was palpable. And let me just say, if you’ve never sung Amazing Grace along with a pipe organ and jazz ensemble, you’ve missed something magical.
In the two decades since Katrina, we’ve visited New Orleans dozens of times. For many years, we went twice a year, usually staying 10 or 11 days each time. We have made many dear friends over the years and the city feels like our home-away-from-home.
There are many lessons to be learned from what happened in New Orleans and along the Gulf coast. I’m not qualified to fully address the issues of wetland destruction or government incompetence. Although I do have opinions. 😉
What I *DO* know, however, is that New Orleans is a city worth protecting. The history, culture and people are a unique treasure. David and I have been changed by the city and I’ll be forever grateful for the lessons it has taught us.
Articles:
Spike Lee’s “Come Hell and High Water’ Shows Katrina’s Lingering Damage (gift article)
Hurricane Katrina forced changes at FEMA. Trump is rolling them back
It was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history: Have we forgotten Katrina’s lessons?
What made Hurricane Katrina a catastrophe, and why its horrors linger 20 years later (gift article)
Books:
Note: Many of us are doing our best to avoid purchasing from Amazon and a number of other large corporations, for a variety of reasons. I recommend purchasing books from local book stores if you have them in your area. If not, Bookshop.org is a great option. I have linked to Bookshop.org for each of the following books with the Amazon link below.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Coast by Douglas Brinkley
1 Dead in Attic: Post Katrina Stories by Chris Rose
Documentaries:
Katrina: Come Hell and High Water (Netflix)
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time (National Geographic)
Trouble the Water (Amazon – DVD)
Television Series:
Tremé (complete series on Blu-ray)
It is currently available for streaming on HBO Max.
Previous New Orleans posts:
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