Ellington

For Nafeesa McCoy, a 24-year-old mother and Katrina refugee, the choice was simple: Leave New Orleans or die.

On Aug. 28, the night before Hurricane Katrina hit her home in New Orleans, McCoy packed herself and six other family members into a small car and drove north. The news hadn't made the impending storm sound serious, but late Sunday night, McCoy realized it was time to go.

With so many bodies to fit in the car, they didn't pack anything extra. In her small house on Carrolton, right next to one of the levees that would eventually break and flood New Orleans, McCoy left a sofa she had spent three years paying off. On the table beside her bed, McCoy and her fiancé Solomon Robinson forgot their wedding rings in the rush to safety.

"We didn't care where we were going," she remembers. Days later, I met McCoy in the Mississippi Coliseum shelter. Holding her youngest son, 2-month-old Solomon
Robinson Jr., McCoy is all smiles. "I love it here," she says. Volunteers have taken her
under their wings and donated necessities to her family. "Every time I wake up in the
morning, I've got Pedialite and Pampers all over my head that someone has left for me."
Conditions have vastly improved for McCoy. The first night she and her family stayed in the Coliseum, they all slept on concrete. "We woke up like we were dreaming, but then we realized it was a nightmare to be awake," she says. McCoy remembers haking violently that night, worrying about her mother, who had refused to evacuate, whom she still cannot locate.

Now, after her life has been swept away, McCoy has begun rebuilding her life. Between taking care of her family in the shelter, she volunteers, too—often organizing the massive donations that still need to be sorted at the shelter.

Moving forward won't be easy. McCoy wants to be able to take care of her new baby, and her fiancé has trouble finding work because he can't read. McCoy says they'll both stay strong, though. "He has a strong woman behind him," she says, motioning to Robinson. "I don't look at
him for his disability; I look at him for him." The good things about Robinson—his perseverance, his good attitude—will push them forward, she says.

And she, still a young 24-year-old, will start over. "I'm not afraid. I can communicate with people," she says. "I'm going places."

Previous Comments

ID

82408

Comment

i have to say that the jacksonians this year seem to be really what we should all strive to be. Casey, great job covering this one. I like the fact that in spite of what she has gone through, her concern is on moving on. Even in the face of obstacles. The literacy is an interesting point to the story, also. That will not be an easy hurdle to get over. Tackling it head-on seems to be the best remedy, but I'm sure her fiance' will come to that conclusion on his own as they strive to raise their son with their courage and determination.

Author

c a webb

Date

2005-09-18T21:24:21-06:00