Lives Changed.…Hurricane Katrina

As told by survivor: Era Flowers

Written by: Shari Eve Pack

 Unless you have toured the devastation personally, many of you only have a general idea of the level of destruction which occurred during Hurricane Katrina three years ago. During the time when Hurricane Katrina was in the news, most of it was focused on the state of Louisiana and little attention was given to the survivors in Mississippi.  Residents of both states experienced a life-altering event on August 28, 2005.

 This story is being provided by a woman, who with her daughter, endured several hours of sheer terror while the hurricane and flood waters engulfed their homes and nearly took their lives.  

 Era Flowers, had retired to the beautiful, beach community of Pass Christian, in Mississippi just three years before the disaster struck.  She was able to purchase her dream cottage which happened to be on a historical site, and had just completed the remodel only days before the hurricane struck. The cottage was only two blocks from the water, which could be viewed from a certain point on her property.  Era was looking forward to spending her days enjoying her home, visiting local establishments and spending time with her family.

 She was aware of the approaching storm, but Era did not believe that she or her home were in any immediate danger. She was communicating with her family and watching news reports, but didn’t feel it was necessary to evacuate at that point.  When she went to bed, the storm was just gaining strength.  She recalls the sound of the wind and objects as they swept by her house. As time passed, she was becoming increasingly nervous. When she heard a neighbor sounding a horn in an attempt to warn people of the impending danger, Era got out of bed. She packed a few belongings and headed to what she thought was the safety of her daughter’s house in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Terri, Era’s daughter, felt they would be safe at her house. While the women waited out the storm, water began entering her house. They laid some towels down to soak up the moisture. They noticed the rising water in the street when all of a sudden, a wall of water rushed into the house. 

Terri had a beautiful little kitten named Tiggger (spelled Tiggger), who was pretty frightened by all of the commotion. Terri grabbed Tiggger and threw him into a canvas bag and both women climbed on top of a counter. As the water was rising very quickly, Terri placed a barstool on a counter and punched a hole in the ceiling. (Pictured) They were going to climb up into the attic since that appeared the only option for survival. At this point, the water had risen so high that their bodies were submerged up to their chins. Terri was able to climb into the hole she made in the ceiling. She was trying to assist her mother but, Era did not have the strength to make it up into the attic. Both tried not to panic, but that was hard to do when they were trying to avoid drowning while water was rushing in all around them.  

During the chaos, Terri had let go of the bag Tiggger was in and he floated away. She desperately tried to catch him. She swam through the house until she found him on the very top of a bunk bed, soaking wet and petrified with fear. She was forced into leaving him there and swim back to her mother to wait for help. The two held hands while discussing what to do if one of them didn’t make it.

They prayed, talked and discussed scriptures in the bible for several hours.

Ten hours had passed before the water began to recede. Terri was able to come down from the attic. She found her Tiggger cat and scooped him up while neighbors came by to help them out of the house.

Terri was concerned for her grandparents who lived across the river. She decided to wade in what was then 3 feet of water to check on them while Era and Tiggger found shelter.

After everyone was safe and the initial crisis was over, Era returned to her home only to find that the house had been completely destroyed in the hurricane. Since Terri’s house was obviously a total loss, the two women needed to make immediate living arrangements. They decided to stay with family until they could figure out their future.

Era ended up in Florida temporarily and then headed for Houston, Texas. The family was grateful for making it through the ordeal. They couldn’t help but feel a tremendous sense of loss over their pictures, heirlooms and the homes which were all destroyed. They do feel lucky in that they had a place to go, which wasn’t the case with many other families.

Both Era and Terri, have a positive attitude about everything. They regret how the situation was handled by the government and had hoped for a better outcome when it came to helping their state. Nevertheless, they began to rebuild their lives and thank God that the family was safe and healthy.

Though Era was one of the few people that had insurance to cover her home, she chose not to rebuild or stay in the area where her cottage once stood. Terri lost everything and did not have insurance on her home. She is now living with Era and other family members in Houston, Texas.

Their story is not uncommon. Three years later, many survivors of this tragic hurricane are still trying to get their lives back to normal. Fortunately, the community came together, and family and friends have reached out to help those in need.

Hurricane Katrina is rarely mentioned in the media these days. Over the years, some generous private citizens and organizations have stepped up to help survivors rebuild their lives. However, there are thousands of people in Mississippi and Louisiana who didn’t receive the assistance needed to buy or rebuild a home. They are still living in crowded, sub-standard conditions. They lost their friends, family members, neighborhoods, businesses, their homes, and all of their belongings. 

Era wanted to share her Hurricane Katrina experience to keep their struggle alive in our hearts and minds. For anyone who has experienced loss in a flood, fire, earthquake or storm, there is hope and people out there willing to help. American citizens do come together when a tragedy like this, occurs.  We all need to step up to the plate and help each other on an ongoing basis, not just when the tragedy is on the news.

Era’s story has a happy ending and she will be forever grateful that she survived this storm with family and friends intact.

 
 If you would like to help a family trying to restore their home, please look up a local agency on-line or contact survivalmagazineonline.com for information on how you can be a part in the rebuilding.