Two Cities, Two Tragedies and a Reminder of Our Humanity

At the peak of my nomadic life, I was just going about my way, honoring my journey, living in constant motion, adventure and discovery when my destiny brought me to New Orleans.

- By N'DEA DAVENPORT Special to the AmNews

As an outsider, I was welcomed with open arms. However as I found out, old folklore speaks of legacy generations past that must give approval if you're allowed to stay. Be it the mysteries of the city, or the magic of it. Everyone was just enjoying and engaging in the more fruitful acts of life.

Shifting timelines and cities, I had recently moved to Lower Manhattan, living as a dual resident of NOLA and New York. But out of nowhere, on Sept. 11, 2001, the World Trade Center came crashing down and for the first time in this generation, we gasped after witnessing real mass casualty and destruction. Back then, I stood one block away at the time of the collapse, later walking in ash and debris that day. I continued to live near Ground Zero for a time, around the remains of the unimaginable.

Despite my experiences living through 9/11, nothing could have prepared me for what was to come and for the wrath of destruction brought by Hurricane Katrina four years later. In New Orleans, there was always talk of this great flood that was to come and that the city has been overdue for many years. Intuition kept haunting me, creeping in my mind that perhaps my time living in New Orleans should come to a close. So exactly 90 days before Katrina hit, I moved full-time back to New York.