Kriti Mehrotra
As a docuseries revisiting the hurricane that caused nearly 1,400 fatalities and over $100 billion in damages in 2005, Netflix’s ‘Katrina: Come Hell and High Water’ is unlike any other. That’s because it incorporates not only archival footage but also exclusive interviews to really underscore what transpired in New Orleans, Louisiana, its brutal immediate aftermath, as well as the long-term effects. Amongst those to thus feature in this original was Katy Reckdahl, a proud journalist and family woman who was around 40 weeks pregnant when she first heard about the hurricane.
Katy Reckdahl Gave Birth 24 Hours Before Hurricane Katrina Struck
Although a native of Grove City, Minnesota, Gustavus Adolphus College Communications graduate (class of 1987) Katy Reckdahl has been a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, since at least the late 1990s. She was admittedly leading her best possible life at this time as a journalist for The Times-Picayune, all the while also enjoying her youth alongside jazz musician Mervin “Kid Merv” Campbell. Therefore, by the time the early summer of 2005 rolled around, they were happily living together in Tremé and expecting to soon welcome their very first child into this world.
According to both Katy and Mervin, they didn’t know a massive storm was brewing in the Gulf, making its way directly to their city, until just three days before it was scheduled to make landfall. While it’s true she was a local reporter, whereas her partner was a socially active musician, they were so busy with their respective last projects prior to the baby’s arrival that they didn’t pay attention to any noise. Unfortunately, even if they had, they likely wouldn’t have been able to make it out on time because they had no means of transport except a bicycle. Plus, the mandatory evacuation order didn’t come until August 27.
Katy was actually in active labor by this point – she was dilated a few centimeters, making her doctor suggest they should think twice about leaving now, as she could have the baby any hour. In the end, Hector Campbell was born in a local New Orleans hospital on 4:13 am on August 28, 2005, 24 hours before Hurricane Katrina hit, leading to shattered windows, power cuts, levee damage, flooding, and more. The mother reportedly cared for her newborn son in the hospital’s dark hallways while strangers gave them news about the harrowing events transpiring outside, only for them to be rescued 2 days later.
Katy Reckdahl Continues to Serve as a Proud Journalist in New Orleans
Since Katy had just delivered a baby and arguably needed as much care as her newborn, they, Merv, and other individuals in the hospital, were among the first to be rescued when help arrived. As per records, she, her partner, and Hector soon found themselves in Phoenix, Arizona, where they lived as displacees for a little less than a year before deciding to return to New Orleans for good in July 2006. It undeniably took Katy a while to settle back into the city after it had been heartbreakingly ravaged by water, but she worked hard to put down her roots again, help the community, and build back their life.
Katy also returned to her career as a journalist, devotedly working for The Times-Picayune until September 2012, where her primary responsibility was as a General-Assignment Desk Reporter. In other words, she essentially elaborated on major news stories with long-form factual insights, connections to local culture, relationships with the global environment, etc. Then, she evolved into a Freelance Writer, Reporter, and Producer to have the work-life balance she always wanted in the hopes of maintaining her dream job while also being more available for her growing son.
We specify son because Katy and Mervin seemingly parted ways long ago, albeit they do maintain a really authentic, amicable relationship to this day. In fact, he was there for her after her loving mother passed away, and she even attended his 2023 wedding with a woman named Leah alongside her now 20-year-old son. Per her accounts, Hector was the one who supported her in the hours before, during, and after Katrina, so while she wanted him to know about it, she didn’t want him to feel burdened or pressured by it. Therefore, the single mother has done everything in her power to make this evident as she continued providing for him to the best of her abilities, unaware that it would actually propel her career to new heights.
After all, Katy is now a frequent contributor to publishers such as The New York Times, Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, National Geographic, and The Atlantic, amongst others. As if that’s not enough, she has since received over 12 New Orleans Press Club awards, 3 News/TV-Documentary Emmy Awards, the James Aronson Award for social justice, and more. Furthermore, today, she also serves as an Editor of a team of five reporters and photojournalists at The Lens, which is New Orleans’ very first non-profit, non-partisan news publishing organization. It’s imperative to note that this producer of the Peabody Award-winning 2020 podcast ‘Floodlines’ primarily focuses on cultural, social, and national issues. So, it comes as no surprise that some of Katy’s recent work has covered the Black Lives Matter movement, the LGBTQ+ community, prison reforms, the significance of Louisiana Native Americans/Indians, and more.
Read More: Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc: Where is Katrina Survivor Now?
