FAYETTEVILLE — De’Jon Harris sat in standstill traffic for hours on end in his family’s car as he and his relatives began their journey to Mississippi.
Harris didn’t like it much, but the trip was a must. Panic had set in.
He was 7 and in second grade, and Hurricane Katrina was fast approaching his hometown of Harvey, La.
The first stop was one state over at a family member’s home. The conditions were far from ideal, but it beat catching strays from the brunt of the single most catastrophic and costliest natural disaster in United States history, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.