HOME	Covington High School: Katrina 2005

HURRICANE KATRINA

Hurricane Katrina

The Covington High school students started the 2005 school year like every other year. Freshmen were excited to be in high school, Sophomores were excited not to be freshmen, and Juniors were looking forward to being Seniors. Seniors were pumped for their last year in high school. But, what everyone did not know was that this year was going to be one of the most difficult years that many would encounter during high school. On August 26th, 2005 the students were excited about their annual Jamboree, little did they know, this was going to be their last day of school for a month.

At 7:10 a.m. on August 29, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in southern Plaquemines Parish Louisiana, just south of Buras, as a Category 5 hurricane. Maximum winds were estimated near 165 mph to the east of the center. When Katrina hit New Orleans the wind speed was approximately 200 km/h. The storm passed directly through New Orleans, destroying many lighter buildings and causing extensive damage to others.

Hurricane force winds were recorded along an 200km stretch of coastline, with scenes of similar destruction and flooding in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Storm surges from the sea caused flooding several kilometers inland in some places. Experts predict 1 million people in the region could become homeless. An estimated 80 percent of New Orleans was under water. In one neighborhood, water was 20 feet deep.

FEMA Employees

Covington High served as a critical care center for several nursing homes in the Greater New Orleans area. Fema sent doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to help the people in need. Covington High School had lights and power because of generators that were shipped in to keep it's doors open for the people who had to evacuate. Some students came in to help by running errands and serving coffee and snacks. Curtains were hung for privacy. Classrooms were make-shift sleeping quarters for the doctors. One classroom in the business department became the pharmacy.

CHS sustained some damage to it's roof and facility. The damper on the roof blew off and caused leaks in the roof of two computer labs. The baseball fence blew down and later had to be replaced. The National Guard sent people in to help get the school grounds ready for the school to reopen.

The Louisiana Super Dome became an Refuge for Many

Katrina

© By Amy Fisher

What once was a city is now a sea,
A place that had vibrancies and strong energy.

The streets were filled with music and laughter
Until the day it was declared one the nation's worst natural disasters.

What once were businesses and houses and streets
Became graveyard canals where dead bodies would meet.

Houses became islands, rooftops became rafts
While hope and happiness became a thing of the past.

Thousands were hungry and lost and dying
It wasn't just women and children that were crying.

People prayed for death because the suffering was so great
While others sang the declaration of prejudice and hate.

But despite what others claim it to be
I know there are others out there like me

With love in their hearts and the spirit of peace
And the more that we give the more lives we increase.

Let's us not wait for death and despair
To step out of our armor and show that we care.

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