“I was born here and then we moved away for a few years and then we came back. So when we came back I was 8, so that would be 45 years.

Where did you stay during Hurricane Katrina?

“We stayed at Uncle Greg’s mom’s house -- Grandma Elaine’s house, in Bush, Louisiana. It’s across Lake Pontchartrain.”

Around how many days/weeks later did you return to your home?

“It was about 6 weeks before we could get back in. It was a long time.”

If you had to describe Hurricane Katrina in one word, what would it be?

“Scary.”

How did your professional life change?

“Uncle Greg and I were both very strongly impacted. We had both been working for a company that, not long before Hurricane Katrina hit, they were closing our local office. Then came Hurricane Katrina, and they kept us on basically through that, but closed us down afterwards. So we both had to find new jobs. Uncle Greg was able to stay within the computer programming industry but I changed gears completely and ended up doing some really interesting GIS work with mapping and that kind of stuff. And then I shifted gears from that even and got into Elevation Grants and raising houses. It was a big change for me, careerwise, after Katrina. A totally different industry than what I was used to.”

Has it been a positive change?

“Yes, very much so. I miss the old work, but what I do now is very interesting and I really enjoy it. I feel like I’m making a difference, helping people not flood anymore. 

What was the general mood in the city during the year following the hurricane?

“Just from my perspective, the general mood was depression. People were depressed. There was so much devastation. But somehow, at the same time, it was hopeful. Everybody just knew we were gonna come back. The city was going to bounce back. It was a weird mix of depression and hopefulness.”

What is the current general mood of the city?

“I would say it’s still hopeful. Most things have come back but there are still some areas that are still depressed, that have not fully recovered even 13 years later. Some areas are still struggling. But I think generally, it’s very positive. The city has rebounded very well.”

Where have you seen hope and resiliency present in New Orleans?

“Pretty much everywhere, even the places that have not come back. There’s hope that they will come back. There’s hope in the city. People have rebuilt their homes, their businesses. We’ve got new businesses all the time. So in all aspects, primarily New Orleans as a tourist city, so I’d say our resilience has manifested in the tourism industry. We are still attracting huge conferences, business conferences, concerts and festivals, and just general people coming for vacation. I think our economy has been very resilient in that aspect.”