HOUSTON—Five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, people who fled that city are thanking Oprah Winfrey for helping them to build new lives in Houston.
“I’m so grateful for everything she’s done,” said Tanika Thomas, a single mother who lost her home in the lower 9th Ward.
Thomas was among the estimated 120,000 New Orleans residents who fled to Houston. While the vast majority of them have returned home, the mayor’s office says about 20,000 remain in Houston, including those who reside in a small neighborhood southwest of the 610 loop.
About 65 families live on Angel Lane in houses built by Habitat for Humanity. The project was funded through donations from Winfrey and thousands of her viewers.
“Without them, we wouldn’t be here,” Thomas said.
The neighborhood surrounds a quiet cul-de-sac lined by a thick wall of trees. A children’s playground sits on one end with an empty lot for a planned community center on the other.
Thomas, who serves as president of the homeowners association, believes most of her neighbors have adjusted well to Houston.
“We rely on one another through shared experience, and that gives us strength,” she said.
Thomas said while life in Houston is good, it will never erase the pain of losing what once was.
“That’s what hurts the most. That’s the reality I still have to wake up to,” she said.
Via: KHOU.com
