40 Fun Facts About I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what did Gramps store in the attic decades earlier, sure another storm would come?

An ax sat in the Tuckers' attic for forty years, and Gramps made sure Dad knew about it, so he helps the family without even being there.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what does the barking dog Cruz save Barry from in the floating house's kitchen?

A snake is waiting in the kitchen where Barry goes to find water for the thirsty dog, and Cruz barks like crazy to warn him.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, which instrument does Barry's dad grab to calm his son when the storm hits?

Trumpet in hand, Dad plays along with the howling outside until Barry hears a song instead of wolves or ghosts.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what is really rocking the floating house when Barry fears an earthquake?

A helicopter is hovering overhead, but it flies away without Barry and Cruz, and its blades stir up the water so much that the dog falls in.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what is Barry clinging to above the floodwater in the book's opening scene?

An oak tree is all that holds eleven-year-old Barry above the water on Monday, August 29, before the story jumps back one day to show how he got there.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, which city do the Tuckers move to when Dad gets a job at a famous music college?

New York becomes the Tuckers' new home, and it is there that Barry draws his superhero Akivo all over again.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, why does Barry fear being taken from the bridge to the Superdome?

Pets are not allowed inside, so Cruz could not come with him, and Barry also knows the stadium was packed with huge crowds before the storm even hit.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what does the dog Cruz do right after Barry unhooks the leash from his collar?

Cruz leaps and licks him as if to say thank you, though for one awful moment Barry is sure the feared dog is attacking.

Which New Orleans neighborhood, beside a shipping canal, is home to the Tuckers in I Survived Hurricane Katrina?

The Lower Ninth Ward is where Barry's family lives, a neighborhood that had already been flooded by a hurricane years before Katrina arrived.

What is the name of Barry's little sister, whom he always looks out for, in I Survived Hurricane Katrina?

Cleo is so close to her big brother that their mother asks him to work some Barry magic on her, and he gets a soft feeling in his heart whenever he looks at her.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, which friend helps Barry create a superhero for a comic book contest?

Jay is shown Barry's final drawing for their entry in Acclaim Comic Books' Create a Superhero contest, on the day before the storm.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, why does Dad pull out of the highway traffic and drive the family back home?

His daughter is sick, far too ill to travel, so the Tuckers end up the only ones heading back into the city while everyone else is leaving.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, which flood barriers break overnight and let water tear through Barry's street?

Levees, big walls of dirt and concrete, are supposed to protect a city that is almost surrounded by water, but they give way during the night.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what does New Orleans issue for the first time in its history before the storm?

An order to evacuate had never been mandatory in New Orleans before, which is why Dad tells the family they have to leave town.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what knocks Barry off the family's roof and into the rushing floodwater?

The wind catches him just after he and Dad stop his little sister from being blown off the roof, before he can rejoin the family huddle.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, which small craft does Nell steer through the flood, picking people off rooftops?

A raft carries Nell from roof to roof, and Barry is so stunned when she appears that he takes her for a beautiful fairy.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, where does Nell drop off Barry and Cruz after rescuing them from a rooftop?

St. Claude Avenue Bridge is crowded with hundreds of stranded people and no rescue workers, yet it is where Barry's family finally finds him.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what do Barry and Cruz climb onto after the dog falls into the poisonous water?

An upside-down car becomes their float, drifting toward a house as if the two of them were driving it.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, why does Dad switch off the engine while the family is stuck on the interstate?

So it won't overheat in the crawling traffic, Dad shuts the engine down, and Barry starts to wonder what happens if they are still stuck when the storm arrives.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, which quality does Barry's superhero Akivo stand for, one Barry feels he lacks?

Courage is what Akivo means to Barry, who at the start of the story only wishes he had enough of it to tell off Abe, the former friend who tries to scare him.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what becomes of the Akivo drawing that Barry made for the superhero contest?

It gets ruined inside Barry's house, wiping out the entry he had been working as hard as he could to finish before the contest deadline.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what does Barry grab to float on when he drops into the water to rescue Cruz?

A piece of wood keeps him up while he frees the dog from between two branches, after first picking his moment to let go so he would not land on anything sharp.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what has made Abe, the former friend who tries to scare Barry, so angry?

His dad went away, and being mean to Barry, who used to be his friend, may be Abe's way of dealing with that anger.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what stings the eyes and noses of Barry and Cruz as they swim through the flood?

Fumes rise from water the story calls poisonous, stinging the boy and the dog while they are swimming in it.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what does Nell tell Barry he is, a word he keeps repeating in his mind afterward?

Strong is Nell's word for him, and Barry keeps thinking it after she leaves until it becomes his own belief.

In I Survived Hurricane Katrina, what does Barry learn makes hurricanes so dangerous for New Orleans?

It lies below sea level across much of the city and is surrounded by water, which is why its flood walls matter so much.

Which author of Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree also wrote I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005?

Lauren Tarshis expected her series to cover disasters from decades past, yet this far more recent one became one of her favorite books in it.

Which publisher, known for its school book fairs, released I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005?

Scholastic released the book in March 2011 with illustrations by Scott Dawson, as the third volume of the I Survived series.

Which disaster is the subject of the first I Survived book, published a year before the Hurricane Katrina story?

The sinking of the Titanic launched the series in 2010, and the Hurricane Katrina book followed the next year as its third title.

In which format, with its text adapted by Georgia Ball, was I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 later retold?

A graphic novel version turns the chapter book into comic panels and still ends with a nonfiction section of facts and photos about the real storm.

Who convinced the author of I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 that so recent a disaster belonged in the series?

Her editors thought it was important to write about the storm, which she calls the worst natural disaster in America's history.

Which hurricane flooded parts of New Orleans in 1965, forty years before Hurricane Katrina struck the same streets?

Betsy sent water over the rooftops of one-story houses in the very neighborhood where the Tuckers live, trapping some people in their attics as it rose.

Which NFL team plays home games in the Superdome, the stadium where thousands sheltered during Hurricane Katrina?

Saints games have been played there since the stadium opened in 1975, and during Katrina it became the shelter of last resort for people who could not leave the city.

Which large body of water just north of New Orleans rose and flooded its shores during Hurricane Katrina?

Lake Pontchartrain swelled with the storm's rain and pushed-in seawater, flooding towns along its northeastern shore from Slidell to Mandeville.

Which famous waterway runs past New Orleans, the city where Barry Tucker lives in I Survived Hurricane Katrina?

The Mississippi River carries ships past New Orleans, which sits on its banks about 105 miles upriver from the Gulf of Mexico.

In which US state is New Orleans, the setting of I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005?

Louisiana counts New Orleans as its most populous city, and almost 900,000 people in the state lost power because of the storm.

What happened to the name Katrina on the Atlantic hurricane list after the deadly 2005 storm?

It was retired in 2006 and will never be used again for an Atlantic storm, with Katia taking its place on the list.

Which mayor of New Orleans called Hurricane Katrina a storm that most people in the city had long feared?

Ray Nagin said so at a news conference on August 28, the day the city government named the Superdome a refuge of last resort for anyone unable to get out.

Which Texas city, where the Tuckers were heading in I Survived Hurricane Katrina, took in thousands from the Superdome?

Houston opened its Astrodome to people bused out of the Superdome, though the Tuckers never reached the city because they had to turn back.

Which US service rescued more than 33,500 people stranded in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina?

The Coast Guard saved more than half of the 60,000 people stranded in the city, with aircrews working around the clock even though many had lost their own homes.