Girl – Age 10
During Hurricane Katrina I had a bad experience. I stayed! The power went off at 4:30 a.m. and the water started coming in at 9:00 a.m. and by 9:30 we were in the attic. Then we opened all the doors and windows. Then we heard a voice, it was a man who lived on my street. He had a flat aluminum boat and it was 5 feet long. Then we rode to the railroad tracks and we walked to another street into a 2 story house. It was like they just left because there was warm pizza on the table. The house was like rich people lived in it. We were there by 10:10 a.m. That house didn’t get any water in it. By 4:30 p.m. the storm was over so we walked to Mrs. Connie’s sister’s house and got some food. Then we walked back to our house and cleaned up. We slept in Mrs. Connie’s attic. The next morning my Grandma and Grandpa came and hugged us and cried. Then we went over to my other Grandma’s house in Picayune. My house got 7½ feet of water. Now you know my story of Hurricane Katrina.
Girl – Age 10
The Future of My Town and Life after Katrina
Hurricane Katrina affected a lot of people, my family and my life especially. Everything was changed in so many ways. School is different, I lost my friend from rabies, and everyone’s houses are all messed up. But even though all of this is out there somewhere, we still have roofs over our heads and family. I know our town isn’t much, but still we have a few restaurants, Wal-Mart and our neighborhoods. I know it will take years to rebuild, but once our town is the town it used to be it will turn out even better. It will be a nice town to chill out in and shop in little crazy shops. Our town will be better then it ever was. I think everyone will be happy and proud of the work that was accomplished in our town.
Boy – Age 9
This is my story about what I did during Katrina. My family went to Florida and we lived in a campground. We moved back to Mississippi two weeks after the storm. We found a campground in Picayune for four months. We were able to salvage a bunch of things. Our house was a mess. I was scared for a while. Then I got over it. I was scared because we left our four cats. We only found three out of the four. My dad stayed for the storm too! On accident we left our dog Wags. She was only six months old. I found my favorite stuffed animals in my room. Katina was a big shock to me and my family. We hope to never go through a storm like this again. Katrina was very scary. We went to Wal-Mart to get food, drinks, toys and important things. This is what I did for Katrina.
Girl – Age 8
For Katrina I was at my house. Hurricane Katrina hurt our house. It was flat like a pancake really, but I wish I did not stay. I feel really bad about it. It is hard for me. I don’t feel good right now. I wish the hurricane has not come here. I had to stay during the hurricane, it was awful. I had to stay in the attic for 8 hours. I had to sleep because I was sleepy. There was water up there, it was scary. It is not fun, my life is ruined.
Boy – Age 10
Hurricane Katrina affected me and my Boys & Girls Club in a lot of ways. Some of the things are: it destroyed the Boys & Girls Club. As for me, well that is a different story. At first my family and I didn’t plan on leaving. Then when we heard that it is a category 5 storm we immediately started packing. On the way to Hattiesburg I was worried if my house was going to be okay. While we were in Hattiesburg and the lights went out I was so worried. I imagined if it was this bad up here, how bad was it down there. On the way back I was more worried then ever. After everything I saw on TV seeing the devastation would be really hard for me. When I got to my house I was so relived because the damage was minimal. I consider myself one of the lucky ones compared to the people who lost their whole homes. Because of Katrina some people’s whole lives were lost and because of Katrina I will never take anything for granted.
Girl – Age 10
Hurricane Katrina affected my by other people living with me. The people staying with me was my mama’s aunt, uncle and first cousin. About a month later my mama’s boyfriend and his brother and his brother’s girlfriend moved in. The night of the storm my cousin and my cousin’s mom stayed but they were no problem. They stayed a long time. Two weeks before school started my cousin went to Texas to go to school because it was too long to be waiting for school to open back up. When they left my mom’s aunt did the stupidest thing to my mama’s boyfriend. She flashed a flashlight in his face and already knew who he was, asked him who he was and started getting an attitude with him. My mama just laughed but I didn’t think it so very funny. After that she got on my nerves a whole lot. After that my mom got irritated and kicked her out. But being my mama’s predictable aunt, she didn’t go. So my mama didn’t do anything but said they only had until Friday and they had to go plus she said you can take anything you want. That was s stupid mistake. My mama and I went to the store Friday and when we got back all of our food was gone and we didn’t have enough food to last a day. We had went to the store to buy me a jacket and all that time I couldn’t go to the Boys & Girls Club because it was gone. I was very bored at that time. When it opened up I was happy. I wasn’t bored for a long time after that. I am glad that it is opened back up and because I had to watch two little kids at home and the 7 year old was the most worst kid that ever got on my nerves but the baby was ok, but he cried a whole lot.
Girl – Age 10
Hurricane Katrina was a huge storm. It was very bad too. Hurricane Katrina made my life change in so many ways. Some of the ways were I did not have power for three weeks. I also had to go to the north part of Mississippi. My mom and dad had friend who stayed for the hurricane. They check on our house and called my mom. They said the house was ok and my mom started to cry. After we came home we had to stay at our Grandma’s house and my aunt’s house. My Grandma did not have power but my aunt did. We had enough supplies so we tried to give some of our supplies away. When school started the Boys & Girls Club helped a lot. It is a lot better now.
Boy – Age 10
On August 28, 2005 my family left our house and headed for South Carolina. When we got there we arrived at my nanny’s and pop pop’s house. My dad left South Carolina and went back to Mississippi to rebuild our house. Four days after we get to South Carolina we started school. I made new friends when I went there. My best friend is named Casey. One week later we had to rehearse a poem. Some day in October we left to go home. I was really sad. When I got home we picked up debris and I helped my dad fix the roof.
Girl – Age 12
Hurricane Karina had changed a lot. My house was a 2 story, was flooded 5 feet. We have been living upstairs. My school is gone, but we were only there for two weeks. Now we are in trailers in Delisle Elementary. For a long time we had to go in Porti-Pottys. That was gross! I was sad about it for a long time. My friends, school, half-house, town was gone. But the whole thing seems stronger. I was never in the Boys & Girls Club before. People I know who have been there loved it and it was sad it was gone. But now it really isn’t as bad.
Girl – Age 12
Hurricane Katrina affected us and our Boys & Girls Club. My house and my Boys & Girls Club are gone. My school is a bunch of trailers by the school. The Boys & Girls Club is in the cafeteria. I am living in a trailer as big as a room. Every day we have to use Porti-Pottys. I was very sad because I lost my cats. There is like not one house that is in my neighborhood that is livable. City Hall will not let us build back. So my parents bought a house and we will live in it until we can build a house. Most of my friends are in other states.
Girl – Age 11
Hurricane Katrina destroyed our house. It has waves or storm surges about 35 feet of water. We lived in an apartment. We live in my Grandma’s front yard. During Hurricane Katrina we were in my grandma’s house. I woke up because I heard something fall. I woke up all of my cousins we were all scared. During Katrina we saw a lot of trees fall and split in half. One side fell on all the cars and the other side fell on the ground. I live in a FEMA trailer. I hate it. But we have something to live in. I am happy that I am ok.
Girl – Age 12
Hurricane Katrina affected my life in a whole lot of ways. Hurricane Katrina tore down my house. Now I am living in a FEMA trailer. The FEMA trailer is small. I am living in a trailer with my mom, dad, and my nephew who is 1. I am glad we were in a trailer and not in a tent. We’re just now able to move to our trailer on our land by our house. I am happy that we can move our trailers on our land. The trailer we were in now, which is at a trailer park, is the same length but a different width. Another good thing about the trailer on the property is the white leather couch. The hurricane really did some damage to my house.
Boy – Age 13
Hurricane Katrina has affected my life and the Boys & Girls Club Pass Christian Unit in a whole lot of ways. It has affected my life by taking my house and I don’t have anything I used to have such as my old clothes and my scrapbooks. I also lost a lot of pictures of my friends who are no longer here. With the Boys & Girls Club, Katrina took, well, everything except for the frame of the building. Even some of the frame is gone. Hurricane Katrina has also changed my life for the good by also giving me a fresh start and a chance to make my life better.
Girl – Age 12
Hurricane Katrina destroyed my home and separated me and my loved ones and animals. Hurricane Katrina made me and my family live with my grandparents. We got our FEMA trailer January 19, 2006. Hurricane Katrina storm surge flooded my home. Hurricane Katrina destroyed my Boys & Girls Club. Hurricane Katrina left me and millions of other people to have no home. Hurricane Katrina made me lose my friend from Pass Christian. Because Hurricane Katrina has made my family spend a lot of money for a new house. Because of Hurricane Katrina we have gotten to meet a whole lot of people from all over the place like Michigan, North Carolina, and Florida and also talk to some people from Australia.
Boy – Age 10
Hurricane Katrina affected me because I wasn’t able to do half the things I was able to do before. I wasn’t able to drink fresh water for about three weeks. My house didn’t have power for about one week. For almost 8 hours I couldn’t go outside. I couldn’t go swimming after Katrina and that made me mad. The Long Beach Public Library was damaged and that made me mad because I love to read! Hurricane Katrina affected my Boys & Girls Club because they lost their building during the storm. My Boys & Girls Club is at my school and they are running it smoothly. At first it was hard to start off the way it was. I’m not used to being around a lot of people. Once you go to it for a week you start to lose all of your fears and become less timid. I’m sorry that I am coming back into my life, but there are some more things I would like to say. Going to school with Pass Christian Elementary is a good experience and a bad experience. It is good because I get to make new friends and a new teacher. There are many bad experiences like we do things differently than we used to and the classes are larger. My old friends from before the storm barely speak to me anymore. Some people think a kid’s life is better right now because people from different states are donating things. I’d say people just care and want to help! My mom says we need crates for all the donated things. Also, the Boys & Girls Club had great educational programs for the children. When we are good we get awards for our conduct. I know they had a large playground but now it has gotten smaller because they are on school grounds. I have made a lot of new friends. I’d like to have one more, but what I have is about enough!
Boy – Age 10
Hurricane Katrina affected me by having no cable, no phone, no internet, no electricity, no nothing for about 2 months. But the worst part was no cable. I couldn’t watch TV at night when I didn’t have anything to do. All I did was sit in a tent and play with a cat that we found during Hurricane Katrina. I had to sleep in a camper for a while. All day I could play in the trees and make a clubhouse. One day some friends from Colorado came with about 300 gallons of gas because they knew we didn’t have any gas stations open. They cooked diner every night and one night I helped them cook and we saved that dinner for the next night and they said I made it by myself. When they left I went back to playing in the tent with the cat. One night I set up my tent but then my little cousin wanted me to sleep with him and some other relatives in a three room tent. The next night I was going to sleep in my tent but my mom said we were moving back into our house.
Girl – Age 10
Hurricane Katrina affected my life by taking everything we had including our clothes, shoes, one car, one dog, our house, toys, TV, computer, table, shelves, beds, char and other items in our house. Hurricane Katrina winds were over 129 speed of wind. She was so bad the next you looked on TV she was a category 5, now that was scary. Well when we saw her wind and her category we packed up and left. Her winds were so powerful all the trees were blowing left to right and front to back. After all of this devastation we tried to see our house but the police told my family to come back another day. So the next day we went by and my mom was mad so she said, “I’m going to see my house!” After that we went to see our house and it looked bad. We had an enormous tree on our house and we were flooded out. My mom cried because she didn’t like the way the house looked. We went to go see if our dogs were ok, we did and only 2 was alive. One dog died and I was crying. I was sad to see my oldest dog died. But one of my dogs was not there, so we called her and she didn’t come. So we said we would come back the next day. We did and my mom and my dad found her. But my dad could not bring her in the car. So he came back and she was not there and we were still sad. So me and my brothers called my grandfather to pick us up and he did. So, we went to Georgia. It was fun until we went to school. But I had to be happy because education comes first! So, we stayed up there for 2 weeks and came back. After that we came home. After that my dad had a surprise for us and it was my other dog. I was excited that she was home. After weeks we went to my aunt’s property so we could have a lot of space. Weeks went by and finally I was thinking of our trailer and my dad said it was going to come the next day and it didn’t. Days and weeks went by until the trailer. Finally our trailer came and my family was happy. Since August 29, 2005, I still remember what Hurricane Katrina did to my country. Through this day on I stand brave and tall for my country! STAND TALL PASS CHRISTIAN!
Girl – Age 11
Katrina started in the Bahamas. Then it moved up and to the United States of America. It wasn’t supposed to hit Mississippi. But it took an unexpected turn to Mississippi. It happened August 29, 2005. The worst thing happened. It tore down casinos, houses and threw cars in the air. I was at my aunt’s house through the storm and sometime after. The next day after the storm we went to look at our house and the house was gone. Then about seven days after we saw our house we went to the Point in Biloxi. Cars were thrown around and stacked on top of each other. It was horrible. It tore up my school and I had to move back to the Elementary School. My neighborhood was destroyed. It left so many people without family, and houses, and jobs. Then to make it worse, we had to live without TV and water. It made me realize that what I have today could be gone tomorrow. I am thankful that I did not lose my family or friends. Without my family I couldn’t have gotten through the storm. They calmed me down when I got upset. Victims have made friends with people they have never met before.
They brought medicine, food, MRE’s, clothes, and household supplies. These people from other states helped us so much. There was three generations in my family that have experienced storms at least once in their lives. This is my Katrina story. THE END
Boy – Age 8
During Katrina my house was almost destroyed and my dad was not there. My mom and I had to do a lot of work. One thing we had to do was that we had to go to Lowes and wait for three hours.
Girl – Age 8
I go to the D’Iberville Boys & Girls Club. My house in Hurricane Katrina didn’t fall down. My house just got builded up. My bed it was on my window so the glass didn’t break. My other stuff was in my closet except for my desk. My sister’s room was the same. My mommy’s room was different. The closet was full of stuff. Her big hat was in the closet, the hat took all the room.
Boy – Age 10
Katrina was a disaster and it affected my life a lot. At first my mom and dad thought it was a light storm. When it got category five my mom got worried and started packing. I was terrified and I was scared that something was going to happen to my house. I went to Jackson, Mississippi and I stayed at my Grandma’s house. About two weeks after Katrina I went to school in Jackson. They did everything different. Instead of the reading report coming out of the printer the math report was coming. It turned out to be okay. After two more weeks at the other school, I finally got to go home and everything was okay. Though I missed my new friends I still go back to my old friend. This is how Katrina affected my life. ENDING
Boy – Age 11
Katrina affected my life because I had to move. I did not like most of the changes. A lot of things happened to me. My school changed, my house changed, my friends changed and also my family.
During the storm my family retreated to Florida. A big problem happened along the way. We broke down. The police had to come and fix my grandma’s car. Luckily my grandma had a friend nearby and me, Daniel, and my grandma stayed at her friend’s house in Mobile. We had to split with my mom because there was not enough room!
Then my dad came to pick us up. (My mom and dad are divorced, well almost!) After 2 weeks my mom wanted us back. She had went back alone to check everything out. My dad did not want to give us back. He threatened my mom with a gun. (He was on drugs.) My mom was going to come kidnap us back. My dad was going to go to court to take custody of us. His excuse was my mom used bad judgment during the storm leaving us in Mobile. She had no choice!
Our house roof has collapsed and we had to move into a camper. FEMA (after a long time) had brung us a trailer but crashed it. So they brung us a new one but they lost our file and took it back. They now had brung us two small campers. They are smaller than what we have now.
Boy – Age 10
How Katrina affected me is because of the storm I was dislocated. My mom lost her job at the casino. We had to go to my dad’s house for a couple of months. I lost some of my games and stuff. My dad bought some new games. Then we got a condo. We had some fun there. A lot of fun. We ate out like every day.
After the months were over we came back to my mom. We had to live at my great Grandma’s and grandpa’s house. We spent like a month or so. Then we got a trailer.
We live there now. Then my mom got a job at the Imperial Palace. She used to work early, now she works late. We have to stay at the Boys & Girl’s Club. We’ve stayed here since. Well, the End.
Girl – Age 10
When I was hit by the hurricane many things happened, and many things changed. Many of my family died. All of my friends were gone. People say that if you believed in luck your house would still be there, but they were wrong. My house and everything in it was gone. So now we live in a FEMA trailer and we are lucky we are one of those that don’t have to live on the street. Thankfully, me, my mom, my brother and my sister evacuated when we were told to. If we hadn’t all of us would be dead. Thanks to other people that actually care about people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Now that we have settled in a real house, we are happy. Even to this day me and my family help other people who are homeless. We give our old toys and old clothes to people who really need them the most. I even donate money to schools that need to be built back to there original way. So now I am out of donations, but I have helped many people. Thank you Mississippi!
Girl – Age 13
How Hurricane Katrina affected me, I got 4 feet of water. We had ten people in our house. We had five dogs. I was holding my dog named Coco. My mom was throwing my chow out the window. He went down into the water. He was in very big shock. So was my family. We were all crying. We went across the street and we got up on the curb. And my dad said that if the water came up any more that he was going to break into the salon and get all of the kids up on something high. We were watching things fly across our yard. My pawpaw’s shed went sideways and now it is stuck that way. When the storm was slacking down we all got in our cars and went to my aunt’s house. We stayed the night there for 3 or 4 nights. Then we went home and started to clean out the camper. We lived in a camper for 4 months. Now we are back in our house. Nobody I know of died in my family. But half of my family lives in Florida, Vancleave, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana. That is about the Hurricane Katrina in my family.
Girl – Age 10
During the storm we went to my maw maw’s house and stayed. Then my mom saw we got flooded and we started to cry. Then my dogs were left but at least they survived. That night after the storm my mom, dad, and brother went to the house and the next time they went I went with them. And it was horrible and I started to cry. I went in the house so I could help and all my clothes were in my closet and we threw every one away. Then we started to clean more and more. Then we have a horrible life too. Then I never could play with friends anymore. My mom says I have to stay in the yard but then I help clean and the house is starting to look really good and it is almost ready.
Girl – Age 11
Katrina affected me in many ways. Katrina misplaced me from my family, friends and my home. My home received 32 feet of water. I lost my clothes and my most prized possessions. When Katrina hit I had to stay with my aunt in Alabama. Me and some of my friends down the block had a birthday party. And the day after when everyone was still there the news said a tornado was about to strike our town in less than 2 minutes. Everyone grabbed what they could and ran to the basement. I was crying because my mom and aunt were down the street with my brother, sister and 2 baby cousins playing at the park. I called my mom as fast as I could. I said, “Mom, go to the basement hurry please, a tornado is coming.” A week after that we went to our house in Bay St. Louis. When I walked up to my house it looked fine, but when I opened the door it looked as if a blender had been turned on high speed. We had 4 inches of mud all over the house even in storage, move in storage I should say. Now the water I used to swim in in front of my house is now contaminated with who knows what. Then after that me and my family were asking “What Now”. Well lucky my dad works for the city and he talked to some people which did not do us very much good because now we have a 22 foot FEMA camper with 5 people, a dog and a cat living in that tiny little box. I think it is a lot harder for us kids because I don’t know any other kids, but I changed schools 3 times. First, just getting into my old school. Then in Alabama I went to a different school. I was just getting settled in there. Now I’m going to D’Iberville Middle School. I really hope I don’t move again which is slim to none. Well now you know which I’m sure I am leaving out lots, but this is all the main things. This is my afterlife of the big K.
Girl – Age 9
I lost my house in D’Iberville and I lost everything I had before the hurricane and I felt mad and sad when I came back and my family told me I will be alright. I was scared if I stayed during the storm and I went to the Boys & Girls Club before the storm happened and after the storm I cleaned up my yard and I threw my stuff away that I lost in Hurricane Katrina and before the storm I used to have fun at my Boys & Girls Club and I used to do a lot of things nice at the Boys & Girls Club.
Girl – Age 9
During Hurricane Katrina I went to Tupelo. Our house lost some shingles and our yard was really trashy. My Grandma lost her house. She lives in Wiggins now. She lives on a hill so I guess she is doing ok. I am going to see them this weekend. I lost my power during the storm. But it’s on now. I’m helping them clean their yard. My dad”s boss lost the Club he was building. And my other Grandma lost some shingles to. So how did you do during the storm?
Boy – Age 10
Once upon a time there was a boy who went to Mobile. We went to a hotel. When we got to the hotel we check in but we had to stay at the 20th floor at the very top. When the hurricane came by the windows were almost bursting. The lights and the water was gone. The flag poles was hitting the walls. The hotel people told everyone to come on in the lounge and eat food. We played games during the hurricane. They passed around drinks, eggs, Slim Jims, bacon. After the hurricane we went to Biloxi and saw all the trees on people’s houses and there cars. There were houses that were knocked down and roofs that were gone. Cars were in the ocean. The casinos were gone.
Girl – Age 12
How Hurricane Katrina affected me. She first started as a tropical storm by the Bahamas. It first hit the state of Florida. And then it made a sharp turn like the shape of an L. It was a cat 1 when it first hit. In just a few days later it had speeded up to a cat 5. Then it hit Biloxi and D’Iberville. When it hit Florida they thought it was going to hit Texas, but they were wrong. At first the Gulf Coast was so beautiful but now it is a big disaster. When I first moved here I was just 5 years old. I went to Gorenflo School. I went there a half a year for Kindergarten. A whole year for 1, 2, and 3rd. That is when I moved here. I went to D’Iberville for 4 years. And that is when Hurricane Katrina came August 29, 2005. It hit on a Monday at 3:00 am that morning. My mom and I went to McComb before it. My mom’s friends stayed here. While we were in McComb we were so scared. While we were watching the news about Katrina about how high the winds were and other stuff. Well at 3:00 am it hit McComb too. I was still asleep but everyone else wasn’t. When the wind would slow don I would go to my Aunt Bonnie’s house, it is 2 houses from my meme’s house. While we were there the heat was like fire because we had no air for 3 weeks. And while the hurricane was going on the lights went off and on the light pole the wire broke in half because of the lightening. After the hurricane we went for a ride and when we came back I saw a trailer was on fire, so went to look for the people and we told them. And when the phone came back on we got a hold to our friends and they were alive. And when we went home it was a big disaster. I started to cry. I was thinking if when I went to Kids Quest and other stuff. And that is my Katrina story. THE END
Girl – Age 7
Before Hurricane Katrina we had to get ready. We had to pack up to go to Philadelphia Mississippi. That is where my Aunt Mel lives. She has two dogs and a cat. The dogs names are Whoopie and Samson. Whoopie is a teacup chiwawa. After we got to my aunt’s house we went to bed. We stayed for a couple of days. We played with Whoopie if me and my brother Dawson were bored. After the hurricane we rode home. When we got home we had to clean up. After a few days the roof leaked. After that we got it fixed.
Boy – Age 8
Katrina changed my life because it made my family apart. It killed my dog and cat. Katrina has killed many people and spread families apart. It even blew up buildings. Katrina hit in 2005, and now things are fixed. Apartments are fixed, casinos are fixed and trailers have been rebuilt. Me and my family moved into a camper in St. Martin. Katrina killed some of my friends. My dad is in North Carolina. My mom is taking care of us. My dad can’t take us because it is against the law. If he takes us without permission he will go to jail. He can only visit us if he goes to court. If he does he can visit us on Sundays. My mom says he will be able to visit us in a year or two.
Boy – Age 8
Nothing really happened to my Boys & Girls Club but my house got a little messed up. My roof had holes in it. We had to take out all of the furniture. The floor had to be taken out. We had to throw away most of my things. I went to Jackson at my grandma’s house. We had to stay at my grandma’s house for about two and a half months. We had to go to a new school, Pisgah. My cousin Margaret went to that school so she showed us around. We made a whole lot of friends very soon especially the bus driver. During the hurricane we stayed outside and watched it. When we cam home our house looked bare. We bought things to go in it. After a while it looked new. That is my Katrina story.
Girl – Age 10
The afternoon before Katrina I spent the night at my freinds’s house. We were frightened when we heard the rumble of the storm. Her dad took us on the porch. The whole neighborhood was flooded. Then a big oak tree snapped and hit the ground. When the storm calmed down my mom took us to see our house but there was a problem. We couldn’t see our house because the way was flooded. We started to worry. We went to our church to see our grandma and papa. Luckily they were alright. That is how Hurricane Katrina affected my life.
Girl – Age 8
Almost nothing happened to me. Some of my shingles fell off. Oh I went to Arkansas. I got to see my aunts and uncles. It was fun. My cousins were gone. One of them was gone because she was with her church in Florida. The other one is with her dad. I played with my two other younger cousins. One is three and one is five. I was devastated watching the news in Arkansas. My mom would not even let me go to the beach until five months after Katrina hit. I t almost made me cry.
Boy – Age 10
We were just leaving for the hurricane. We went to Florida. I went to Fun Town USA. It was really fun. When we got back our house was flooded. We got a trailer and a rabbit. We got a trampoline. And the hurricane blew it away. I wish I still had a house. There was a big dent in the roof. We had a thirty foot surge. I got a new bike.
Girl – Age 8
During the hurricane I went to Jackson. I stayed at a hotel. I had a friend there. Her name was Kaitlyn. She had an older brother named Zack. He was wired. But she moved. I miss her a lot. But before she left we went to swim. It was nine feet deep. But the hurricane came to Jackson. So we had to go to Tennessee where my uncle lives. We stayed with him. He has a dog named Snoopy. Then I headed back to Mississippi, my house was destroyed by the hurricane. So we got a trailer with my mom and my mom’s dog is named Lucy.
Boy – Age 8
I went to some place, it was a hotel. I went to the beach. There were dolphins and sharks at the beach. I went to the pool. It was very windy. After the storm I went to my friend’s house. Some of the shingles fell off. Then I went to my other friend’s house. It had branches and water. Then I went to my neighborhood. Almost every house was destroyed except mine. My house was just getting built, it was still wood. Then we came back to school. I wanted to learn more stuff and came to the Boys & Girls Club.
Boy – Age 8
When the hurricane hit I stayed in my house and in the middle of the hurricane three trees fell on my house. And after it was over we went outside just to check and we walked around on all the streets and we saw roofs ripped off the houses and the power lines were down on the ground and trees blown over on the streets and trees in the road and I saw a boat under water and a bunch of cars sunk under the water and a whole house flooded with water. And I found some cool rocks in the water and on shore we went past a bunch of houses and when we went back home we went to bed. And after the night I woke up the next morning and my dad was cooking rolls for me. And my friends stayed with me and then the next morning the power came back on and we played. And then I got sick and the next day I felt better and I got to go outside and play. When I came to this school I started to go to the Boys & Girls Club and I met new friends. I was in the second grade and then I went to third grade and I got smarter and smarter by the day. And when I will meet a lot of friends and when I get to college and I will meet new and new and new by the day and I will always remember all of my teachers and my Boys & Girls Club.
Boy – Age 9
I was in Atlanta when the hurricane hit. My grandmother, mom, and my brother and I was on our way to Atlanta when we got there we went straight to bed. The next morning we ate breakfast. When we finished we watched the news. It wasn’t looking good for Mississippi. Everything was blowing everywhere. Stuff was coming apart. I can’t believe my eyes. We stayed until the hurricane was over and when we got back to Mississippi I was shocked everything was a mess when we got to our house. It was okay. A few roof tops fell off. When we went into the house the electricity was out. I had to bring matches downstairs.
Girl – Age 8
On the day of August 28, 2005 my mother and I evacuated for the hurricane. My dad had to stay back because he is part of the military. My mother and I evacuated to my grandma’s house in Marianna, Florida. We stayed at grandma’s house for one week. While at grandma’s house I played the Play station and watched the news about the hurricane. The hurricane hit on August 29, 2005. My mother and I were gone for so long that we left grandma’s, went to a hotel and finally ended up at Eglin Air Force Base. But we only stayed there for two days. Then we came home and I was so happy to see Katrina did not take my house. The neighborhood had a lot of damage. My school was also damaged, they were closed for a month and since the Boys & Girls club is connected to my school, it was closed too. Finally they opened up again. I was so happy that the Boys & Girls Club and my school was open!
Girl – Age 8
During the hurricane I was hoping the Boys & Girls Club was doing fine and not destroyed because I would not go to school and I would not learn anything. We learn new things – games, plays, and active days and other stuff and I would not see my friends at school. And I was watching TV WLOX news there were lots of tornado watches and where I was it was scary during the storm. The wind was very strong and it just made me scared so I went to sleep most of the time. It got hot so we opened the windows to get some air and we played games. I played with a cat. When I got up I saw some pictures of the outside. Then I seen the pictures, it was bad out there. I seen the trees getting ready to break over and fall on the ground and the leaves flying in the air all over the place. Before the hurricane hit when I was on my way to my grandma’s house I saw some cows. We thought they were going to be flying around outside but they were not. We did not see any cows flying. When I went back to school everybody was not there. A lot of people were not there. Some of my friends were gone. That was the sad thing about it. My house is okay, it made it during the hurricane, but I did not know about my family or how they were doing. We could not call people because the power was out. But after the storm I called to see if they were still alive but the best part about it, I am still alive. That’s just good because your family will get upset and cry but it would have been sad if I did die because I would miss my family so much that I would ask God if I could visit them and see them and talk to them because I like them. My family is nice to me; they give me money and all kinds of things. But my family is like my life because I love them so much but not more than God because you should love him more. He died on a cross for us to live on this earth, that how much he loves us and how much you should love him. He never gets mad because he forgives you for everything if you ask him to forgive you. You never beg him because he can read your mind and see though everything so never think you can hide things from him because you can not hide anything from him. He sees everything you do and he will see if you do something bad. You will get a mark in heaven.
Girl – Age 9
Katrina was a killer storm with death and indoor mold. The damaging wind was very harsh and cold. It was almost 12 hours long. Nor did Katrina care at all, cause she was very strong. Its hard to go through a hurricane like this. The moral of this poem is that this hurricane messed up people’s lives. I lost all of my toys and I really miss them. The hurricane damaged homes and that some people died, but some people lived, and some were injured. The thing is I am only 9 years old and that is very scary. Please help me. The End.
Girl – Age 9
I went to my aunt’s house for Hurricane Katrina. It flooded part of my aunt’s house. We watched some movies and they were boring. My aunt lives by the water. There was a trash can in the water. She was glad it was not hers. My uncle’s tool box was in the water. My cousin had to work during the hurricane. We had to use a flashlight a lot of times. When it was time for Boys & Girls Club we had a lot of fun. We played games and talked about all kinds of stuff. We had as much fun as we ever had. We did a lot of work. We had seen a lot of Army people that helped us.
Girl – Age 9
I got a little damage at my apartment. I went somewhere that took a day. I went to Reggie’s. I was happy to see my cousin. I didn’t got damage but my cousin got damage on her house. She lives in it. It got damage at other people’s houses except for me. I was not here, so what happened at my Boys & Girls Clubs?