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Katrina anniversary: A year of change, heartache, reflection for those here with connections to the Gulf Coast. Date published: 8/26/2006
Story by Rusty Dennen and photos by Rebecca Sell
Hurricane Katrina wrecked parts of the Gulf Coast with breathtaking efficiency a year ago Tuesday, killing more than 1,800 people, causing $81 billion in damage and searing images of heartache and destruction into the nation's consciousness. The worst natural disaster in U.S. history was half a continent away from Fredericksburg, but the storm's effects linger even here. The region has become a home away from home for dozens of evacuees, a staging area for church groups and other volunteers and relief agencies lending a helping hand, and a source of funds for the ongoing rebuilding effort. Some of those impacted by the storm share their Away from home Darlene and Jim Tanner, both 45, are worlds away from the life they had carved out in Mandeville, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, about 10 miles outside New Orleans. The couple and their two children, Chaz, 14, and Allie, 10, have relocated to a comfortable home at Leeland Station in southern Stafford County. They are among dozens of Gulf Coast families whose lives were turned upside down by Hurricane Katrina--families who, through relatives, jobs or by chance, wound up living in the Fredericksburg area. Some have returned, some are rebuilding their shattered lives here, and some like the Tanners are biding their time until they can go back. Jim is a federal agent who works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Washington. Darlene is a stay-at-home mom. Both miss life in the Deep South and are adjusting to a world with a faster, more impersonal pace. The Tanners wisely evacuated to Jackson, Miss., the day before Katrina hit. After the hurricane, they had no idea whether they even had a home to return to. Three large trees had fallen onto it. Though there was no flooding, the dining room now had a view of the sky. "I was extremely lucky," Jim said. A close friend was a contractor in Mobile, Ala., where Darlene grew up and met him in college.
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