Lessons from Katrina

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The journey for me started out with a desperate call for volunteers on the nightly news the day the buses started transporting New Orleans residents displaced by Katrina to the Houston Reliant Center/Astrodome. I was stunned, shocked, and moved by the incredible stories that were being told. As a Louisiana native and a frequent visitor to New Orleans, I recognized the flooded sites, the neighborhoods with water up to the rooftops, and the tragedy of levee breaks. The news report moved me to get out of bed and drive down to see what I could do to help. During the next 17 days, I would learn a great deal about the impact of Katrina on real people, my friends, community, and myself, my early childhood colleagues and the larger early childhood community, our human capacity to help, and much more about disaster relief work. So, what were the lessons of ...