Hurricane Katrina survivors remember the acts of compassion that saved them 20 years ago

Hurricane Katrina devastated families and communities, but for some, the most memorable part is how many strangers showed up to lend a hand.

It was late August 2005 in a New Orleans ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. A pregnant Lakeita Williams, her partner, Travis Randolph, and their 9-month-old baby had spent the last two days stranded in the sweltering attic of her parents’ home. The flooding receded enough to let them leave the house, but waist-high flood waters forced them to spend a third night outside, on a mattress they had found floating nearby.

The young family were the only people on the block who elected to ride out the storm, believing the stark warnings were being exaggerated. But Hurricane Katrina surpassed all expectations. The family’s home and thousands others were destroyed. Without food or diapers for the baby, they were all increasingly starving, dehydrated and scared.

“We felt hopeless,” Williams said.

Until, as if she had called an Uber, a man appeared in a canoe.

“I don’t know where he came from. He was Caucasian. He looked elderly and frail,” Williams recalled. “He said, ‘Come on. Get in.’”