I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by Lauren Tarshis is a 2011 historical fiction novel for young readers that explores one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in US history. The novel is part of Tarshis’s New York Times best-selling I Survived series, which also includes I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake 1906, I Survived the American Revolution 1776, I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916, and I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011. The novel tells the story of 11-year-old Barry Tucker, a boy living with his family in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana. As Hurricane Katrina makes landfall, Barry struggles with his family’s decision to stay despite the calls for mandatory evacuation. This decision leads to Barry fighting for survival amidst the wreckage of the storm as he learns the true depths of his bravery in the face of fear. This novel includes the themes of Survival Against the Odds, The Impact of Natural Disasters on Communities, and Bravery and Fear.

This study guide refers to the 2011 Scholastic, Inc. paperback edition.

Plot Summary

Barry and his best friend, Jay, sit on his porch, admiring the drawing that Barry completed for their submission to the Acclaim Comics “Create a Superhero” contest: a superhero named Akivo. As they discuss their chances of winning, a former friend and classmate, Abe Mackay, approaches with his dog, Cruz, whom Abe claims is a killer. Abe pretends to let Cruz off his leash to attack Barry and Jay. Barry’s father, Roddy, intervenes, coming outside to tell the boys that there is a mandatory evacuation for the city due to the impending hurricane, and that the Tuckers are leaving soon for Barry’s mother’s family in Houston. Barry is surprised that his father wants to leave, as his family has never left in any previous storm. Barry promises Jay that he will mail the Akivo drawing submission tomorrow from Houston and the boys say goodbye.

Inside, Barry begins feeling nervous. He thinks about how water surrounds New Orleans, the Industrial Canal only two blocks from their house and multiple waterways cutting through the city. Barry remembers that people say that the levees surrounding the city are not strong enough to manage big storms. The radio announcer states that Hurricane Katrina is now a Category 5 storm and urges residents to flee the city.

As they drive out of the Lower Nine, the Tuckers stop at Lightning’s, the club where Roddy’s band plays on Thursday nights. The owner and Roddy’s friend, Dave, comes out and greets them, stating that he does not plan to leave and will keep the club open so that people have a place to go. He tells the Tuckers that if they change their mind about leaving, they should not go to the Superdome but come back to the club. The Tuckers hit standstill traffic as they try to leave the city along with thousands of others. Hours pass as traffic builds up for hundreds of miles, and Barry’s sister, Cleo, becomes ill, repeatedly vomiting. Barry’s parents decide to turn around for home.

Back at home, Cleo continues to be sick, and their parents discuss going to the Superdome but ultimately decide against it after hearing the TV newscaster report that there are already 10,000 people at the stadium and conditions are already deteriorating inside. That evening, the wind picks up and Barry watches the baseball playoffs with Roddy, thinking about the time he and his father took a turbulent flight to New York City and his father was calm the entire time, humming “Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino to himself to stay calm. Barry falls asleep, but a surge of floodwaters streams into the house and wakes him up.

Roddy runs down the stairs, yelling Barry’s name and lifting his son by the arm to bring him upstairs. Roddy tells the family that they have to go up into the attic to escape the flood. The family sits upstairs under the low ceiling, and Barry tries not to think about the loss of his Akivo drawing. Roddy tells them that they cannot stay in the attic and need to escape to the roof. Roddy tells them that Grandpa hid an axe in the attic after the last massive storm, knowing that another one would come someday. Roddy begins hacking away at the ceiling.

The family lays on the roof huddled together and just as Barry begins to feel calmer, a loud thud echoes against the roof. Cleo jumps up, wondering if Akivo has arrived. The wind pushes her forward, nearly knocking her down, but Barry jumps up and grabs her. Before Barry can rejoin his family, another strong gust of wind knocks him off the roof and into the water. A tide of water sweeps Barry away and carries him along until he latches onto a tree. Barry sees a damaged house floating toward him and realizes that he needs to get out of the way before the house crashes into him. He swims against the current until he reaches the house and realizes that it is Abe Mackay’s house. Barry hears the sound of frantic barking and realizes that he is not alone: Cruz is somewhere in the house.

Cruz’s barking at first scares Barry, but then the barks give way to whimpers for help. Barry climbs in through the window and begins wading through the dirty water flooding the house, following the sounds of Cruz’s barks until he finds him chained to the bedpost in Abe’s room. Barry pushes through his fear and unleashes Cruz, who leaps up and begins licking Barry’s chin. Cruz begins whining and panting, and Barry realizes that Cruz is thirsty. He leads them down to the kitchen. Barry quickly grabs whatever food he can, and he and Cruz go back upstairs. When they finish eating, Barry sits and strokes Cruz’s head. As Barry ponders what to do next, he begins singing “Blueberry Hill” to Cruz, who licks his face and then falls asleep on his lap. Barry too begins falling asleep, listening to the sound of Hurricane Katrina still raging outside.

Barry wakes to Cruz’s frantic barking, and Barry sees a large helicopter flying low overhead. Barry waves, calling out to the helicopter, but it begins to fly away, leaving Barry and Cruz stranded. The force of the helicopter’s wings pushes Cruz into the water, and Barry enters the water, saving him. As Barry looks around for what to do next, he sees a car floating toward them in the water. Holding onto a wooden board with one hand and Cruz in the other, Barry makes his way toward the car, scrambling on top of it. Barry rests his head on Cruz, thinking of all the other stranded people and animals throughout the city. As the sun sets, Barry and Cruz listen to distant cries for help, stranded once again.

Occasionally, boats float by them and Barry cries out to them for help, although no one stops. Finally, one of the boats slows down, and Barry sees a young woman steering it. The woman introduces herself as Nell and promises to get Barry and Cruz to safety. Nell tells Barry that she will take them to the St. Claude Avenue bridge, where there are people stationed to help them. Barry imagines an elaborate rescue scene like the ones he has seen on television, but when they arrive, he sees barely any resources or rescue workers at all. Nell lets Barry off the raft at the bridge and tells him that he is strong. Barry thinks back over the past 24 hours and everything he has been through. He wonders if he can be both scared and strong at the same time. Barry hears familiar voices calling his name. He turns to see his family rushing toward him and the four of them embrace on the bridge in a tight hug.

A month later, Barry sits on a bench in Riverside Park with his family. Barry looks down at his new drawing of Akivo, to which he has added a dog sidekick and guardian angel in a yellow raft. Hurricane Katrina is still one of the biggest news stories in the country, and Barry is accustomed to everyone wanting to hear his and his family’s story of survival. After reuniting, he and his family went to Lightning’s for two days before getting a bus to Houston. Roddy then received a call from the college in New York offering him a job. The whole family moved a week later to a fully furnished apartment, Cruz in tow. Barry’s parents join him on the bench and Barry’s mother comments that Akivo looks like Barry. Barry realizes that during his experience in the hurricane, he discovered latent powers of his own. Barry knows that they will not stay in New York forever and wonders when they will return to New Orleans, knowing that it will happen one day.

In an afterword, author Lauren Tarshis writes about the historical event of Hurricane Katrina and explores lingering questions about its aftermath. She writes about actions, like securing the levees, that the government did not take to prevent the storm’s destruction, and she shares data related to the storm’s aftermath and the extent of its damage. Tarshis writes that New Orleans did survive and rebuild but is careful to point out that some of the poorest neighborhoods were the most devastated by the storms and largely remain abandoned. Tarshis closes with a series of questions that bother her about the government’s reaction to Hurricane Katrina, focusing on why leaders did not do a better job protecting the city and why help was so slow to arrive. She concludes by stating that many families did not receive happy endings like the one she was able to write for Barry and his family.