Hurricane Katrina, five years later: a New Orleans teen on what she and her city lost--and gained.

• Author: Thomas, Monique
• Position: VOICES - Essay

BY MONIQUE THOMAS, 19

Yes, we stayed. With Hurricane Katrina approaching on Aug. 29, 2005, my family--like so many others in New Orleans who had safety weathered a lifetime of the city's hurricanes--believed we could ride this one out.

When the storm hit, it proved to be the worst--and costliest--natural disaster in U.S. history. The city's levees broke, flooding 80 percent of New Orleans. About 1,500 city residents died--some drowned in their homes, others were crushed by collapsing buildings. The city suffered billions of dollars in damage, and more than 800,000 Gulf Coast residents were displaced because their homes were damaged or destroyed.

We fared better than many because we rode out the storm at my dad's office Uptown, an area that didn't get much flooding. But my family's home, in New Orleans East, was submerged in four feet of water, and toxic mold, which thrives in the summer heat, destroyed nearly everything we owned.

Three days after Katrina hit, my family headed to Dallas. At first, we hopped from one hotel room to another. After a few months, my dad's company set up shop in Dallas and provided us with housing.

But my morn, who worked for the New Orleans Sewage and Water Board, had to follow her job to Baton Rouge, Louisiana--nine hours from Dallas. She visited on weekends, but it was hard being without her so much.

Resuming my freshman year of high school in Dallas was hard too. I had lost all my possessions, and my family and friends were all across the country. My new classmates had been untouched by Katrina, and I couldn't relate to them.

After ten months, we returned to New Orleans. The city's mood was somber, but I was glad to be back, surrounded by familiar people and places, and eager to start my sophomore year back at my old school. While our home was being rebuilt, my family lived in a FEMA*...