BATON ROUGE — Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina took the lives of thousands and destroyed homes, forcing New Orleans residents to leave the city they called home. 

New Orleans East native Gavin Richard was about to start his sophomore year at Tulane University in the fall semester of 2005. Hurricane Katrina was projected to make landfall in late August, causing Richard and his family to evacuate to Dallas. 

“We stayed in a hotel in Dallas for two days, thinking we would come back. How little did we know,” Richard said.

When he thought he would return home, Richard found himself welcomed to an unrecognizable sight.

“We were able to finally come and just see the waterlines on the homes, the trash and debris gutted out, left on the front lawns," Richard said. "Even the mold that they talked about was going to be here for months on end. It was tough."

Richard said his home was up to five feet in water, forcing him to relocate. His family moved to Baton Rouge, where he then became a student at Southern University. He said it was a blessing in disguise because he was able to stay with a family friend.

"A man by the name of A.C. Odell — the late A.C. Odell. He was the husband of my aunt’s best friend, who had passed, and he took us in. We stayed with him for several months. I always speak highly of him because he didn't have to do that,” Richard said.

Insurance claim Attorney Lauren Checki attended Tulane Law during Katrina. After seeing the impact, she said that’s when she wanted to go into insurance law. 

“I didn’t even know this was an area of law, and it was really because of my experiences with people during Katrina that you know it shaped my destiny,” Checki said.

After going back to school in January, Checki said she spent her time helping others rebuild, which further pushed her to assist survivors in protecting their homes from future natural disasters.

“I think pre-Katrina people had this notion that 'Well, I paid for insurance when I need my insurance, they’re going to be there,'" Checki said. "I think Katrina was a rude awakening for the people of Southeast Louisiana because what they quickly learned was that either their insurance wasn’t there or it wasn't there quickly enough or it wasn’t there with enough money."

Checki said it's important for people to know what their property is covered under during natural disasters. Now working for Insurance Claim HQ in New Orleans, 20 years later, Checki said she is continuing the work she started to protect people and their property. 

“We don't just come out of the woodwork when there's a storm, and more than anything, I hate when people are taken advantage of when they are in a vulnerable position of needing help. Just educate yourselves," Checki said.

During his time in Baton Rouge, Richard finished his undergrad years at Southern University, where he wrote a book not only recalling his memories during the catastrophic weather event, but also including others' experiences. 

Two decades later, he's back in New Orleans, and although he says it's not the same, it's still home. 

“I knew things would never be the same and in a lot of ways it has not, but I also know we are a resilient people and New Orleans will bounce back," Richard said.