Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

Matt Farmer’s Barn It is the first Sunday we’ve had church since Rita. Much of our community is still scattered over four states, but many are returning home to clean up. Most homes are still without electricity, and water pressure is only now beginning to build up for use. Our attendance is small today, but there is a spirit of …

In the Eye of the Storm     It didn’t surprise me that Ruth Covington died during Hurricane Rita. She had grown so weak during the days before the storm, her passing was not unexpected. In fact, it was only appropriate that she passed away during the midst of a hurricane. She had lived such a full life in her …

The Miller Oak     The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The next best time is today.   The morning after Rita passed through I couldn’t wait to get out and survey the damage. As I’d driven around our community the day before I wondered aloud what things would look like post-storm in our hometown. …

Sugar and Ivory It’s odd but I will always think of two dogs when I think of the long night that Hurricane Rita struck Dry Creek Camp. We had 350 people on our grounds. They had been moved and bedded down in our most solid dorms and everyone took enough food and water for the next thirty hours when we …

Bill Lindsey’s Hammer It is just before bedtime on the night before Hurricane Rita slams into Southwest Louisiana. A crowd of fifty anxious faces stares into mine as they await words of wisdom from the camp director. The faces are each so different and individual. Some faces are black; others are brown, while others are white. Their ages, language, and …

It is a privilege. It’s become one of my favorite words. Privilege. After three (wonderful) years in the Third World, I’ve come to realize how privileged we are as Americans. Today’s post is about a great privilege I’ve had. The privilege of marrying into a family. In 1979, I married into the Terry Family of northern Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. I …

Headlights in the Dark   We’d never seen anything like it. As far as I could see, looking south on Louisiana Hwy 113, the main (and only) thoroughfare through Dry Creek, there were headlights. On Thursday the exodus had begun and it seemed everyone knew a shortcut to avoid heavily traveled US 165 and US 171… they decided to turn …

A word from Curt It’s less than ten days until the official tenth anniversary on Hurricane Rita. We move today from stories about Katrina to her bad twin sister, Rita. Rita: “The Forgotten Storm”     Saturday, September 24, 2005   They are calling Hurricane Rita “The forgotten storm.” You’ll have a hard time convincing any of us in Southwestern …

Ivan’s Return     Due to the fact that Dry Creek Camp had become a shelter for folks from the New Orleans area during Ivan in September 2004, our staff knew any future evacuation of the City would mean even more people coming, since we had had such a positive experience with them. In fact as they left the day …

The Butterfly Effect     It’s only a theory and most serious students of science discount it. But if someone can give a better explanation of how a hurricane begins, I’d like to hear it. The theory called The Butterfly Effect states that the first counterclockwise wind that begins the process of becoming a continent-shattering storm such as Katrina begins …

The Wall is Down I’m not a fan of the ACLU. However they have the same freedom of speech I do. In this story I want to use my cherished freedom of speech to say a few things and ask a question or two. Since Katrina, there have been great needs in our state. In a disaster we really find …

The Rumor Mill   If there is one thing that Sisters Katrina and Rita have taught us it is this: Don’t believe everything you hear, unless you know firsthand it is true. The rumor mill is always churning. When you have a disaster and normal communication is lost and people are displaced, the rumor mill shifts gears. Speculations become “truths” …

A word from Curt We’re posting chapters from Hearts across the Water, our 2005 book about the heroes of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and the Asian Tsunami. Thanks to all of you who’ve commented on these stories. Today’s hero is my friend Jack Hunter. Enjoy. Celebrate. Be Heroic.     The Ninth Ward     Long before it became the poster …

  “Git ‘er Done!”     I’m driving along in the camp truck near Oakdale on Hwy 10. A black GMC truck comes quickly up behind me. On the top of the front windshield is painted, “Git ‘er Done!” As the truck quickly speeds around me, I can hear the bass on the loud stereo speakers. I can’t tell what …