The After Path: A New Beginning

By Rochelle D. Smith

The nights were filled with chaos and the days with sadness. It appeared, as if there was no hope or care. Every rising of the sun brought forth dis spare. our hearts would be filled with grief and pain remembering the wind and the rain. Now, the storm has past yet our home is fading fast. There is no-one to aide us in time of need. Tell me who will help us , help us if they please? A heart that stands still and one that grieves. The children are lost and elderly have all faded yet, others are still wondering how the storm was rated. A 5 or 3 is no longer the concern ,but how will they eat and where will they live. Where will we wander and how shall we live. Unwanted, rejected and not cared for how can we calm our fears. How shall we survive how will we cope, a people cast abroad one with no hope.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jan 15, 2009
• ISBN: 9781440116919

Rochelle D. Smith

This book is not fiction, it is a personal experience and this is why I am qualified to write this book. Secondly, I am not just the writer but, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina. I currently hold a Associate Degree in Computer Technology and Bachelors Degree in Science.

Book preview

This Is Me

I WAS BORN IN THE SPRINGTIME on March 25, 1966, in the birthplace of jazz. That is in New Orleans, Louisiana, one of the oldest cities in America. New Orleans is home to a variety of ethnic groups who speak a variety of languages, primarily English but also French and Spanish. I was born during a very controversial time. Hurricane Betsy arrived in the summer of 1965 and nearly destroyed the city. Also, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Sam Cooke, and Malcolm X all were assassinated around the time of my birth. Maybe this is why I always find myself fighting injustice.

I have a multicultural background, which includes French, Native American, and African. Believe it or not, these nationalities exist on both sides of my family. My mother’s grandfather was from New Guinea and was also African, and his wife was a full-blooded Native American. No one is exactly sure what tribe Grandma Lizza belonged to, but they are quite sure she was of Native American descent. My father’s grandparents were direct descendants of a French couple from a little town called Raceland, Louisiana. So you see, I am as mixed up as a pot of gumbo.

My parents were separated prior to my birth; therefore, I am the product of a single-parent home, but my father did play a very active and supportive role in my life. My life transitioned at a very early age. I delivered my firstborn at the age of sixteen, so I dropped out of high school and continued on through adult education. This is where I obtained my GED. By the time I was twenty-one, I had two children and an associate’s degree in computer technology. Five years later, I received my nursing diploma as an LPN. I worked, prayed, and played in the city of New Orleans up until Katrina arrived. This event changed the course of my life and the lives of my family. I arrived in Texas two weeks following Katrina and began a new and different life.

Before the Storm

BEFORE THE STORM, THE CITY WAS vast and free. The people were filled with hope, joy, and peace. The sound of music flowed from street corner to street corner. Children laughed and played throughout the streets. I lived in a moderate-income neighborhood called gentilly. Gentilly lies within the heart of the city. My greatest desire was to live in Gentilly near the lakefront. After many years of hard work, I finally achieved that task. I am originally from uptown, in the Central City area. Uptown is where I worked, prayed, and played.

I have worked and functioned as an LPN for over fifteen years. My daily routine was to drive my daughter to school uptown, then drop in at Autumn Park which was five minutes away and do six miles around the track, and then work out for one hour at the French Riviera Spa. All this was done in between picking up a twelve-hour shift at the hospital. I primarily worked on the weekend, twelve- and sixteen-hour shifts. But occasionally I would have a weekend or two off. When I did, my best buddy and I would venture off into the French Market and hang out until way after dark. This was one of our favorite spots. I have an old friend who is a streetcar driver. When I got bored, I