‘I had to let go and let God’: Hurricane Katrina survivor embraces life in Denver after storm’s destruction 20 years ago  

By Chandra Thomas Whitfield
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11min 26sec
Mercedes Toregano poses for a photo on her front porch
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Mercedes Toregano poses for a photo on her front porch in Denver. She holds “The Everyday Prayer Book,” given to her by her mother when she was a child, and which she brought with her to Denver after fleeing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrinas 20 years ago.

aerial view of the superdome in New Orleans as people gather outside
David J. Phillip/AP
FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005 picture, people wait to be evacuated at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans as water fills the streets in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) PART OF A SERIES OF 28 PICTURES NY641, TXDAM642, NY643-647, FLPAP648, NY649-661, FLPET662, NY663-667, FLPAP668 FOR USE WITH THE AUG. 29 ANNIVERSARY OF HURRICANE KATRINA

Grassy field with steps leading to an empty foundation block of a former home
Max Becherer/AP
Steps lead to the empty foundation of a home destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in the Lower 9th Ward on Forstall Street in New Orleans, just behind a new charter high school being built in the neighborhood, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. Ironically, the fact that many homes were owned for generations worked against these homeowners, because without mortgages to pay, they weren't required to and often didn't have flood insurance, says Darryl Malek-Wiley, a Sierra Club activist working to restore the community. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)

Mercedes Toregano holds “The Everyday Prayer Book”
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Mercedes Toregano holds “The Everyday Prayer Book,” given to her by her mother Mary Batiste when she was a child, and which she brought with her to Denver after fleeing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrinas 20 years ago.
Colorado Matters spoke with four Hurricane Katrina survivors who now call Colorado home. Read more of their stories below:

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