Searcy man reflects 20 years later on moving family to Arkansas after Hurricane Katrina

Written By Apo August 29, 2025 Add Comment

SEARCY, Ark. – Tommy Centola and his wife always evacuated their home ahead of hurricanes in Louisiana — but Hurricane Katrina was a different kind of storm.

They left and came to the Searcy area. Now, 20 years later, they call it home.

"I lived in Gretna, which is a suburb of New Orleans on the west bank of the river all our lives," Centola said. "Until the 29th of August 2005."

That day changed lives forever, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast 20 years ago.

"It's hard to believe, it's very hard to believe that it has been that long," Centola said.

For Tommy and his wife, evacuating from their home in Gretna was second nature whenever a hurricane approached.

"Usually, you're gone a day or two and then you come back, we were in Shreveport when we realized this was going to be a lot longer than a couple days,” Centola said.

After seeing the strength of the storm and the widespread damage it left behind, the couple went to live with family in Beebe, Arkansas. Two months went by before they could return to Louisiana and during that time, they made a life-changing decision.

"My wife and I eventually settled in Searcy," Centola said.

When they were finally able to go back to their house, they found it had only sustained wind damage.

"We were fortunate, very very fortunate," he said.

Leaving behind the people and the place they had known their whole lives was not easy. But selling their home brought a sense of peace.

"Come to find, the lady that had bought the house lost everything," Centola said. "I feel we were meant to move for various reasons, and the fact that we had a house that was in good shape, somebody else could use it, it made me feel a little bit better about the move."

The biggest culture shock in Arkansas to him is the food, Centola said it’s something he truly misses. But he’s found a way to keep his culture alive, through cooking and sharing Cajun recipes in his cookbooks.

"It was a struggle in the beginning, it really was, but fortunately I'm able to share my love of my city and my culture through my cooking," he said.

Two decades later, the Centolas have made Searcy their home and they’ve come to love the community they’ve built.

"It's just another chapter in my life, not a bad one, it's been very pleasant. We keep going," Centola said.

They still return to Louisiana to visit family, often driving past their old home. But the life they’ve built in Arkansas has kept them rooted for the past 20 years.

from KARK https://ift.tt/DjUJvtd