On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina—the costliest hurricane 
ever to hit the United States—monopolized headlines, thoughts, 
and hearts across the country as lives were forever changed, some 
erased. This book not only chronicles the devastation of that storm 
but also immortalizes through words and photographs some of the 
tales of personal tragedy associated with it, while celebrating the 
resilience of the human spirit, as communities come together and 
begin to rebuild.

    "We are dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in our 
nation's history. . . . This is going to be a difficult road. The 
challenges that we face on the ground are unprecedented. But 
there's no doubt in my mind we're going to succeed. Right now 
the days seem awfully dark for those affected—I understand that. 
But I'm confident that, with time, you can get your life back in 
order, new communities will flourish . . . and America will be a 
stronger place for it. The country stands with you. We'll do all in 
our power to help you. May God bless you."—President George 
W. Bush

_________________________________________________________

THE EDITORS OF THIS BOOK were all members of Dr. Paul 
Ruffin's Editing and Publishing class at Sam Houston State 
University during the fall of 2006. They wrote the text of the book 
and provided most of the pictures.