Mom of 2 Forced to Move 1,043 Miles from Home After Katrina’s Wrath, Never Expecting She’d Get Free Rent for a Year

Stacey Bruno still remembers the long drive from New Orleans to Minneapolis that she and her family made 20 years ago, just one day before Hurricane Katrina hit.

“We didn’t know if we were going to come back, and we didn’t bring much,” says Stacey, now 46. “We had nothing but the clothes on our backs and what fit in our suitcases.”

At the time, Stacey was 26 and living with her husband Harold, 31, and their two children — Tiara, 8, and Harold Jr., 6. At first, they thought about staying home to wait out the storm. But growing worries made them decide to leave for Minneapolis, where Stacey’s parents lived.

“My sister had her kids, and she didn’t really have transportation,” Stacey recalls. “So we picked her up the day before the storm and left together. My in-laws were in one car, and we were in another with my sister and her children.”

Stacey’s in-laws were dropped off in Mississippi to stay with relatives, while the rest of the family drove on to Minneapolis. The trip took over 20 hours and stretched more than 1,000 miles. When they finally arrived, they turned on the TV and saw what they feared most — the levees had broken, and New Orleans was under water.

“We couldn’t get back,” Stacey says.

Help came from Greg Lawrence, a local businessman, and his wife, Janet. They invited the Brunos to live rent-free for a year in one of their homes.

“They’re wonderful people,” Stacey says. “They gave us bedding, clothes, food — everything we needed. They really made us feel welcome.”

Other residents also helped, donating furniture, a bunk bed, and even a 27-inch TV. “At one point, someone even donated a vehicle to us,” Stacey says. “We really got everything we needed.”

The Brunos briefly returned to New Orleans to see what was left of their home. Stacey remembers finding houses marked by rescue teams — and realizing people had gone inside and stolen many of their belongings.

Still, the family managed to save a few important keepsakes, including photos, school report cards, and a treasured china cabinet that Stacey’s father, a military veteran, had brought back from Korea. “It was a family heirloom,” Stacey says. “I was so grateful to bring it back to my parents in Minnesota.”

The Brunos stayed in Minneapolis until their children finished the 2006 school year. Then they returned to New Orleans, first moving into a small trailer, later into an apartment, and eventually into more permanent housing.

Since then, life has moved forward. Stacey and Harold, now 51, added two more children — Antonio, 16, and Autumn, 11. Stacey, who once worked for the New Orleans Police Department, is now with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, and she also works as a photographer. Their son Harold Jr. and his fiancée Janay recently had a baby girl, A’Myri, making Stacey a grandmother.

Looking back 20 years later, Stacey says the storm still shapes how she feels about hurricane season.

“Every time there’s a storm, we wonder — is this the big one? Do we have to leave? And if we leave, is it going to be forever this time?” she says.

One thing she never forgets is the kindness of Greg and Janet Lawrence.

“I don’t talk to them much now, but I always want them to know how my family is doing,” Stacey says. “I’ll never forget what they did for us.”