WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, a Wilson County pastor is using her family's traumatic experience with the storm to help Middle Tennessee communities prepare for future disasters.
Many of those who fled Katrina ended up in Middle Tennessee. Regina Girten still remembers the phone call from 20 years ago when Hurricane Katrina was approaching Louisiana.
"My parents had just dropped me off at college," Girten said.
As the hurricane approached, her mother packed to evacuate from New Orleans. At school in Oklahoma, Girten received a call from her mom asking what she wanted her to grab from the house before the storm hit.
"I knew that it was gonna be a big deal," Girten said.
"I was watching the news on a loop looking for information. It took us a good number of weeks before we actually knew what was happening," she said.
Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana twenty years ago, devastating entire communities. In New Orleans, many of the levees surrounding the city broke, causing widespread flooding for days. Floodwaters submerged 80% of the city, killing hundreds of people.
Twenty years later, the memories of Katrina still haunt Girten.
"I had to wear a gas mask because it wasn't safe," she said.
Fifteen years after Katrina, Girten had moved to Middle Tennessee and was working as a pastor in Mt. Juliet when deadly tornadoes tore through the city in 2020. She and other Katrina survivors knew what to do.
"We had 4,000 volunteers from across the country descend upon Mt. Juliet within 48 hours," Girten said.
When asked if she thought Katrina was the reason for that response, Girten said, "I do."
Following the tornadoes, Girten helped with long-term recovery but quickly realized Wilson County needed help coordinating future disasters. She co-started a nonprofit called Volunteer Network.
"We provide coordination efforts to help with volunteers post that event," Girten said.
During calm periods, Volunteer Network helps coordinate community volunteering. But they are ready when the next disaster hits.
"This just shows how sometimes good things can come out of really awful situations," Girten said.
Want to learn more about disaster preparedness in your community or share your own story of resilience? Watch the full video report and connect with our newsroom about emergency planning resources in Middle Tennessee. Email kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com with your questions or story ideas.
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