Every year since Hurricane Katrina, on this day, I’m never okay. I’m always uneasy. This day touches me so hard cause my family really did what we had to do. We took the neighbors boat once the water started to rise, and we had to get into the top window of Jesuit from outside.

Mind you it’s bout 20 of us. Once Jesuit became unfit for us, low supply in food and water, (my momma has 4 girls and 1 boy) my mother took the boat and we left. Tears rolling down her eyes, She didn’t know where we would go, we just had to go. Also the boat wasn’t working

Which is why the neighbors didn’t take it before they left. So my mother and brother had to walk in 10-15 ft of water, well really swim and guide a boat that can only fit me and my sisters. We on Carrollton, not knowing where we was going, my momma decided to go to the super dome

As we on canal walking down, there was a family in another boat crying hard ass tears, and as they passed us, they’re screaming don’t go to the super dome because there’s people dying, girls getting raped, etc. my momma bursts out into tears because I can see in her eyes that

She’s losing hope. She didn’t know what else to do. I can tell. I was young at the time but I felt every emotion, I felt the pain of my momma, I knew the situation we were in was dangerous. So we turned around with no hopes of where we were going. We seen dead bodies floating

My mother seen alligators in the water, there was extension cords in the water still hooked to power lines, it was hard af trynna maneuver in 10-15ft water with all this shit around you. But we had to. And then the most terrifying thing happened. I never seen my mother so scared

As we walking back down towards Carrollton, headed towards Carrollton and Tulane, my brother trips on something and disappeared. In some dark ass water, with so much shit under us, my brother disappeared. You can’t see nothing, so all you can do is motion with your hands

By the grace of God, he came back to the top hysterical. We were all crying and all my momma can do was cry and hold him. He was okay. He said he tripped on the neutral ground. So as much as we were scared, we had to keep moving. My mother and brother were tired, I can tell.

It was dirty ass water, infested with lord knows what. It was freezing cold water and there’s tons of stuff floating around. As we’re on Tulane and Carrollton, around that way, there was a hotel that had people standing on the balcony. Every time til this day when I see that

Hotel (yes they’re still in business) I get emotional. Because that hotel saved our lives. The people on that balcony, seen how scared we all looked, and asked if we wanted to come up, and how they had more free rooms. There’s no power in New Orleans. No water on. Just the city.

So they told us we had to ditch the boat because the only way up is the stairs in the parking lot, which was under the hotel, which was flooded. So we had to go under the water a little bit to get to the stairs. I had to get on my brother neck and my other sister got on my momma

Neck and my two other sisters knew how to swim a little bit, so they held hands. We got into the hotel and there was families everywhere. From the outside you can’t see much, but from the middle of the hotel, you see everything.

Fast forward to that night, we got a room and took baths (by baths I mean wiped off our bodies with jugs of water and soap the people gave us). My mother couldn’t sleep cause she’s very protective of us. And my brother didn’t sleep because he’s just as protective as the oldest

We all couldn’t sleep. But as I was dozing off, I never seen so many shooting stars in my life. It’s like God was speaking to us to tell us everything was gonna be alright. I made a wish for every star, and that was for God to watch over New Orleans. I had hope.

We stayed there about 2 days I think. In between that time, some dudes in the hotel, including my brother, had to take a boat that the other people had and go looking for food and water and so much other necessities. How they got it? We all know, but as long as they got it

Fast forward to that 3rd day, my momma woke us up that morning, telling us we have to hurry and get ready. Saying that the hotel was being evacuated by the Army. And that we had to meet them by the bridge right there by the Nike factory. We had to get to the boat from

The balcony. Eventually the entire hotel evacuated. Some people stayed because they were too sick to move. May God rest their souls . But we all eventually made it to the bridge and got evacuated to the airport to be sent to Texas.

Hurricane Katrina was a crazy ride but we made it. We made it out by the Grace of God and an amazing ass mother and a amazing ass brother, and them amazing ass people on that balcony. We made it. And we’re here. New Orleans has a piece of my soul.

#HurricaneKatrina