A Family’s Survival Story: Hurricane Katrina, (Part 2)

Many found they were ill-equipped to handle the aftermath and many of the city’s occupants descended into anarchy, looting, and murder. This is the survival story of Jeremiah Johnson and his family, who lived through the torment of Katrina. Part 1 of his story can be read here.]

Day after day passed by after the hurricane: the days were scorching, and I knew our home had to be as hot as a furnace.  We had left out copious amounts of water and food for the cats, but the house was sealed up with no true ventilation.  The loss of the power supply had left no air conditioning for them in a closed up house in the middle of the summer. They might be trapped and injured, or dead.  There was no way of knowing.

Dangers Lurk Everywhere

 We proceeded to the main boulevard and kept a close eye out for any blockades.  The drug-gangs and street thugs were blocking the roads, and when cars stopped they would remove the occupants and steal the vehicle.  Sometimes worse things would happen.  They had also obtained police uniforms and acted as “checkpoints,” and beaten the unsuspecting motorists to death.  From the road, our building appeared intact.

We turned down a side street and were going to make our way along when I noticed two vehicles about 200 meters to our front pull off to the right side of the road.  Four men exited the vehicles, one sporting a rifle or shotgun, and the road to their front was half blocked off on the left side.  Their vehicles plugged the gap.  They turned and looked at us.  It was a cul-de-sac: I stopped the van and backed up, did a fishtail, and turned the van around 180 degrees. Read More.......