First, the word “disaster” is overused. We define it as anything that causes discomfort and an inconvenience. We might claim a trip to the grocery store as a disaster if the store is out of our favorite snack food. A stain on a new blouse — disastrous! Late for an appointment — disastrous! Lost your keys momentarily — disastrous! Not really. All are fixable.

A disaster is an event that results in widespread human, material, economic, or ecological loss. These can be natural or man-made, and due to increasing population, disasters seem to be more severe. 

Hurricane Katrina is the largest natural disaster in the United States. This Category 5 hurricane hit a water-saturated New Orleans on August 29, 2005. The high winds, the failure of the levee system and the lack of a quick emergency response causes 1392 fatalities and over $145.5 billion in damages. New Orleans in many ways is still trying to recover from this storm. 

If you are interested in reading about this disaster, please read: 

Eggers tells the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-American, living in New Orleans at the time Hurricane Katrina hit the lower parishes. Zeitoun owned a successful painting and contracting company, and he also owned several rental properties. He was the definition of the American dream. 

Zeitoun decided to ride out the hurricane in the lower parishes watching over his home, his job sites, and his rental properties. After the hurricane passed, the levees broke, and the immense flooding began, Zeitoun used a second-hand canoe to rescue and check on neighbors and his tenants, feed pets left behind, and distribute clean water to those in need. 

However, on Sept 6, 2005, Zeitoun and his companions were arrested falsely for looting by a National Guard member, a local police officer, and a volunteer officer. He was taken to a temporary jail in a Greyhound bus station. He was denied a phone call and was held 20 days before being formally charged. He attempted several times to explain he owned the property he was on, but it was dismissed as something a criminal would say. 

Zeitoun and New Orleans, both, have to figure out how to gone on with their lives and rebuild what they once had.