My Personal Journey with Hurricane Katrina- Remembering Slidell, Louisiana

Ten years ago, I was in Louisiana after the devastating Hurricane Katrina hit  the Gulf Coast.   Katrina was the most destructive storm to strike the United States and the costliest hurricane of all time causing $108 billion in damage..  An estimated 1836 lives were lost with most deaths occurring in Louisiana.  Millions were left homeless along the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans.   As we listen to the news on the 10th anniversary of this historic storm making landfall, the media is still focusing on New Orleans and once again forgetting about other cities and towns that were equally hammered/destroyed as the Big Easy.”

Slidell, Louisiana was one of those places. It was battered and splattered by Hurricane Katrina.  

Imagine standing at the edge of Lake Pontchartrain which separates Slidell and New Orleans when a storm surge wells up to 16 feet and wipes out whatever is in its path. Katrina obliterated homes as if they were match sticks strewn everywhere.   Homes completely wiped off their foundations. Boats plunged into the sides of homes. Clothes, toys and so much more hung up in trees as the wind whipped whatever it touched and dumped  wherever it saw fit.  It was  a month later that I found myself standing on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain imagining this exact scene as I stared in eerie silence into the still, blue body of water against the landscape that was forever changed by utter destruction. I made this trip to help the animals and to tell their story.  What I got in return was beyond what I could have imagined and could never forget.

Driving 16 1/2 hours straight  from fall-like temperatures in Pennsylvania to feeling the blast of blistering hot, humid air in Slidell paled in comparison to hearing the thousands of dogs barking in an old warehouse building used as a makeshift shelter run by Noah’s Wish.

The eye-opening sounds paralyzed me.  Hearing the helpless barking of homeless dogs overpowered my emotions as I stood with tears welling up within me.  It wasn’t only dogs who were now homeless, but almost every type of pet you can think of was not only inside the warehouse but in their “tent cities” set up behind the makeshift shelter

I registered and was given a tour by the president of Noah’s Wish.  The sea of tents seemed to be never-ending with different types of dogs separated from others.  I had never seen so many pets in one place.  Pets that were saved from flooded homes and pets that survived the wicked winds of the hurricane and others who were dropped off by their owners before they left for safer ground – all now had a new place to call home. Noah’s Wish also found bodies of animals that died due to Katrina.

I then worked.  A system was in place to take care of the nearly 2,000 animals they took in.  It was an effective, strategic plan that worked like a well-oiled machine.  I met volunteers from every state and Canada.  Some just showed up not knowing what they were going to do but knew they had to help in some way.  Their love and generosity shown through as I spoke with them.  Word had gotten out  I was doing a story and volunteers would find me to share their own stories.   Not to gain attention for themselves but for the animals. Always for the animals.

The temps were in the 100’s every day I was there with the humidity making it beyond sweltering.  Each night after being transported back to the condemned hotel in which we were staying, I had a choice of waiting in a long line to get a shower or eat.  I ate snacks and worked.  While others relaxed on their air mattresses in the crowded ballroom, I was out in the lobby or outside calling in my story to the newspaper every day. I was calling back to the radio station to give an update.  The local television station was also covering my trip.  I was also working on my story for the shelter for whom I worked.  I would get a few hours of unsettling sleep each night.  I’d wake up around 4 when all was quiet,  wash up in the sink, put on my hat and be ready for the bus to pick us up before 7.  Even at 6:45 AM, the heat and humidity were oppressive.

I worked in several areas of the “operation.” I walked the dogs which they did twice a day.  I helped in the tent cities.  I worked in the triage area which was quite an experience for me.  There were animals that required immediate medical assistance.  I’ve never aimed to be a doctor or nurse but II found myself doing such things as it was needed asap!  You do what had to be done. We were always under the supervision and guidance of experienced workers.  These women and men who were in charge of the thousands of animals and volunteers did an incredible job of keeping order and educating us on the spot.

I also was involved in reuniting a few pets with their owners.  NBC was doing a story on Noah’s Wish and attempting to capture a reunion on camera.  I was in the makeshift shelter as the camera panned in my direction.  Not getting a shower for days on end  I certainly didn’t want to be on camera. So, I ducked whenever the cameraman shot in my general direction. I was a sweaty mess with frizzy hair. I guess I shouldn’t have allowed vanity to stand in the way of the news but I was genuinely a hot mess or so I thought.    NBC waited all day for a pet to be brought together with his/her owner.  It didn’t occur much but it did happen except the cameraman wasn’t there to capture that exact, wonderful moment.   So what did they do?  They had to re enact the event.  That’s television for you!

I am happy to say I was part of a few reunions.  A tall, lanky blonde was looking for her three dogs. I found two of them for her.  The feeling was exhilarating and electric because it didn’t occur much.  Her third dog wasn’t there.  She was going to search at other places.  While she was ecstatic to have her two dogs, I could tell how disappointed she was the last one wasn’t there.  I told her not to give up hope.

Then there was this burly man who lived in his truck since the Hurricane.  He was left homeless and so were his three, large  dogs.  He slept in his truck around the corner from the makeshift shelter. Every morning and evening he was there to walk his dogs and to be with them until he was able to secure a FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)  trailer.  He was not going to leave his dogs.  I admired this man so much.  His welfare came second to his dogs.  I only wish more people would think of their pets as family members in general as this dedicated man was to his dogs.

Every day was long and strenuous. You started early and worked late.  I barely slept while I was there.  We were in the same condemned hotel as the construction workers who were rebuilding the Twin Span Bridge -I 10 freeway – that connected Slidell to New Orleans. The original bridge had been repaired and reinforced in different sections to allow traffic to flow again.  Before Katrina, 55,000 daily commuters drove across this freeway.  A city worker who took me on my first tour of Sidelll refused to drive across it to show me New Orleans. He didn’t trust the integrity of the then-misaligned and broken bridge.  Others drove on it but I respected his decision.

It was when this grateful, baseball-cap wearing city worker drove me to parts of Sidell that finally allowed me to see the calamitous and cataclysmic destruction left behind by Hurricane Katrina.  The closer we got to Lake Pontchartrain, the more disturbed, silent and still I became. The enormity of the annihilation of this city was so rampant, I felt beaten down.  It mirrored a third-world country.  It was void of people as the abandoned homes and businesses lay torn apart or the disseminated scenes of widespread splintered wood which were once someone’s home or favorite local restaurant were now all that was remaining.  All and everything was now in ruins.

At the “shelter,”  I met this very well-mannered and gracious resident of Slidell, a woman in her 60’s,  who told me about her friend who lived down the road from the Lake.  She said he refused to leave his home.  She implored him to get out of there!  He refused.  Why? I don’t know and I believe this woman couldn’t make sense of his decision either. She was on the phone with him when the surge hit.  The phone went dead.  His life was lost ten years ago today.  Despite the loss of her friend, this woman who didn’t have pets came to the shelter to help and talk to the volunteers.  She wanted the volunteers to know how thankful she was for the outpouring of help from those who traveled far and wide to be there to help out their city.

The city worker who had given me a tour of Slidell was also intensely grateful for all those who helped out in any capacity.  He stopped by the shelter every day.  He lost his home when a tree smashed into his house essentially breaking it in half and filling up with mud.  His wife and mother went to live in another state while he stayed in Slidell.  He had an obligation to the city and its people.  A day didn’t pass that he didn’t thank people for being there.  This man who was now homeless lived in the basement of a church.  He needed help but was always there helping others.

During our driving tour,  I kept seeing cryptic markings on each home.  Some contained X’s, numbers and letters.  I knew some had to identify if anyone had died or survived.  Home after home spray-painted with these codes only drilled home a narrative of emotionally-charged and visually- compelling images which would never be forgotten by all who saw them.

© Stewart Harvey, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 2006. Codes are marked on the collapsed roof of this demolished house.

As my last night at the shelter was coming to an end,  the adrenaline that had been rushing through my veins gave way to a complete depletion of energy.  That night the city of Slidell wanted to reach out to their residents by putting on a show to lift their spirits.  The event took place behind the “tent cities” where I found myself eating my first real meal that Cracker Barrel delivered to Noah’s Wish volunteers.  I sat there with Penny, the sweetest black dog who was a mixture of pit bull terrier and perhaps black lab with whom I bonded and loved.  I relaxed on a log as Penny sat next to me.  We listened to the music as she and I were playing. I didn’t want to leave Penny there.

Volunteers were welcomed to take pets back home since most pets were not reunited with their owners .  I did give it serious thought.  I had two dogs.  Would it work out? What if it didn’t?  There wasn’t room in the vehicle for her to travel nearly 17 hours.  I watched as others took numerous pets with them.  I gave Penny the biggest hug and kiss and told her I will always love her.  It was painful to say good bye to all the animals. I literally visited every single pet to say good bye and wish each the best. That’s who I am.  Penny was last on the list.  Penny did find a home but I’ve never forgotten her big brown eyes staring into mine especially that last night.

After Katrina, Noah’s Wish promised to build a new shelter for Slidell and implement mandatory spaying and neutering.  Almost every male dog was intact.  It took a few years but a new shelter was finally built in 2008.

Slidell, Louisiana was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina but their community did not give up.  While New Orleans is receiving the most media attention on this 10 year anniversary,  Slidell is holding their own Remembrance ceremony tonight.  They are honoring first responders,  charitable organizations and faith-based groups who went there to aid in their post-Katrina recovery.  I wish I could be there.  I would love to see their new animal shelter and their community alive without those vivid memories etched in my mind.

The animals are what caused me to travel down South.  My heart has always gone out to them.  Because of these homeless animals, i had the privilege to meet people who in their weakest moments made the most heartfelt impressions on me.  It was the unselfishness of the people and the undeniable love from the animals and vica versa that made this trip emerge into a journey of the magnitude I will never and can never forget. I celebrate with them this evening in remembering Katrina.  My heart is with all of them in spirit.

I hope you will take the time to view the following video in remembering Slidell, Louisiana.. You can skip to the 6:25 mark to see the devastation I saw firsthand.  These are only some of the vivid and graphic images I saw.  This is what you didn’t see on the news but should have.  I hope you will now remember the animals and people of Slidell.

Have a story, please email me at tevangelistaepp@yahoo. Like my tv page at https://www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookAtAnimalWelfareIssues.