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Description
A segment of our magazine show, "Here/now", "We're All Arlington" features short biographies of Arlington residents, highlighting our county's amazing diversity. This episode's subject is Suzette Walker, who survived for 8 days in her empty apartment building in New Orleans through the aftermath of Katrina, only to end up a proud Arlingtonian.
A
Hear
me
this
was
a
Saturday
that
was
predicted
Katrina
to
hit
Sunday
night,
so
people
was
evacuated.
I
wasn't
never
one
of
those
persons
to
evacuate,
never
evacuated
from
a
storm
that
didn't
cross
my
mind,
evacuate
what
their
cross
my
mind
was:
I
was
going
on.
Vacation
Saturday
night
would
have
been
my
last
night
working
I
was
going
on
a
cruise
a
carnival
cruise
I.
A
Walk
about
three
o'clock
good
morning
and
I,
look
through
my
blinds
and
and
I
could
see
the
wind
and
the
rain
when
it
rain.
What
I
know
women
brain
I
go
back
to
sleep
the
next
morning
my
mattress
is
soaking
wet.
My
mattress
is
soaking
wet,
so
I,
wake
up
and
I
said.
Oh,
my
god
and
I'm
looking
I'm
walking
in
water
up
like
up
to
my
knees
and
I
said
what
I
gotta
do
is
I
got
a
pack,
so
what
I
did
was
I
cooked
I?
A
Am
I
fried
me
some
chicken
wings
I
made
me
some
macaroni
and
cheese
I
emptied
the
refrigerator.
The
juices,
the
water
stuff
I
need
I.
Had
a
two
inch
television
I
had
a
radio
I
had
a
flashlight
and
you
gotta,
remember:
I
took
my
pack
suitcase.
A
Why
was
back
because
I
was
going
on
the
cruise
I
was
okay,
I
was
okay
mentally.
You
know
my
mom
wasn't
freaking
out,
but
time
I
got
off
the
house.
The
water
was
up
to
my
breast
fire.
It
was
up
to
there
and
I'm
carrying
stuff,
so
I
couldn't
I
wasn't
safe
on
the
second
landing
of
them
of
the
hallway
to
the
partner
I
had
to
go
up
to
the
therfore
Lynne,
so
I
did
I
went
up
to
the
third
floor
landing
again.
A
I'm
in
this
hallway,
first
night,
I'm
still,
okay,
second
night
I'm,
still
it's
okay!
Three
days,
I
begin
to
bed,
the
water
was
still
rising,
I'm
on
the
third
floor
and
my
apartment
building
like
this
I
was
the
only
one.
Everybody
else
is
gone
now.
You
gotta,
remember:
National,
Guard
didn't
come
until
five
days
of
the
storm,
so
I'm
talking
about
the
fourth
day
of
the
storm.
You
would
see
people
and
vote.
A
You
will
see
people
passing
in
boats
and
so
I
hollered
out
to
a
guy
that
was
in
the
boat
and
he
came
over
there.
I
said:
hey
I
need
to
get
out
of
here.
I
need
to
go
downtown
so,
where
I
work
at,
if
you
can
get
me
downtown,
he
says:
neighbor
I
can't
get
you
downtown,
but
what
I
can
do
is
I
can
bring
you
some
water,
some
stuff
that
you
may
need
and
I.
Oh
I,
cried
I,
cried
I,
cried
I
said:
oh,
that's
not
gonna.
A
Do
it
I
need
to
get
out
of
here
how
you
gonna
get
out.
He
said.
Look,
let
me
go
see
if
I
can
get
some
more
help
and
I'ma
come
back
for
you.
You
came
back
five
o'clock
that
he
threw
me
a
rope
tied
to
the
banister
and
I
climbed
out
on
this
rope
onto
the
boat
and
when
I
got
in
his
boat.
I
just
hugged
this
guy
never
seen
him
in
my
life,
oh
I'm,
so
glad
to
see
me
feel
somebody
and
stuff
we're
talking
about
four
days
later.
A
This
guy's
name
was
Harold
King
come
to
find
out
well
Harold.
He
would
drop
me
back
off
to
mop.
He
did.
He
dropped
me
back
off
cuz.
He
had
to
go
back
to
his
family,
so
I'm
thinking.
So
he
said
things
are
gonna,
be
better
tomorrow
when
the
National
Guard
come
in.
So
anyone
said
please
come
get
me
come
get
me.
He
can't
hear
kept
his
word.
He
came
got
me.
So
I
goes
back
in
my
Hall
where
I
have
another
night.
A
This
is
the
fifth
day
and
then
what
he
used
to
do
is
he'll
come
get
me
on
the
boat
and
he
used
to
bring
me
to
a
fire
station
with
a
head,
lower
water
and
they
had
a
backup
generator.
So
if
I
wanted
to
charge
my
phone
I
could
Hera
was
like
my
protective,
because
when
I
wrote,
cuz
I
heard
this
and
when
I
when
I
wrote
down
I
said
he
was
like
a
angel
sent.
He
was
an
angel,
saying
I
think
about
that.
A
Sometimes
we're
now
into
about
six
or
seven
days
into
into
my
my
survival.
Whatever
you
want
to
call
it
and
I'm
sitting
in
here.
Come
Harold,
hey
ba
neighbor
yeah,
what's
going
on,
we
going
up
y'all
going.
He
says
my
family
getting
sick,
he
said
and
the
National
Guard
is
coming
around.
You're
gonna
be
evacuated
too,
because
it's
mandatory
I
said
well.
They
making
me
leave,
they
can't
make
me
leave
my
premises.
This
is
my
premises.
They're
not
making
me
leave.
He
says.
A
Maybe
I'm
telling
you
you
gonna
get
sick,
how
you
gonna
make
it
a
table.
I
said:
I'm.
Sorry,
it
was
nice.
Knowing
you
take
care
with
your
family,
see
you
bye
and
he
did
enough
well
the
next
morning
I
freaked
out,
because
it
wasn't
no
more
house,
it
wasn't
no
more
boat,
it
wasn't
no
more
going
to
the
nation'
of
God.
It
was
like,
oh,
my
god,
I'm
totally
totally
freaked
out
I
freaked
out
so
I'm
sitting
there
I'm
freaking
out
I'm,
crying
I'm
going
like
oh,
my
god.
This
is.
This
is
crazy.
A
A
Wait,
I
can't
wait
to
get
you,
so
how
did
International
Airport
and
the
pilot
announce
I've
got
good
news
and
I
got
bad
news.
He
says
the
bad
news
is
we're
not
able
to
go
into
the
state
of
Texas
anymore.
It's
over
capacitated.
We
cannot
bring
any
more
survivors
to
Texas,
but
the
good
news
is
we're
going
to
Washington
DC
I
cried
Washington
DC
that
ruins
my
whole
plans.
I'm,
seeing
my
family
being
with
my
friends.
A
A
Being
in
Washington
DC,
but
I
did
and
I
can
remember,
riding
on
the
road
to
the
highway.
All
you
can
see
is
people
of
all
nationalities
with
signs.
Welcome.
We
love
you.
We
thought
about
you
in
our
prayers
and
I
begin
to
smile
just
a
little
bit.
You
know
every
time
you
would
step
outside
of
State
Army
or
on
the
step.
Somebody
would
come
up
to
to
you
and
say:
hey:
what
can
we
do?
What
do
you
need
within
two
weeks
of
my
30
days,
I
was
working.
A
You
know,
I
had
a
gland
in
a
job.
People
were
there
to
help
you
I
love
being
in
Arlington.
You
know
the
community
really
well
with
me,
because
people
ask
me
all
the
time
like
you
don't
never
want
to
go
back
home
and
I
say
no,
not
to
leave
it
to
visit
toe
feel
like
home
is
home
anymore.
This
is
becoming
home.
It's
like
I
just
fit
right
in
I'm,
just
very,
very
comfortable
in
Arlington,
Virginia
and
I.
Wake
up
sometimes,
and
what
about
that?
My
name
is
Suzette.
Walk
and
I
live
in
Arlington.