Reporting the pain
A student's perspective

by Lacie Richardson

My life has always been simple, having no serious concerns or complaints.  When the news of Hurricane Katrina and Rita was first announced, I, of course, felt sorrow for the victims, but I never thought that my attitude toward life would completely change as a result of the storms.

When we heard from Mrs. Susan Duncan (see her story by clicking here) of our opportunity to become live journalists, I was nervous and excited at the same time. What do you say to the person who just lost their home, friends and family? Life as they knew it was completely washed away. 

As we walked in the door of the Red Cross shelter with our pens and notebooks in hand, people were glued to the televisions. You could see that they hadn't had a good night sleep for days. It was almost as if they were searching for that moment of hope on the news to see if anything was salvaged.

As we interviewed the victims, I became infatuated with their lives. This was history in the making, and I was right in the middle of it.  Living in Longview, Texas, suddenly had the best benefits in the world. 

I'll never forget one woman I met on the first day. During my series of questions, I asked what she would bring back to Longview with her if given another opportunity.  Her reply was, “"My son."”  My heart broke as I saw the tears swell in her eyes. 

This experience changed my life forever.  I developed an appreciation I never had before for the simple things in life. Brushing my teeth or drinking a glass of water is a blessing.  This mission became my passion. Making daily trips to Maude Cobb [the shelter] for two weeks, I saw people from New Orleans slowly file out of the building and move on with their lives.

Children in the Maude Cobb Convention Center spent hours looking at television coverage, playing together or looking through donated items for toys or other needed items. The Longview community reached out first to the evacuees from New Orleans and then housed more than 1,000 refugees from the Port Arthur area. Photo by Jessica Bray.

Then Hurricane Rita hit the Gulf Coast, causing the local newspaper to call for help for the 600 victims at Maude Cobb, some who were from New Orleans by way of Port Arthur. Those people faced a constant battle that had just begun, some seeming too tired to fight. Now is the time to make sure I help in any way possible because for some, relief will be a long time coming.

Lacie Richardson is a two-year member of the Buccaneer yearbook staff at Pine Tree High School in Longview, Texas. She recorded many hours of volunteer work as she helped evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Read her journalism teacher's perspective on covering the hurricanes by clicking here.