Personal Narrative: Life After Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina, one of the most destructive hurricanes to whirl through the southern states of America in 2005, is probably one of the worst natural disasters of the United States in the 21st century. Damages from the storm were estimated at more than $100 billion . People living in the southern states fled north to reach safety from the storm after hearing about it being a category five hurricane on the news a few mornings before Katrina hit the shore. Authorities were doing what they were supposed to be doing, telling everyone to seek shelter, board up windows, head north and prepare for the storm. Everything in the beginning appeared to be just another

I know I have not seen you in too long, but that is over. I am now the President. As you know, 12 days ago, was the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. If you know not, Confederate Army General, Robert E. Lee surrendered his 28,000 troops to Union Lt. General, Ulysses S Grant after the last battle of the war in the morning. Then, one week ago, John Wilkes Booth murdered Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre. Since I was his Vice President, and he died, I am now the President. I am glad that the war is over and the bloodshed is done. The Surrender at Appomattox filled me with joy. As for the Lincoln assassination, I have mixed views. I have deep sorrows and condolences for Lincoln and his family, for I liked the man and he respected me well. I am also

“Sorry for your loss,” a boy said to me in passing. It was the most insincere apology I had ever heard, but more than ever, I was confused. Yet more of my sixth grade classmates came up to me, some even giggled. “I heard your dad passed away,” another said. I did not realize they were connecting me to Osama Bin Laden’s death the night before on Ma  wy 2, 2011. Looking back however, those insensitive comments were nothing compared to to the internal struggle I would eventually face in “the land of hope, dreams and opportunity”.

Winds from the storm tore down businesses, houses, and levees. “…It brought sustained winds of 100-140 miles per hour and stretched some 400 miles across.” (Slams gulf coast). The storm covered half of Louisiana, all of Mississippi, and half of Alabama. The Eye of the storm entered near the bottom of the state, and started to move north as the storm progressed. “ I had a tree fall through the middle of my house.” (Shields) luckily his house took a very short time to fix and he stayed with a relative until it was ready. Because Hurricane Katrina reached so far and was so strong many other homeowners were left without homes and without much

Hurricane Katrina was devastating. My sister’s husband was a lifeguard when that occurred. He saved a couple lives but felt as if he failed since he couldn’t save more. He is a hero, but feels guilty about all the ones he couldn't save. I couldn’t believe the amount of damage that occurred, how unprepared the local, state and national governments were and the large amount of deaths that took place. I experienced Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey which was truly a scary experience. I can’t even imagine what the people in Katrina had to go though since that was ten times worse.

August 18, 1984, what a gorgeous night to be floating down the bayou of New Orleans. I recently payed my dues for the brand-new boat I purchased three months ago. Working at Sally’s Diner picking up plates of wasted food and wiping the faces of ice cream-loving children is a spine breaking and feet swelling kind of living. Admittedly, I love being the ‘sweet old lady’ everybody gives warm kisses to on the cheek and waves hello and goodbye as the doorbell jingles, but I shouldn’t be waiting tables eight hours a day at age 67.

When so many people were trying to escape from New Orleans, escape this place that tore their lives apart; I was doing all I could to get in; to get into this place that I believed could put all the pieces together for me.

Upon landfall the hurricane had winds up to 111 to 129 miles per hour. In New Orleans, a combination of rain, overturned levees, and damaged drainage canals caused severe flooding. By 9 a.m., many low lying places such as St. Bernard Parish and the Ninth Ward were so flooded that people had to go to their rooftops and attics to stay above the water. In the afternoon, the storm ripped a hole in the roof of the Superdome, putting sheltered victims at risk. At 7 a.m. on August 30 the hurricane downgraded to a tropical storm while passing through Tennessee. The storm was over, but it’s consequences had been severe, about 80% of New Orleans was covered in water, reaching as high as 20 feet. Hurricane Katrina ended up being one of the deadliest and costliest hurricanes of all time. However, after Hurricane Katrina the US saw many kind and heroic acts. The Coast Guard rescued 34,000 people in New Orleans alone. Even everyday citizens showed acts of kindness by helping their friends, neighbors and even strangers during and after the hurricane. Many citizens even drove their private boats around offering food and shelter to people affected by the

while we was on the boat there were snipers shooting at the boat because of fear. At the end of this horrible disaster we where tooken to Texas and we stayed in a shelter for a short period of time anad after it calmed down we went to live in Louisiana but at the end of it all we neveer went back to New Orleans because of the fear of another horrible disaster. My name is Jamie and this disaster helped me and my family know how strong me reall are.. This disaster was terrifying but im thankful we survived with all the doubt that we was going to die but we stayed stronged and believed that we can survive Hurricane Katrina.. Now i know "Nothing can stop

During my trip to Louisiana this weekend, I made plans to meet two of my friends at one of our favorite restaurants. The racial composition of the group was two black individuals and one white individual. We were having lunch and catching up when a white woman who was sitting nearby with her two children came over to ask if my white friend could watch her children while she went to the restroom. She never made eye contact with me or my other black friend and the question seemed solely directed to the white individual of the group.

I always adored the way people of New Orleans admire their city and I never thought I would get the chance to experience it for myself. My family hadn’t taken a trip in a few years, and we really needed a break. My dad and I were brainstorming places to visit and I had always thought it would be amazing to see everything New Orleans has to offer. My dad was a little on the fence about it though, he thought there wouldn’t be much to do as a family since the city is widely known for Bourbon Street which is filled with bars, and Mardi Gras. Once I showed him all the family friendly activities the city has he finally agreed.

There was a category 4 hurricane that hit towns such as Houston and Rockport Texas on friday of August 25, which went on through september 3, 2017. This is one of the worst hurricanes since 2005. This hurricane really affected people on the saturday. On the southwest of Houston a man named Jamie Ellie said he was watching a movie about 1:00am, when a tornado swept through and the doors flew open, he had to take refuge with his family in a bedroom closet. In some towns such as Houston rainfall was estimated to be about 50-60 inches, which is enough to cover signs on the road. When this hurricane swept through towns the roads were completely empty, people had to take shelter immediately. Even if people tried to escape the hurricane after

Their were storm shelters open to these people that had no other option. “It is estimated that around 1.2 million people evacuated the metropolitan New Orleans region and that about 100,000 people remained in New Orleans. Of those remaining, around 10,000 went to the Superdome shelter before the storm”(Hurricane Science). Due to their being so many people left behind, their were also a huge number in deaths from this tragic disaster. “Overall, more than 1,800 people lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Katrina. More than 1,500 death occurred in Louisiana”(Hurricane Science). This huge devastation affected many lives, not only in Louisiana but also Mississippi and Florida. People were shocked at how fast the water was rising and the weather conditions worsening. “Katrina is the third deadliest hurricane in U.S. history. In New Orleans, people were trapped in their houses and on their roofs as the rapidly rising water caught many people by surprise. The flooding and widespread damage from Katrina delayed rescue and aid efforts for days. Besides the death toll, hurricane Katrina left many people homeless as more than 800,000 housing units were destroyed or damaged in the storm”(Hurricane Science). Being one of the deadliest hurricanes in our history, Hurricane Katrina changed many

It was the time my sister and I first got forced on the boat and away from our family in Africa. Three white men put chains around our legs and arms mostly dragging us across the dry sand, leaving cuts on our bare feet and ankles. The ship ride was a long 5 months from Cape Town, Africa to New Orleans, Louisiana.

When I got home later that night, the news was now claiming my neighborhood as an evacuation zone. I didn't believe it. "It'll be fine," I thought "nothing bad will happen here." Apparently, I was the only one that believed that because every person in my development was gone. The storm was scheduled to arrive that next morning and I would be facing it alone. I came to the realization that I was the only person in my county with a functioning brain. Everyone was wasting their time and energy preparing for nothing.