20 years of resilience: Escaping Katrina, finding hope in Oklahoma

Twenty years after escaping Hurricane Katrina, the Joseph family reflects on their journey from heartbreak in New Orleans to healing and hope in Tulsa.

The Josephs Escaped Katrina Just in Time

Christina and James Joseph packed up their four kids and fled New Orleans the morning before Hurricane Katrina struck.

"I'm just grateful that I made it out alive with my family." James Joseph said.

“Dad, What Are We Going To Do?”

Sheltering in Pineville, Louisiana, James remembers the heartbreak of not having answers for his son.

"I just didn't know what we were going to do," Joseph said.

Watching Their Neighborhood Wash Away

Christina recalls the moment they saw the levees break just blocks from their home.

"I remember watching the TV, and saw that the levees broke, and we lived, like four or five blocks from the levees. So we knew then that there was no going back," Christina Joseph said.

James Returned To Devastation

James went back to help a friend and saw the aftermath firsthand.

"I remember going into the home finally, the door was just swollen with water, and so I was able to kick the door in, and I realized that the refrigerator in the kitchen had flipped upside down and literally pinned the back door. So the only way in the home was through the front door. And so when I went in there, I just began to cry, because everything we had was just in that home," Joseph said.

Clinging To Memories of Lost Parents

Christina hoped to salvage a small angel figurine and her father's leather jacket.

"I had lost my mom that year, and I had like a little angel on the top of the closet. And I said, if you can salvage it, please bring that to me. And I lost my dad, like a year before that, and he had a black leather jacket, and he was able to get that for me, and there was a stench in the jacket that it it smelled like, I don't know, worse than garbage. It was just a stench that I can't explain, and I could never get that smell out of that, you know, that jacket," Joseph said.

New Life, New Hope in Tulsa

A Tulsa church adopted their family. James found a job, and a car dealership trusted them with a vehicle before they had paychecks.

"A church adopted our family when we first got here, he got a job. As soon as we got here, went on a car dealership, and, you know, got a call with no paychecks, but they knew we was from Katrina, and he said, Just give me a chance. I'll have a job by the end of this month. And they did. We rode off with a car," Joseph said.

The Oklahoma Standard

Kindness, generosity, and opportunity helped the Josephs rebuild.

"It just speaks to how people are really want when they really want to help. They're intentional about their help, and I just want to thank the city for just embracing, once again, me and my family. We made so many memories here, and this is home. This is home. Tulsa is home," Joseph said.

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