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Making Your Mark during Katrina By Dianne de Las Casas On Saturday, August 27, 2005, my family and I evacuated from New Orleans to Houston. We caravanned to Houston in three cars – my husband and I, our two children, my in-laws, my parents, and my brother and his four young children. An old family friend graciously took us in. For the next day and a half, we were glued to the TV, watching as Hurricane Katrina barreled toward New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. On Monday morning, August 29, 2005, Katrina landed. She made a last-minute easterly turn, narrowly missing New Orleans. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief thinking that our city was spared the worst and we prayed for our neighbors in Mississippi. But we were wrong. The unthinkable happened. The levees breached and New Orleans was flooded. What happened during the week after the storm made history and my family was caught in the middle of it. We had no where to go. We could not go home; we had no jobs; our lives were in a helpless state of limbo. The kids were 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 15 years old. The younger kids wanted desperately to go home. They weren’t in school and they were restless. At home, books were a daily part of our lives. Now, they were a luxury. We needed to conserve our funds for our unsure future. So I began emailing my storytelling and author friends asking for books, crayons, paper – anything that would keep the kids’ minds occupied. Many people answered my call. The children, who lost everything, were excited to open boxes filled with gifts that helped ease the pain of their situation. One of the most precious gifts we received was a package from Peter Reynolds. The Dot was an often-read, treasured book. In fact, my 5 year old loved it so much that she read it to me. Imagine our sheer delight when I opened the package and found two books – The Dot, personally signed for my two daughters and Ish, personally signed for my brother’s four children. Of course, we had story time and afterwards, the kids “ishfully” created dotted artwork. It was great seeing the kids laugh and smile. Katrina has changed our lives forever. My girls and I stayed in Houston for nearly a year while my husband returned to the New Orleans area to rebuild our house. The girls and I recently moved back home. My immediate family has been reunited. My brother and his children remained in Houston. Going through Katrina taught us some valuable lessons. The value of human connection was reinforced. Books can make a difference. Kids need creative self-expression to work through hurt and confusion. But most of all, no matter what your situation is, you can always make your mark. The Dot sits in a prominent place in my office reminding me of that every day. Thank you to Peter Reynolds for making his mark in our lives. Note: Dianne
de Las Casas is an author and award-winning storyteller who makes
her mark by sharing stories with thousands of kids every year. Visit
her website at http://www.storyconnection.net.
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