As a kid, normally, the first week back to school after summer break is full of excitement. I can still picture myself carefully laying out my uniform on the bed, placing my brand-new tennis shoes underneath, and staring at them in admiration, eager to reunite with friends. That week in 2005 began just like any other: my cousins, friends, and I were thrilled to be back. We walked into freshly decorated classrooms, met our new teachers, and heard what the school year would hold.
By Wednesday, everything shifted. News reports warned that a hurricane named Katrina had entered the Gulf, and we were suddenly in its path.
It was my first year taking geology, and my teacher, Mr. Lewis, loved science. After the Katrina news broke, he scrapped his lesson plan and began teaching about hurricanes, specifically from New Orleans’ perspective. One detail from that lesson has stayed with me all these years: It was the first time I learned our city sat below sea level.
Mr. Lewis compared New Orleans to a bowl. “If the right hurricane ever comes and the levees don’t hold,” he said, “this bowl will fill up like cereal.” The classroom erupted with nervous laughter, but he ended on an optimistic note: “That’ll never happen. Don’t worry about it.”…