In Surviving Hurricane Katrina: One Family’s Story, family members tell of pulling people from rooftops, swaying at the top of a fancy high-rise hotel, and racing against wild animals brought out by the waters. Dallinger examines the traumatizing effects of feeling the threat of out-of-control police officers, surviving the mobs of people and lack of bathrooms at the Convention Center, and seeing a dead body tied to a porch.

This book captures the viewpoints from one large family’s experiences of preparing, fleeing and enduring Katrina, to picking up life’s pieces afterwards. While exploring the complexities of her family’s survival, Carolyn Dallinger exposes their emotional trauma, the lack of governmental rescue efforts, and the headaches with FEMA and the Road Home program, through the lens of race and social class. Family members express opinions about lessons learned through this monumental event and how family played a critical role in recovery.