2 Years Later: Thousands Of Evacuees Call Houston Home

HOUSTON -- Two years ago, Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast and devastated New Orleans, forcing thousands of evacuees to settle in Houston. City officials estimate that 90,000 Katrina survivors are still living in Houston.

While many started their stay at a makeshift shelter at Reliant Park, some said it's become easier to call Houston home.

For Edna Lewis, it's still painful to look at pictures of her New Orleans home after Katrina.

"We had nothing to go back to," she said.

Lewis and her family came to Houston on Labor Day weekend in 2005. Since then, her family returned to New Orleans, including Lewis' husband. She chose to stay here and work for the Coalition for the Homeless.

"I have a place to stay here, which I wouldn't have in New Orleans. I have a job here that I really like, which I wouldn't have in New Orleans. I consider myself a 'relocatee,'" Lewis said.

Shawndrea Larks moved to Houston after her east New Orleans home was destroyed.

A single mother of three, she now helps other Katrina survivors reclaim their lives.

"I have my ups and downs all the time, but you keep going and you either sink or swim. And for me, I've decided to swim," Larks said.

Cindy Gabriel works with the city of Houston's Community Settlement Network -- a program designed overnight out of a sheer need to get survivors into housing as soon as possible.

"It's interesting to be an expert in an area in which you hope that this never happens again," Gabriel said.

The staff has dwindled from 600 to five.

"I think we're going to be spending the next couple of years looking back, seeing lessons learned, seeing what good has come from this. It has changed a lot of lives for the better," Gabriel said.

The Community Settlement Network continues to help about 8,500 evacuees.