Teenaged Girl Braves Floodwaters To Get Help

Fifteen-year-old Ashleigh B., was trapped in her New Orleans home with her mother, grandmother, and aunt, when the floodwaters from Katrina began rising. The women made their way to the attic, a challenging task since the girl’s grandmother was very ill and on a feeding tube, and her aunt was recovering from a stroke and required special care.

Ashleigh and her uncle who had come from his house nearby climbed out onto the roof and flagged down a helicopter. EMT workers evacuated the mother and grandmother, and said they’d be back. Time passed but they never returned. Ashleigh knew she had to do something. She jumped into the poisoned floodwaters to find help. She saw dead bodies floating behind her house. She spotted a man in an airboat and was able to get help. Ashleigh went to a shelter in Baton Rouge and was given antibiotics to offset the contaminated water. Eventually, everyone flew to Knoxville, Tenn., where the family had decided to resettle—everyone but Ashleigh and her uncle, who decided to move to California. A volunteer pilot learned about her plight and arranged to fly her to Knoxville on Sept. 9. “You people are awesome, absolutely awesome,” Ashleigh’s family told the volunteer pilot.