Life Goes On: After Katrina

Karen & Ron Thompson

by Karen Brown-Thompson

My name is Karen, and I am a native New Orleanian. My husband Ronald is a native Ashevillian. We met in the United States Marine Corps. After we were discharged from the service, we decided to make a life together in my hometown of New Orleans. I graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana and became a middle school English teacher, and Ronald earned his degree in Computer Science from Delgado Community College in New Orleans.

When Hurricane Katrina hit the city on August 29, school had been in session for only a few days, and my husband had worked only one day at a local hospital. Because he worked with the hospital computer system, he was considered essential personnel, so he stayed to work through the hurricane. Family members of essential personnel were allowed to stay at the hospital, so I joined him there.

During
the hurricane we heard the wind whistle and watched sturdy trees sway
back and forth like flimsy sheets of paper. But inside the hospital, we
had no idea how bad things were elsewhere in the city. Battery-operated
radios, occasionally working cellular telephones, and pay telephones
located throughout hospital were our only connections to the world.

When the
hurricane ended after several long, intense hours, the hospital was
powered by a generator that appeared to be almost as big as a boxcar.
When we walked outside to survey the damage, we saw large trees
uprooted and toppled over like pieces of a domino game, and water was
slowly inching through the flooded streets.

Eventually,
my husband and I left the city in a caravan with the other vehicles.
The first night as refugees we slept at my co-worker’s mother-in-law’s
house in Baton Rouge. We met up with my co-worker at the hospital,
where her mother was a patient. We made the decision to come to
Asheville because everyone in my family had just lost everything and
essentially, we were all in the same situation.

We
arrived in Asheville the Sunday before Labor Day in our two vehicles
and three days of clothing. Two days later, on Tuesday, we hit the
ground running in a search for jobs. My husband started working that
Friday, while every weekday I continued to search for a job. I had a
full tank of gas and maps of Asheville and Hendersonville in tow. After
completing several job applications and getting lost numerous times, I
landed a job.

Three
years ago, my husband and I were walking the streets of New Orleans
surveying the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Today my husband works as
a truck driver for a locally owned business and I work as a caseworker
for Social Services in a local county.

On the
anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I sat glued to the television as
Hurricane Gustav headed toward my home city of New Orleans. I prayed
and hoped my city would be spared, and, thankfully, my city came
through Gustav with far less damage than that wreaked by Hurricane
Katrina.   

We are
truly grateful for everything we have accomplished in these three
years. While New Orleans is and will always be my home, my husband and
I now make our home in Buncombe County. On the third anniversary of
Hurricane Katrina, we purchased a house in Henderson County, and now we
embrace this area as our home. My husband and I consider ourselves
divinely favored, and wish to thank this community for welcoming and
embracing us.