20 Years After Katrina: Stories of Survival and Strength

When the storm approached, Jiarra was a sophomore at the University of New Orleans and a collegian with Hope Ignites New Orleans. At first, she underestimated the storm, picking up extra shifts at her job at the Ritz Carlton. 

“I didn’t have kids, so I thought, ‘I’ll stay and work,’” Jiarra recalled. “But the next morning I saw the storm was as big as Louisiana, stretching into Texas and Mississippi. I called the hotel and told them I had to leave.” 

She left for Hammond, Louisiana, normally less than an hour drive but this trip took five hours. She joined 50 relatives packed into one house and a trailer where she stayed for a few days before moving again to her brother’s church in Marksville, about three hours northwest of New Orleans. 

She had left New Orleans with little clothing or paperwork. When she heard she could replace IDs and birth certificates in Alexandria, she drove there and finally regained cell service. 

“One of the first messages was from the Hope Ignites Network Headquarters office, checking if I was safe and asking what I needed,” she said. “I told them, ‘I want to finish school. I want to leave.’” 

Jiarra and her houseparents at a school ring ceremony

Hope Ignites found her a spot at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and a dorm room. She could continue her studies at no cost for the semester.   

When she arrived in St. Louis, she had almost nothing. 

“I had maybe one or two outfits. I remember needing towels, and someone from the Network office gave me theirs from their own house. I took a long shower in the dorms.” 

She landed a job at the Ritz Carlton in St. Louis while balancing her studies. Although it was difficult, with Hope Ignites staff checking in, she made the dean’s list that semester. 

“Had they not found me, I would not be a college graduate,” Jiarra said. “I would’ve gone into survival mode and just worked a job. They took that pressure off me, so all I had to do was focus on my education.” 

Image of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

By January, she returned to New Orleans to resume classes. The drive back was haunting. 

“The closer I got to the city, the more you could smell something,” she said. “You could smell death in the air.” 

Jiarra rebuilt her life in New Orleans, working in hospitality, living temporarily in a Marriott hotel, joining a sorority, and finishing her degree. But the wounds of Katrina stayed with her. 

“It became entertainment. I remember being on a Katrina bus tour and correcting the guide over and over. These were real families. People died. The details matter.” 

Now, 20 years later, Jiarra is a wife, mother of three, and owner of her own real estate brokerage firm. But the memories are vivid. 

“It still brings up so much anxiety. Watching documentaries, I relive it all. My mind and body shift back to those moments.” 

Yet Katrina also revealed her resilience. 

“I’ve already been through the worst,” she said. “I made it through.” 

In the late summer of 2005, Michelle Steen was preparing to start her freshman year of high school as a scholar with Hope Ignites New Orleans. 

“I was very shy and introverted, so the thought of starting at a new school and making new friends made me nervous,” Michelle said. 

Two weeks into the school year, Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29. 

Michelle and the other scholars evacuated with Hope Ignites staff to Baton Rouge, where they stayed in an empty Boys Hope home. 

“What stands out most in my memory is the wave of uncertainty and emotions I felt,” she said. “I was just a child then, and I didn’t fully understand the gravity of what was happening until later.” 

The adults worked hard to shield the scholars from the worst of the news. 

“I hadn’t heard from my family for days, and I was scared,” Michelle recalled. “Our house parents didn’t give us too many details about what was happening in the city. They kept our minds busy with activities so we wouldn’t dwell on it.” 

When possible, Hope Ignites staff arranged visits with scholars’ displaced families. Michelle also leaned on her peers. 

“We supported one another. Eventually we started school again at St. Michael the Archangel High School in Baton Rouge. A lot of displaced students ended up there, and we bonded through shared experiences and the longing to return home.” 

In January 2006, Michelle was finally able to return to New Orleans. 

“I was overjoyed,” she said. “Despite all the trauma the city had endured, New Orleans was still our home, and it still felt like home.” 

Nearly 20 years later, Michelle continues to build her life here. She lives in Uptown with her two sons and works as a Classification Specialist at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. 

“I’m proud of how far New Orleans has come—the perseverance and determination of the residents who came back to rebuild and make this city home again,” she said. 

Scholars at Hope Ignites New Orleans and the new home constructed during rebuilding efforts.

Though Jiarra and Michelle were in different stages of life their experiences with Katrina carry the same themes: fear, uncertainty, and loss, but also resilience, faith, and the power of community. 

For both women, Hope Ignites was a safety net and a reminder that even in crisis, their future still mattered and that there were others still there for them. 

Today, their lives stand as a testament to the strength of New Orleans and the enduring spirit of Hope Ignites scholars. 

As Michelle reminds current scholars who are facing hardships: “I want them to know they are not alone and it’s okay to ask for help. Even though your challenges are unique, uncertainty is something we all feel. Knowing others have walked similar paths can give you strength. Your struggles are seen, and you are heard.” 

And Jiarra adds: “Let people help. Don’t be so independent that you can’t receive the help in the blessings that God has put into your life. Allow people to help you in your hard times. You have to ask for it and you also have to receive it.