Harold Bailey was only 17 years old when Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city that he had lived in his entire life. He was in his freshman year at UNO, studying business administration. Harold was also working at Pizza Hut, awaiting a promotion to store manager. He was living in in a multi-generational household with his parents, his brother, his aunt and his grandmother, who owned the home. He loved being surrounded by his family and was excited by bright future ahead.

Harold and most of his family left New Orleans 18 hours before the storm ravaged the city. His grandmother, however, insisted on remaining in the house – she did not want to leave. As the waters rose to over eight feet high, she was forced to flee to the top floor of the house. There she waited for four days until a boat arrived to rescue them. While Harold and the rest of his family were in Selma, Alabama, his grandmother was taken to the Danzinger Bridge and then the Convention Center. She expected busses to come but spent four more days in the sweltering heat, waiting.

In mid-October of 2005, Harold and the rest of his family returned to New Orleans. His mother worked for the City of New Orleans and so the family was housed on a cruise ship provided by the city. Immediately they began to try and rebuild, comforted by the fact that the top portion of the house was not damaged. It was quickly looted, however, and everything they thought they had to come home to was destroyed. All of the insurance money that Harold’s grandmother received was forced to be given directly to the bank to pay the house off, leaving the family without enough funds to rebuild.

Today, Harold enjoys working as a maintenance professional at the Louisiana Department of Transportation. He’s renting an apartment in Kenner – it’s fine, but it’s not home. Since the storm, his family has grown. In 2007, Harold’s son Josh was born. In 2008, his wife gave birth to a second son, Hakeem. Hakeem was soon diagnosed with severe autism. Harold and his wife are no longer married, but they share custody of the two boys. Harold has waited a long time to come home. He’s looking forward to providing a safe place for his boys to live, and providing a home for his grandmother.