Emani Scott, now 33 and a mother of two, was only 13 when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. In the days following the devastating storm, she found herself sheltering at a West Virginia military base with her younger brother Emanuel and grandmother Jerilynn. Though together, they had been separated from Emani’s mother and her 10-month-old sister, Jermani, who had been evacuated to Texas — a fact the family did not yet know.

“We cried and prayed. I thought they’d find my mama and bring her to West Virginia,” Emani recalled at the time. “When she didn’t show up and we didn’t hear anything, we got more worried.”

The family’s eventual reunion, though joyful, was not immediate. Months later, Emani reconnected with her mother and baby sister by phone, but it would take nearly two years before they could embrace in person.

The ordeal began 20 years ago when the Scott family left their home near the French Quarter, heading to the Moriel Convention Center for shelter. Emani packed only a few essentials — clothes and her cherished pink portable CD player, the first one she had begged for extensively.

Upon arrival, the chaotic conditions at the convention center left a lasting impression. People were crammed together amid no lights and unsanitary restrooms. “What stood out the most was the heat and the people dying around us,” Emani recalls. Panic over the possibility of flooding swept through the crowd, though it eventually subsided.

By the fifth day, military personnel arrived with evacuation plans. Women and children were prioritized, meaning Emani’s mother and baby sister were sent on a helicopter to Texas, while Emani, her brother, and grandmother were flown to West Virginia’s Camp Dawson. There, the family had their first hot shower and proper meal since the disaster.

At the military base, Emani searched daily for news of her mother. A West Virginia family, hearing about their story, took them in temporarily. Through a friend’s help, Emani eventually reconnected with her mother, Jerilynn, and Jermani, learning that her mother had been stationed in Kingsville, Texas, struggling to secure housing and emergency assistance.

“It was hard for my mom in Texas. It took a while to get set up in a new apartment because she had no resources, she had no money,” Emani said. “She did have food stamps so they could eat, and she was job searching.”

Nearly two years later, Emani and her brother finally reunited in person with their mother and sister — now a toddler. Jermani initially hid behind their mother, unsure who this stranger reaching for her was. But the relief and joy of reunion quickly overshadowed the awkwardness. “We were just happy. We were finally back together,” Emani recalls.

The family stayed in Kingsville for several more years before returning to New Orleans, where Jerilynn resumed working at a bar. Today, Jermani is a student at Drexel University, Emanuel works in security at a VA hospital, and their grandmother Jerilynn passed away in 2010.

Emani went on to become a teacher, earning a master’s degree in secondary education, and is currently pursuing another in data analytics and program evaluation. She is a single mother raising two daughters, ages 6 and 8.

Reflecting on the 20 years since the hurricane, Emani emphasizes the family’s resilience. “The one thing I want everyone to know is that we’re survivors,” she said. “We’re strong. And if nothing else, this should be a moment that we remember that about ourselves.”

Emani Scott with her two children Zaniyah and Zori in 2022.