Hurricane Katrina Survivors Gather

Wednesday, August 29th 2007, 9:40 pm

By: News On 6

Two years after Hurricane Katrina roared ashore the flood waters are long gone in New Orleans but the devastation and frustration remains. In Oklahoma, survivors of the hurricane are remembering Katrina. The Urban League reports Tulsa is home to about 400 families displaced by the hurricane. The News On 6â€™s Ashli Sims reports two years after the storm, their stories are still being written.

Dozens of folks gathered in a Tulsa church to celebrate life Wednesday night. Life almost lost when Katrina ravaged New Orleans.

The category 5 storm went down in the record books as one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. Monica Burns rode out the storm in her home in the lower 9th Ward. After the flood she was one of thousands stranded on the desolate I-10 highway.

"I said this is it. I don't want to be in New Orleans anymore,â€ said Monica Burns, Katrina Survivors Coalition. â€œI got on the bus that same day and ended up in Oklahoma."

Two years later, Monica Burns has planted roots in a state she never thought she'd set foot in, and sheâ€™s leading the local Katrina Survivors Coalition.

About 400 Katrina families now live in Tulsa. Seven have bought homes here, 50 more are on track to reach that same goal. Some miss the big easy, while others say life is easier here.

"Here in Tulsa I got the opportunity of my life. I always wanted to own my own home, and it was hard for me to do that in New Orleans. It was hard," said Katrina evacuee Doris Allen.

"They're doing real good, and I just try to encourage them even more,â€ Burns said. â€œDon't give up, keep going, because God brought us out that water and out that tragedy for a reason."

The Katrina Survivors Coalition continues to be a source of support for evacuees, and the Urban League says they continue to get dozens of calls from survivors who are looking to relocate to the Tulsa area.

Watch the video: Katrina Survivors Gather To Mark Anniversary