Imani Lombard
Age 20, Gulfport
My mom works in the school. Our school was out for awhile and after the first few weeks, she knew we weren’t gonna be in school in Gulfport. So one of my uncles who works for Parker & Gamble had a co-worker who donated an 18-wheeler full of water and supplies. We couldn’t get any flights. Gas was so high. A flight was like $500–$600 one way trip. My house was damaged, but her biggest concern was that we had no clue how long we would be out of school because of the storm which wiped out all the schools. So she packed my bag and me and my friend, an exchange student from Cozumel, met the guys off the highway in my uncle’s truck. So I rode a 18-wheeler, like a 26-hour ride, to Kansas City. It was me, my uncle and my friend. We had to take turns sitting in the passenger seat and the drivers shared a bunk bed. Man, I thought I’d never get there. I aint have no games to play, no books to read. Just a window and a bunch of highway.