A City’s Resilience Through Chaos
In August 2016, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, faced a perfect storm of crises. The city was already under immense stress, grappling with local protests, the tragic shooting of Alton Sterling by police, and the subsequent shooting of police officers. Tensions were high, and the summer heat only seemed to intensify the pressure. Then came the floods.
The flooding that hit Baton Rouge was unlike anything we had ever seen. The torrential rain turned streets into rivers, and in a matter of days, many people in the city lost everything they owned. Homes that had stood for decades were suddenly submerged, their contents ruined beyond repair. The sense of loss was overwhelming, and the mental toll was just as devastating as the physical destruction.
Now, eight years later, Baton Rouge bears the scars of that summer. The flood, the protests, the violence—these events left a mark on our community that will never fully fade. Some of our neighbors didn’t make it through. Between the stress of those events, the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic, and the daily struggle to keep going, some couldn’t find the strength to carry on. But many of us are still here, holding on, surviving.
For many, including myself, the stress of those events triggered a form of PTSD. The anxiety I felt in the months that followed was all-consuming. I remember driving down Winbourne Avenue long after the waters had receded, and the sight of the familiar, yet drastically changed, landscape caused my heart to race. The memories of seeing my surroundings underwater, the helplessness of it all, came flooding/back. The relief of surviving, of making it through, was bittersweet.
We’ve endured so much, but Baton Rouge is a city of resilience. We live to tell the story of that summer, not just to remember the hardships, but to honor those who fought, and those who continue to fight, for a better tomorrow. We survived, and though the journey has been far from easy, we’re still here, together, navigating whatever comes our way.
