Coming of Age in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina

An editorial series featuring a few people from the city of New Orleans, uprooted in their formative years. For the first time, these young people are sharing how Katrina has affected them and ultimately, affected their view of their hometown. Everyone’s story is different. You’ve heard it from our parents; now hear it from us. This is for the world—from the eternal youth of New Orleans.

[generationkatrina]

Jessyca Butler - New York, NY

Jean Gordon Elementary School had to be the most diverse school I attended, aside from college. It was a melting pot and I met some lifelong friends there. Jessyca is one of those—from elementary school, to middle school, to high school, and now New York City. Following Katrina, Jessyca moved back to New Orleans and I was in Chicago, but we had a shared interest in wanting to move to New York City to pursue our dreams. Now a decade later, we’re nearly neighbors and she’s my go to New Orleans partner-in-crime. Whether it’s a Saints game viewing or a Soul Rebels concert at Brooklyn Bowl, we’re usually there together.

Describe your Hurricane Katrina experience. What do you remember?

It's funny you asked what I remember because at times it all seems faint and fuzzy. Sometimes it feels it was just a bad dream—that it never really happened.

I recall numerous times trying to put the timeline together of the days leading up to Katrina and the weeks following. I'm like, “Wait, did we stay in Houston 3 days or a week? How long was I out of school again?” The sequence of events is really jumbled because it all happened at once and so quickly. I remember a lot, so I don't know how deep to go here. Most of my family and I had evacuated a day or two before hit the city, so I wasn't physically there when Katrina hit. 

A few days prior, my best friend, Rachel, and I had gotten our hair done that Saturday morning for St. Aug's Jamboree. Outfit laid on the bed. We were ready. But I wouldn't be going to the Jamboree that night because we had to evacuate for the hurricane. We drove to Lafayette and stayed overnight. The next day we arrived in Houston. Once we checked in to the hotel, you could tell by the aimless and almost mindless pacing in the lobby, the other people were from New Orleans. All the adults were glued to the TV watching image after shocking image of what was happening in our city. You know how sometimes you're looking at something but don't really see it? That's kinda how it was. Your mind couldn't digest what it was seeing, what had happened, or what was to come. Cell phone towers were down in New Orleans so you couldn’t dial out or receive calls. No one could reach my grandfather and other family members who rode out the storm. My grandfather and his brother had to be rescued from my aunt's roof. I could literally go on for another five minutes, but what I remember most is prayer and family. 

How did you feel about New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina as a young person growing up there? 

I realize now that growing up in New Orleans isn't like growing up anywhere else. I wouldn't ever want to be from anywhere else in the world. I loved New Orleans then and I love it now, despite its flaws and challenges. 

Where are you now? 

New York City.

How, if at all, have your feelings about New Orleans changed?

I think my love for New Orleans only grows stronger with time. You don't miss what you have until it's gone, right? Since I live away, I miss it constantly—the food, the people, the culture, the spirit of it. No matter how long I live away (and I've been in NYC for over three years now), if someone asks me where I'm from, I will ALWAYS respond, "New Orleans." I will always love my city. In the same breath, it frustrates me that so many talented young people have to leave the place they love to pursue better education, resources, and opportunities.

Has Katrina affected you positively or negatively? Both? 

You'll always wonder what life would have been like had Katrina never happened. But the months post Katrina were some of the most memorable times of my life. To go from being an only child to living with 11 other people in the same household—I cherish those moments and wouldn't trade them for anything. Everyone's Katrina story is different and I may have been one of the "lucky ones." Although I lost my childhood home and almost all of my possessions, I still had my family. We thankfully didn't lose anyone to the storm.

The most annoying thing about it all is that once someone finds out you're from New Orleans, the first thing they ask about is Katrina, even 10 years later. 

Describe New Orleans in one word.

Magical.

[generationkatrina]

Thomas Moore - New Orleans, LA

I honestly can’t put my finger on when or how Thomas and I became such good friends. We were cordial in middle school, but somehow after Hurricane Katrina we became really close. Someone who wasn’t a part of my core inner circle, became someone I talked to regularly. He’s a funny one. We’ve taken vacations together and he’s one of the few people that has visited me New York. He’s also a constant reminder that NOLA will always be a part of me, and having him in my life keeps NOLA in my heart.

Describe your Hurricane Katrina experience. What do you remember?

I remember sitting in the living room of a relative’s house that we evacuated to in New Iberia, and seeing the city drowning. The faces on the television were people that you knew, and my worst fear was that I would see a family member’s body floating in the water or laid to rest on the side of a bridge. At 15 I didn’t fully grasp what was going on or how this would change my life. While I was upset over losing material things and not being around my friends, my parents were crying in the bathroom and car because they understood the bigger picture. Now at 25, I can understand how my parents felt. We left New Orleans thinking we would be returning in a few days, not months. Everything my parents worked for was gone. At that moment we were technically homeless, unemployed, and just down and out on our luck. We were to move into a new house the same weekend Katrina came. My grandparents’ garage was filled with furniture and household items recently purchased for the move. Now it was all gone. How do you start over? How do you explain to your kids that nothing will ever be the same?

From New Iberia I went to Atlanta, GA.  I compare my time in Atlanta to being on exhibit at a zoo. The kids at school always wanted me to say “paper” but would become disappointed when I pronounced it correctly. Being a teenager is awkward enough but being one that people were interested in only because you were the topic of news was worse. After a few months of living in Atlanta the questions died down and the students started to accept me, but I never truly accepted Atlanta. I constantly wanted a piece of home, to be back in my own bed and in the city I knew. Luckily my parents were able to retrieve some items from the second floor of our home that weren’t ruined. You would have thought I was a kid in a candy store how I ripped through the box of clothes. The clothes were comforting to me and brought back memories. Like the Robert Graham jeans and coordinating shirt my grandmother got me for Christmas from Rubensteins. I saved it for Mardi Gras and remember being “bucked up” because Mardi Gras day the mannequin in the window had on the same outfit as me. These clothes reminded me of who I was which was important because I was lost. I was in a new place, with people I didn’t choose to be around and people constantly telling me to adjust.  I always questioned how other evacuees conformed to Atlanta. How could they dress like the kids from Atlanta or use the slang? While some made life long friends, I could only name the individuals who found me on Facebook years later. To me, Atlanta was always just a waiting place; I was hoping any day I would either wake up from this dream or my mother would send me a plane ticket to New Orleans. The plane ticket finally came in May of 2006 but it was to attend my grandfather’s funeral and move back.

My family lived in a trailer for two and a half months until our house was renovated. We moved into our house in September of 2006. The nation thinks that once we moved back our lives continued where we left off and everything was okay, but that’s the problem our nation has ­– a problem occurs and it gets national attention until the next big catastrophe happens. When people ask me about my Katrina experience I give the short version of things because the experience is still on going. Ten years later, we are still living with the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Ten years later I cannot watch a Katrina documentary without thinking, “that could be me lying on side of a bridge dead, body left for someone to claim.” Even sharing this now is a struggle. How do you sum up an experience that changed your life? Made you face a reality that you didn’t want to face? How do you not sound bitter and hurt?

How did you feel about New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina as a young person growing up there? 

I felt a sense of comfort. New Orleans is very big on traditions—it’s something that is embedded in us as a city and as individuals. I still remember the first Mardi Gras after Hurricane Katrina. My school in Atlanta didn’t understand why we needed to miss school to attend Mardi Gras. From the Super Fair at the Superdome, to talent shows or even St. Aug’s Jamboree, I knew growing up these events would always come around and I would attend. Even something as simple as knowing all the breakfast places on my route to school made me feel at peace. I felt that I could go anywhere, and be able to navigate with no problem. It wasn’t until Hurricane Katrina that I realized how much these traditions would be missed. As a youth I don’t think our voices were heard in the rebuilding process. As an adult I can see where the rebuilding process worked in favor of the new New Orleanian. Money and time went into rebuilding the Downtown area and ensuring the French Quarter was preserved. No one cared that the kids didn’t have parks or other recreational activities to participate in. Prior to the storm the youth had places to go and things to do—whether it was a talent show, football game, fair or family friendly event. Now the events are few and far. My siblings will never know what the Super Fair is, or how going to see your friends perform at a talent show or even hanging out with your friends on Canal Street after school is. My greatest fear is that the city loses its sense of tradition.

Where are you now? 

New Orleans, LA in the Gentilly area.

How, if at all, have your feelings about New Orleans changed?

New Orleans is like the boyfriend that you love but always wonder if something better is right around the corner. I have always loved New Orleans, the culture, food, and people are like no other. But I am currently at a point in my life where I want to explore other cities and their culture, food and people.  I feel that at 25 I have experienced everything New Orleans has to offer. I want my relationship with the city to always feel unforced and filled with love but the longer I stay the more resentment I feel. The cost of living in New Orleans has raised drastically since Hurricane Katrina but the employment options have not. Gentrification is at an all time high and the issues facing education have yet to be solved.  I know these issues exist everywhere but when it’s happening in the city you love, you approach it differently.

Has Katrina affected you positively or negatively? Both? 

It was a journey to find the positive in Hurricane Katrina. It’s kind of like a jazz funeral, it starts off real slow and people are somber. That’s how I felt when living in Atlanta and missing my friends and family. I didn’t understand how this could happen to me, and how God would fix this. Then the momentum picks up and you start to shake the bad times. That’s when I found a new normal to live by—I had to accept that change was inevitable and I would have to adapt. Then you start to use your best footwork and really move to the music. That’s when I started to see the positive in Katrina. Maybe this happened to show me that I needed to appreciate everything my family did for me? Or that the individuals I thought were my friends at 15 didn’t have my best interest at heart and I needed to leave them alone? Then the band plays Casanova and the music takes over. That’s just what myself and countless others did, we took back over our lives.  At 15 I was labeled a refugee, and according to the definition I knew that label was incorrect. That is when I learned society will label me, but I have the power to believe in it or not. Then after your song goes off you take a break and get some water to get ready for the next song. That’s where I’m at currently in life. Ten years later I’m ready for the next song to come on.

Describe New Orleans in one word.

F’sho.

[generationkatrina]

Precious Acker - Seattle, WA

I had only learned to love my new home of Chicago after being there for nearly five years. Once acclimated as an adult (and an over 21-year-old), I was happy to hear Precious would be pursuing graduate school in the Windy City. Precious and I went to middle school together, so it was crazy to me that post Katrina we’d be meeting up so far from home. We partied, we talked, and we reminisced. I was able to show her the Chicago I’d grown to love and hoped she’d love it too.

Describe your Hurricane Katrina experience. What do you remember?

I remember packing up for Katrina as if it happened yesterday, as cliché as it sounds, that’s the reality for me. It was the first weekend of my junior year of high school, and it interrupted the big Jamboree football game. Unbeknownst to me, the Jamboree game would not be the only interruption of my junior year.

My family was known as the “scary family”; we would pack our bags at the sign of any storm—a category 3 or above. Prior to the mandatory evacuation and Hurricane Katrina reaching a category 5, my family decided we would travel to Houston, Texas. On August 27, 2005, we packed as little as possible and squeezed into three cars. The traffic was horrific, we were exhausted, and ultimately decided to end our travel in Beaumont, Texas. We had never evacuated for more than four days, so we assumed Katrina would be no different.

We briefly enjoyed our time away, as we always did. Hurricane evacuations always served as a mini vacation, usually stress free. As Katrina neared we huddled up in hotel room and watched the news coverage. We saw nothing unusual—minor flooding, high winds; typical. I went to sleep happy, ready to hit the road the next morning and head back to my home, my friends, and my junior year of high school.

My reality changed the next morning. It was catastrophic, devastating, underwater, displaced—the many descriptive words used to describe what is now known as the horrific Hurricane Katrina aftermath.

My description, “numb.”

How did you feel about New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina as a young person growing up there? 

Prior to Katrina, I was unaware of how distinctively different the city and the people were from other parts of the world. I was unaware of our unique culture—our language, our food, our music, and our spirit. Growing up I did not have in-depth discussions of how I differed from others solely based on my location. I was unaware of how my dialect was a direct correlation with my educational attainment. I was unaware my shot gun home was considered unappealing, and determined my economic status. I was unaware that my beautiful diverse family, were a part of a segregated community.

I was ignorant to perceptions many individuals made of me, and my family, based on my location—my beautiful city New Orleans.

My feelings were pure, very surface. I enjoyed walks to the candy lady, carnival season, second-lines, dancing on the porch with my cousins, and eating crawfish on the lake. I enjoyed my childhood, even though I was unware of the many systematic disparities that existed, and yet still exist.

Where are you now? 

I am currently residing in Seattle, WA. I have been living in PNW for 10 months. Since Katrina, I have lived in seven cities, two out of seven being abroad. Katrina was such a life changing experience; it showed me that nothing is guaranteed. My experience has forced me to no longer take anything for granted. It taught me to take chances, and to be fearless. Katrina has given me the gift of travel, and I am forever thankful.  

How, if at all, have your feelings about New Orleans changed?

My feelings for New Orleans have evolved. New Orleans will always remain my first love; the spirit of NOLA is undying. But like anything you love, you address the challenges as well as the great qualities. There are many economic and social disparities for people of color in New Orleans, mainly being illustrated through gentrification in our neighborhoods and the inequalities in our education system.

My feelings have evolved on how we proactively and effectively address these issues, with solutions of positive change.

Has Katrina affected you positively or negatively? Both? 

Katrina has affected me positively. I am more thoughtful, conscious, and conceptually aware of the world and my place in the world. As a 16-year-old junior, I was numb and my life as I knew it would never be the same. As a 26-year-old, semi-adult, I am thankful. I have persevered many difficult challenges after Katrina, and I know I can get through any “storm” that comes my way.

In the words of Destiny’s Child, “I am a Survivor!”

Describe New Orleans in one word.

Vibrant.

[generationkatrina]

Deveney Marshall - New Orleans, LA

Deveney and I grew up in the church together—the only church I’ve been a member of my whole life. I still visit when I go home, though it has changed a lot over the years. We were on the dance team together, children’s choir, and even the acting group. The one thing my mom does not let fly is me not visiting church when I’m there, and that’s when I usually run into Deveney.

Describe your Hurricane Katrina experience. What do you remember?

My Katrina experience was like most New Orleanians. I remember thinking, “this can’t be real life…I must be having a nightmare.” I couldn’t believe the images that were being flashed on the TV screen. I was blessed to have evacuated with my family, and not have to witness the devastation of Katrina while it was taking place.

From the moment I heard the news that the levees broke, I knew New Orleans would never be the same. My family and I returned home to New Orleans immediately after the government gave us clearance, which was about one month or so later. As soon as we passed the welcome sign, you could feel this overwhelming amount of anguish come over you. I remember pulling up to my driveway, and surprisingly the outside of my home looked as if a hurricane had never taken place, but once we got inside it was an entirely different story. Our home looked as if someone had tossed in the air and pitched it down. Our dining room furniture was at the very end of the hallway, and items that were in our living room were now in our kitchen. The scene quickly became too much, and I can remember running out of the house, just bawling. I felt so numb and cold—a feeling I never want to experience again.

How did you feel about New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina as a young person growing up there? 

Prior to Hurricane Katrina there was just this magical vibe that overflowed throughout the city. Even with all of the chaos that was happening in New Orleans before the storm, there was still this feeling of serenity here that just can’t be described. I wouldn’t trade growing up in New Orleans for anything in the world. The people, the traditions, and the energy it’s one of the most cultured places to be raised.

Where are you now? 

I still live in New Orleans, and I will probably be here to my dying day, which is prayerfully a long time from now! Out of all of the beautiful places I’ve traveled, none of them can compare to here. There is just something so charming about this city.

How, if at all, have your feelings about New Orleans changed?

My feelings about New Orleans haven’t changed whatsoever. I still feel there is a spirit here that can’t be felt anywhere else. New Orleans holds a grand place in my heart, always has and always will.

Has Katrina affected you positively or negatively? Both? 

To this day I still ponder on the grand lesson I was supposed to learn from my Katrina experience. I guess you can say it did both. Being a Katrina survivor taught me to appreciate the little things, and to never take anything for granted. At any given moment your life could drastically change forever. On the other hand, like most New Orleanians, I get awfully anxious during hurricane season. Understandably so though, not any of us ever want to experience another heartache like the one Katrina caused.

Describe New Orleans in one word.

Magical.

[generationkatrina]

Lawrence Parker - Brooklyn, NY

My worlds were colliding. I initially met Lawrence (Law) in New York City at a Saints bar, Bar None, where Saints fanatics and NOLA natives join together to celebrate our team. About a year later, my coworker wanted me to meet a fellow NOLA native, and it was Law. It amazes me that I met him in NYC versus NOLA, but that is how the world works. I admire him because he’s pushing to keep the real essence of New Orleans alive—by any means necessary. When I talk to him I feel like I’m back at home, not over a thousand miles away.

Describe your Hurricane Katrina experience. What do you remember?

I remember being in the Melpomene projects with a few friends and we're all saying Katrina would miss the city. We were in complete denial. I actually had an event at the House of Blues the night before Katrina hit, and it was still being promoted. I would say at about 2PM the day before Katrina hit it was cancelled. Mayor Nagin made it mandatory for everyone to either evacuate or go to a shelter. Then we felt the fear in the air; you could feel the tension. Family members calling asking, “Have you left the city?” Or “Are you at a shelter?” It was very tense. 

How did you feel about New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina as a young person growing up there? 

New Orleans is a special place. Every street, neighborhood, corner store, grocery, and porch has its own story to tell; has its own uniqueness to it, but some of that has been washed away. Most of the people haven't returned. Without the people of New Orleans, New Orleans isn't the same. Before Katrina, at any random time you would hear a horn or a drum beating. Since Katrina, most of that has been stopped or is being controlled by people that aren’t from there; so, it's always a sad feeling going there, walking the street, and reminiscing on what "used to be!" 

Where are you now? 

Now, I'm in New York City. But New Orleans is home. No matter what!

How, if at all, have your feelings about New Orleans changed?

My feelings will never change about my city! No matter what I do, where I go, what I achieve; I'm bringing it back home to New Orleans. It molded me into the person I am today! Now what's happening in New Orleans with the gentrification and the people that ripping our culture apart—that's another discussion! I don't like what's going on. Protect New Orleans! 

Has Katrina affected you positively or negatively? Both? 

It affected me in both ways. I have family still living in New Mexico since Katrina. My great aunt and cousin are buried in New Mexico; imagine that. Katrina ripped families apart. We went from sleeping in the Astrodome in Houston to sleeping in the America Airlines Center in Dallas; then to a high school basketball court. So many people lost their lives, lost their property, and then lost their city. They can't go back! On the other end, Katrina forced me, as well as others, to get out of our comfort zone. We had to adjust and make ends meet. We had to survive and when you have to survive, great things can come from that. I've have met so many great people since Katrina. 

Describe New Orleans in one word. 

Resilient!

[generationkatrina]

Angelique Dyer - New Orleans, LA

I met Angelique when I was in elementary school. I was a student at her mom’s dance school for nearly a decade. Thanks to Twitter and mutual interests in all-things-Beyonce and literature, we’ve been able to keep in contact and I sometimes run into her when I’m home. When I first came up with the idea to share our Hurricane Katrina stories with the world, she was the first person I asked for an honest opinion. She “loved, loved, loved” it, so here we are.

Describe your Hurricane Katrina experience. What do you remember?

One day, I was begging my dad to let me get a box of fish sticks while grocery shopping and the next day, I’m in Spring, Texas at my aunt’s new house, not sure if home was home anymore. We left in the middle of the night on August 28. We brought 4 changes of clothes and important papers, left my dog and my laptop that held all my early stories. I had just started my sophomore year in high school.

August 29 came and went. Then the water came and stayed. I remember watching CNN nonstop, hoping to catch a glimpse of my house or for Ashton Kutcher to pop out and say we’ve all been punk’d. Neither happened.

I spent the next month going to a high school in Houston with people who, while were very nice and welcoming, I didn’t want to see. I wanted to see my friends and my classmates and even the girls at school I didn’t actually like. I just wanted to see the familiar.

I remember telling my dad, “I don’t care what you have to do. I just want to go home.” And the same man who let me buy those fish sticks did what he had to do to get us home. On October 5, we were in the car, headed home – by way of my uncle’s house on the West Bank, another foreign land I was forced to call home.

I thought coming home would make things better. Nope. My great grandmother passed, I was failing Chemistry, I spent my sweet 16 at an Outback Steakhouse and I cried myself to sleep for about six months. My already tense anxiety and depression was on the fritz swirled like hurricane force winds in my head. Needless to say, it was rough. But I was fortunate. I didn’t lose anyone in the storm, I wasn’t in the Superdome, I wasn’t on my roof. But my heart lost a lot of people, and my heart was in the Superdome and my heart was on the roof my house, floating away. That’s what happens when your heart knows exactly where home is.

How did you feel about New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina as a young person growing up there?

I actually didn’t like New Orleans. I always wished I were born in Brooklyn. Not sure why, but I just didn’t like it. I liked Mardi Gras and bounce music and crawfish and Jazz Fest but I never saw myself staying here long. I felt like there was a world out there outside of New Orleans that I needed to see. New Orleans was too small for my 15-year-old dreams.

Where are you now?

I never made it to Brooklyn because New Orleans has a way of keeping you. I live in Gentilly now, working as a social media manager + writer in higher education. It took us four years but my parents are back in our house in New Orleans East and my mom was able to do all the renovations she always wanted to do.

How, if at all, have your feelings about New Orleans changed?

Let’s just say, when you realize you know what it means to miss New Orleans, you finally get it. I never saw the magic in this city and how it had a story in every pothole and sidewalk crack. It wasn’t until I almost lost it all that I realized this city was something that I needed. I needed its spontaneity and beauty and craziness.

Has Katrina affected you positively or negatively? Both?

Both. It was the best and worst thing that ever happened to me.

Describe New Orleans in one word.

Magic.

[generationkatrina]

Kamaria Gboro - New York, NY

I’m starting with my story. I’m now 26-years-old and what I’ve experienced in the past 10 years has been a whirlwind—many highs, many lows, and some losses. New Orleans will always be a huge part of who I am and it has instilled values in me that I’ll carry with me forever. More than anything, that creole twang that everyone hears when I get a little angry, will always remind me of home. And in those moments of anger, I have a reason to smile.

Describe your Hurricane Katrina experience. What do you remember?

I remember leaving my house like we do almost every single time a hurricane is on the horizon. Pack a few clothes, bring the plants inside, remove things from the windows, and leave. My mother and I aren’t the thrill-seeking type. Any time there’s even a murmur of a tropical storm—better yet a Hurricane— we usually leave the city. We waited a bit longer than we usually do this time around. It felt like maybe it wouldn’t be too bad, but the more our then mayor Ray Nagin appeared on WDSU, the more we felt we needed to leave.

My mother is originally from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It’s a quick ride from New Orleans and an easy getaway. We set the alarm and headed to visit my uncle, aunt, and cousin for what we thought would be a couple days. Soon after we made it to Hattiesburg, the city was under a mandatory evacuation. It was starting to sound like the hurricane was coming straight for NOLA and the city began to panic. I remember calling my friends to see what their plans were. We were pretty tight because school started maybe two weeks prior and our social calendars were filled. Some were driving to Atlanta, Shreveport, Houston, and some made a vacation out of it to the places unknown. I spent the day playing with my cousins and talking on the phone. At this point, the hurricane was also set to hit Hattiesburg. The panic was sinking in even from over 100 miles away. We charged our phones and planned (and prayed) for the best.

When Hattiesburg received its version of the hurricane, the power was the first to go. Heavy rain and strong winds snapped the trees surrounding the rural area we were in. It was a little scary, but while checking in with friends NOLA seemed to be experiencing something similar. Not too bad but the city can flood quickly. We thought everything was going to be okay. We went exactly a week without power which at the age of 16 felt like an eternity. Halfway through, things in New Orleans worsened with uncontrollable flooding and the detriment that was the levees breaking. We received these updates from the radio and the bit of power we had left on our phones from charging them in the car. I lived in New Orleans East, on a street that was about 4 blocks from the levee. From what we heard, there was no possible way our house was in good shape. My mom and I took rides around Hattiesburg in her car to get some fresh air, away from family. I was worried, probably a little more scared than worried to be honest. My mother has always been everything to me—it’s always been just me and her for the most part. I started to see her break a bit, which I hadn’t seen since my grandmother died. She didn’t know what to do. We didn’t know what to do. We got to a television to see the news and it was obvious from an aerial view that our house was underwater. All I could offer was “we’ll be okay,” because in my mind we always had been. There was no way we could go back to New Orleans and I didn’t want to start a new life Hattiesburg. I called my dad nonstop, because I had only spoken to him before the hurricane and he told me he had no plans of leaving. He was stubborn, like many in the city. It’s like the boy who cried wolf. There was always going to be a hurricane and it may or may not be that bad.

Me, being a bratty 16-year-old, called my godmother in Chicago and asked her to send for me. She was willing. When I told my mother, she looked at me like I had truly lost my mind. Her response, “Wherever I go, you go.” I sincerely asked my mom to consider us moving to Chicago —starting off fresh. School hadn’t started in Chicago just yet and my godmother assured us we’d have a home if we went there. I was tired of eating BBQ (who knew a deep freezer could keep so much beef, pork, and chicken in good shape for a week), standing in Salvation Army lines, camping out for ice, and sleeping in the heat. I could only imagine how my friends in New Orleans felt.

The next morning my mom asked me if it was really something I wanted to do, and I said yes. I could go to school, we could have a new start, she could find a job, and we could in some ways, escape our reality. Hours later, we were in her car all packed and ready for a 12-hour drive to Chicago.

I can never put into words how thankful I am for my mom. Oftentimes she thought about me before herself, and this particular time she was willing to change everything for me. I mean everything. I could’ve gone to school in Hattiesburg, she could’ve been closer to home to rebuild, and we could’ve eventually moved back. Of course I didn’t understand the enormity of what was happening and I’m sure my uncle thought we were crazy, but we did it, and it may have been the best decision we ever made.

It took me a long time to adjust. Chicago is a big city compared to New Orleans and very different. I was introduced as the Katrina girl and I hated it. I hated the people, hated the food, and hated my school. Everyday I reminded myself “this is what I asked for.”

I didn’t notice how New Orleans I was until I left and in moving I felt like I lost a lot of it, which in turn means a lost a big part of me.

How did you feel about New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina as a young person growing up there? 

New Orleans was all I ever knew. I loved it—thought it was the best city in the world. I didn’t grow to appreciate all that New Orleans had to offer until I was an adult and saw how much other people appreciated it more than me and all the great things the city has to offer aside from the best people, best food, music and culture. New Orleans is a magical place. Period.

Where are you now? 

I live in New York, which as a kid I never even dreamed of. I watched the Today Show every morning and never in a million years thought I could even get close to it. Chicago introduced me to a much bigger world. I wanted to explore more. Live more places. Being from New Orleans (which people from other towns I’m sure can relate) there’s this loyalty where you never have a desire to leave. Being “loyal to the soil” is a real thing and I see it happen everyday. If wasn’t forced to leave, I don’t think I ever would have.

How, if at all, have your feelings about New Orleans changed?

New Orleans will always be a great place, but every time I go home, I feel like the city has lost a bit of itself—and it may be because of people like me who never went back to build the city up. My mother moved back, so it is my home base technically but statistics show a lot of people never returned. Maybe we could’ve stopped the gentrification? (Probably not) Built the businesses we wanted? Saved our schools? Stopped the appropriation of our culture? Unfortunately, we’ll never know.

Has Katrina affected you positively or negatively? Both? 

I think it’s a combination of both. I am much stronger from it, for sure. In moving I met a lot of great people and have had some amazing experiences.

I think more than anything it hurt my relationships and friendships. At 16, it’s hard to keep the conversation going across state lines, or it was for me. I was one of two of my friends who never moved back to the city to finish high school and I think it caused some friction between us, which is a hard pill to swallow. I felt like a traitor, and I internalized that my friends felt that way about me too. 99% of the people around me in New Orleans didn’t understand why I left and had no plans of returning.

Describe New Orleans in one word.

Home.