It was late August; just about the time school starts each Fall.
Deep in the Gulf of Mexico, there was a storm forming. This was not just a
normal storm, it was Category 5 Hurricane. The only reason it was a Category 5
is because there is no such thing as a Category 6, and beyond. Meteorologists
were just starting to track its path as it entered the Gulf of Mexico, and they
immediately knew this was a storm to be feared. They ordered their news
contacts to immediately push an evacuation effort for New Orleans and
Houston.
The news anchors began
broadcasting that night, an estimated 5 days before the storm hit. Many
families started prepping for an evacuation. Plans were made to stay with
family and friends further North. They loaded their most valuable things in the
car with them and headed out of the flood zone.
Others decided they wanted to
wait it out. They had been told all too many times that a wretched storm was
coming just to have a few rain showers and nothing more. This time they weren't
falling prey to the meteorologists' unnecessary worries. They brought their
generators out of storage, stocked up on food and gasoline, and loaded up on
sand bags to keep rain out of their garage and doors.
It was only about one day away, and many people chickened out because
they heard reports of how large the storm was. Still, tons of people were set
to wait out the storm. The first clouds were rolling in, and the winds were
already gusting. The floods came, and they were worse than anyone could have
imagined. Those who stayed moved to their rooftops, boats, and other floating
devices. Some did not have anything to stand on so they were just floating
around in the water, trying to find something to stand on. Fish, sharks, and
other sea creatures had made it inland, and they were hungry because their
normal food was not there… So many of the sharks and large fish started to bite
the feet of those who were floating in the water which caused a scene of
terror. It was like Jaws except in real life…
And that is why so many people in Houston and New Orleans have no
feet.
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| Hurricane Katrina - Wikipedia |
When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends by Florrence Stratton (1936)
Hi Brady,
ReplyDeleteSuch a great story you have here. I also read the Tejas stories this week and really enjoyed them. I love that they were told from the perspective of children and actually decided to model my Storybook Story off of that idea. I also appreciate that you kept the plot of the story very similar to the original. I tend to try and change alot but find it so cool when other people have different approaches. Good job and can't wait to read more of your stories.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your retelling of the story. I liked how you quickly defined how strong the storm was with the Categories. I like how the story told about how the people in New Orleans lost their feet. This is very clearly in relation to a lot of the Cherokee stories I read. I enjoyed the Native American unit so much because the stories tell how something came about being the way it is. Great job on the story and looking forward to reading more.
Hi Brady,
ReplyDeleteAs someone who is from Houston, this type of story was extremely relatable. I am not sure if you were talking about a specific hurricane but it sounded like you were writing about Hurricane Katrina. I think it would add a lot to your story if you chose a specific hurricane or added more historical details of Katrina.