Roderick Rick

Mr. Rick remembers his neighborhood as being “nice and quiet.” He was one of the newer members of the neighborhood, moving there in 1993 with his family. He knew some of his neighbors and recalled that they kept to themselves, for the most part, and diligently maintained their property. 

On the day that Hurricane Katrina hit, Mr. Rick was at work; he is employed by the City of New Orleans’ Office of Parks and Parkways. Mr. Rick learned of the levee breach soon after it happened. Using the satellite images provided by computer, he could see that his house was gone and his block had disappeared. Mr. Rick had already evacuated his family and stayed for a while at the Parkway Inn on Gentilly Boulevard.  Eventually he went to San Antonio, Texas where he stayed in hangers with cots for two weeks. Immediately after the disaster Mr. Rick could not find his family or communicate with them; he ultimately tracked them down in Tuskegee, Alabama.

Mr. Rick lived on the Carnival Celebration Cruise Ship until February 2006. Afterwards, he was able to get a trailer and stayed on his brother’s property. Mr. Rick is currently living in an apartment and the rest of his family has come back. His sister-in-law and niece, however, stayed in Alabama. 

Mr. Rick’s home was paid for. When Katrina hit, though, he did not have insurance. Mr. Rick wants to own his own home again and is looking forward to returning to the Lower 9th Ward. He heard about Make It Right from a Lower 9th Ward resident, and appreciates that there is a program that will allow him a second chance at homeownership.

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