PARKER, Colo. (KDVR) — Friday marked 20 years since Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, causing more than $120 billion in damage and taking more than 1,000 lives.
Some of those who fled New Orleans still call Colorado home two decades later.
Marla Jones-Newman, her husband and their one-year-old daughter evacuated from their New Orleans home, thinking they’d only be gone a few days. Jones-Newman grew up in the city.
In 2005, she and her husband were living in Tremé, a neighborhood not far from the famous French Quarter. By the time late August rolled around, they had already evacuated for other storms twice that summer.
“It’s just a wonderful, warm, inviting place,” Jones-Newman said. “When you grow up in New Orleans, you’re an amateur meteorologist.”
The third time was ahead of Katrina. They left originally for Alabama before having to move further north into Atlanta. Seeing the images out of the city she loves, hurt, and originally they planned to return.
“We packed up thinking we were going to be gone for three days,” Jones-Newman said.
Their home wasn’t destroyed, but they still couldn’t get back into the city. They decided it was time to move and Jones-Newman had one big requirement.
“I was done. No more water,” she said.
Her husband’s job made a few cities feasible, but Littleton immediately stuck out.
“I looked at a map and I’m like, oh my god, they’re landlocked,” Jones-Newman said. “That’s where we want to go.”
Twenty years on, the family lives in Parker. Jones-Newman says the community welcomed them with open arms.
“You create this family, and we have people in our lives here. It’s just amazing,” she said.
They still go back to New Orleans a couple of times a year to visit family, and she’s concerned another incident like Katrina remains possible.
“With the recent defunding of FEMA and climate change happening what it is, I’m really worried. It feels like we haven’t learned anything,” Jones-Newman said.
While Jones-Newman loved growing up where she did, she’s thankful her daughter got to grow up in Colorado.
“I’m not crazy how I got here, I just like the fact that I’m here,” Jones-Newman said.
She says she hopes the people of Colorado continue to welcome people, maybe experiencing similar hardships like her family did, saying she’s grateful for her community’s open minds and hearts.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
