The Tale of Two Katrina Survivors and Talented College Educated Brothers

A Special Article from the Washington University in St. Louis Magazine the alma mater of R2C2H2 Tha Artivist Knocked Over, but Not Out New Orleans residents Jarvis DeBerry and Oscar Donahue, both English majors, survived Hurricane Katrina, yet their stories provide a glimpse of a permanent watermark.

BY C.B. ADAMS To borrow a title from a Raymond Carver short story, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina left "so much water so close to home" in New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities. In the months since the storm, the maelstrom of controversy concerning how the local, state, and federal government did—or did not—come to the aid of these communities has threatened to dwarf the very real, very human consequences of this disaster. For two Washington University graduates, Katrina has irrevocably altered the paths of their lives—and changed the nature of their work.

Jarvis DeBerry, A.B. '97, and Oscar Donahue III, A.B. '78, both English majors and both residents of New Orleans pre-Katrina, do not know each other. DeBerry is an editorial writer and columnist for The Times-Picayune. Donahue (see Artful Response below) designs and sells artwork jewelry through his company, Oscar's Originals of New Orleans. Yet, the hurricane has forced each of them to forge a new and different relationship with the city that has become not-so-easy to live in.

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