Just days after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast in
2005, CNN correspondent Kathleen Koch rushed to her hometown of Bay
St. Louis, Mississippi, to cover a story that other media outlets
weren’t telling.
Much of the immediate news focused on the chaos in New Orleans,
Louisiana. Koch, a former Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar
and an award-winning broadcast journalist, reported instead on the
devastation in communities along the coast of Mississippi.
"I
had a deep fear the history books would focus only on Hurricane
Katrina hitting New Orleans. Most Americans didn't realize that
Mississippi caught the brunt of the storm," Koch says. "Before I
left my hometown, I made a promise to the residents that I won't let
anyone forget what happened."
In her new book,
Rising from Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and
Found What Mattered,
she fulfils her promise.
Koch
made two award-winning documentaries about post-Katrina Mississippi
for CNN and reported extensively on the state's recovery before
leaving the network in 2008. But she felt a book would be a more
concrete way to illustrate residents' perseverance after the
hurricane.
"I want people to see what I saw, to hear what I heard, to feel what
I felt," Koch says. "I was so struck by their resilience, faith, and
determination. They never felt sorry for themselves.
"While so many people today are losing their homes and jobs, I think
this story can resonate," she adds. "It tells the story of the whole
Gulf Coast and how they lost everything and didn't give up hope."
In her book, Koch mentions several Rotary clubs doing their
part to help victims, including the Rotary Club of Jonesboro,
Arkansas, which rallied support from clubs across the country to
collect more than 10,000 toys for the Boys and Girls Club of the
Gulf Coast in time for Christmas.
"I was always aware of Rotary's commitment to help those in need.
And more impressive is the dignified way in which they do it," Koch
says. "Rotary was everywhere and still is. How can you not recognize
a group like Rotary?"
Koch
studied in Dijon, France, during her scholarship year, and is a
member of the Rotary Foundation Alumni Advisory Committee. She says
it is important for alumni to stay involved with Rotary.
"Rotary shouldn't let alumni slip away and vice versa," she says.
"We need to reach out more to each other to create relationships."
Koch is excited about the 2011 RI Convention in New Orleans. "I look
forward to seeing Rotarians around the world come and enjoy our Gulf
Coast."
A portion of the proceeds of the book will be donated to Pneuma
Winds of Hope and Lutheran Episcopal Services in Mississippi Coast
Recovery Camps, two non-profit groups working on the Katrina
recovery effort in Bay St. Louis.
