Riding the Storm Out
Posted: Wednesday, March 15, 2006
by McKenna Andrews
9 year old McKenna Andrews of Petal, Mississippi, young author of "Riding the Storm Out".
McKenna rode out the hurricane Katrina last year along side her parents, her younger brother Gage and two Dalmations at their home less than an hour from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Her family would prefer to not do it again.
Katrina was the sixth strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history. It was responsible for the recorded deaths of 1,420 people. It was labeled a category 5 though some seasoned hurricane survivors think it was a 4 1/2 when it reached Louisiana and destroyed a great portion of New Orleans.
In Petal, Mississippi things were just about as bad. The people in that town had 17 days of no power, no TV, no phones, no air conditioning in the hot, humid climate - just about 'no' everything. Trees splintered into toothpicks. Roofs were caved in, people were stranded for days.
McKenna learned of a pod of domesticated Atlantic bottlenose dolphins that had lost their home during the storm and were swept out to sea. The now destroyed 48 year old Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport, Mississippi which the dolphins had called home was just down the road from Petal, where McKenna lives.
The dolphins had little to no experience in fending for themselves in the wild, just as most of us would be unprepared if we were in the same position. They didn't know how to obtain food, avoid predators and probably were experiencing some major culture shock while in the wild.
Since the storm, the tale of the dolphins has been told the world over. Some weathered the storm in a hotel swimming pool, while others were swept into the Mississippi Sound, rescued later by their trainers and dozens of volunteers from the Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA and others. Jill, Kelly, Jacki, Michelle, Tamra, Toni, Noah, Elijah, Tessi, Cherie, Brewer, Katelyn, Johnah, Wee Tee, Echo, Sasha and Naia were rescued and temporarily placed at facilities throughout the East and Gulf Coast. Today they are living quite well at Atlantis, a tropical hotel and resort in the Bahamas.
McKenna has written about Noah, a six year old dolphin that was part of this pod and what he might have experienced while on his own in the wild. She has written through the eyes of a compassionate child, similar in style to that of a sensitive adult. The exquisite photographs included in this book do not take away from the content but rather enrich what is destined to become a classic for all ages. This book does have the pulling heart strings quality found within Shel Silverstein's "The Learning Tree."
McKenna has shown how people across all cultures and all age groups have worked together to keep Noah and his family together. Humans have many negative qualities but the compassion of the people in the Gulf Coast pulling together should be remembered and praised. There is no need for any of us to be concerned yet that we will wake up one morning and find a note in our fishbowl saying "So Long and Thanks For All the Fish."
Katrina was the sixth strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history. It was responsible for the recorded deaths of 1,420 people. It was labeled a category 5 though some seasoned hurricane survivors think it was a 4 1/2 when it reached Louisiana and destroyed a great portion of New Orleans.
In Petal, Mississippi things were just about as bad. The people in that town had 17 days of no power, no TV, no phones, no air conditioning in the hot, humid climate - just about 'no' everything. Trees splintered into toothpicks. Roofs were caved in, people were stranded for days.
McKenna learned of a pod of domesticated Atlantic bottlenose dolphins that had lost their home during the storm and were swept out to sea. The now destroyed 48 year old Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport, Mississippi which the dolphins had called home was just down the road from Petal, where McKenna lives.
The dolphins had little to no experience in fending for themselves in the wild, just as most of us would be unprepared if we were in the same position. They didn't know how to obtain food, avoid predators and probably were experiencing some major culture shock while in the wild.
Since the storm, the tale of the dolphins has been told the world over. Some weathered the storm in a hotel swimming pool, while others were swept into the Mississippi Sound, rescued later by their trainers and dozens of volunteers from the Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA and others. Jill, Kelly, Jacki, Michelle, Tamra, Toni, Noah, Elijah, Tessi, Cherie, Brewer, Katelyn, Johnah, Wee Tee, Echo, Sasha and Naia were rescued and temporarily placed at facilities throughout the East and Gulf Coast. Today they are living quite well at Atlantis, a tropical hotel and resort in the Bahamas.
McKenna has written about Noah, a six year old dolphin that was part of this pod and what he might have experienced while on his own in the wild. She has written through the eyes of a compassionate child, similar in style to that of a sensitive adult. The exquisite photographs included in this book do not take away from the content but rather enrich what is destined to become a classic for all ages. This book does have the pulling heart strings quality found within Shel Silverstein's "The Learning Tree."
McKenna has shown how people across all cultures and all age groups have worked together to keep Noah and his family together. Humans have many negative qualities but the compassion of the people in the Gulf Coast pulling together should be remembered and praised. There is no need for any of us to be concerned yet that we will wake up one morning and find a note in our fishbowl saying "So Long and Thanks For All the Fish."
We haven't messed up the world that badly yet. There is great hope for the future in knowing that there are many young people as compassionate and caring as McKenna.
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The Vickie Travis Hour at Highway2Health.net relies on public support to keep this broadcast going.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)Great Book!!! We loved it.
What a fantastic book. I work at an elementary and all of the kids loved it.
My family loved the book. It is truly a great read for the entire family!
Hi, McKenna I am one of your biggest fans of your book. I wanted to know what inspired you to write the book Riding The Storm Out
Oh my gosh!!! Your book is so lovely!! My favorite pat was when Noah met Zack!!! I hope you keep on wr5ting your friend Mia!!!
Hi! Mckenna I would love to sit down and have a talk with you, your book has inspired people in many ways. I hope that you keep up the awesome work!
Hi! Mckenna I would love to sit down and have a talk with you, your book has inspired people in many ways. I hope that you keep up the awesome work!
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