After Hurricane Katrina hit and the levees failed, approximately 80% of New Orleans was under water. Sewage was everywhere, swollen dead bodies floated in the water and lined the streets, the heat was stifling, and – after a few days – it became clear that help was in no hurry to get there. Out of desperation to find food, water, medicine, and sanitary conditions, some people – like Malvina, Zane, and Tru in Zane and the Hurricane by Rodman Philbrick – decided to walk over the bridges and cross the Mississippi River into areas that seemed safer.
Before they reached higher ground, however, many discovered that armed police had created blockades and were not allowing anyone to cross over.
In the days just after ...
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