How a Stranger’s Kindness Gave Hurricane Katrina Teens the Prom They Deserved

When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, it killed more than 1,300 people and displaced over a million across the Gulf Coast. For many high school students, including Ryan LeFrere, the devastation left deep scars — but also led to an act of kindness that made their senior year unforgettable.

Nine months after the storm, LeFrere’s senior prom at Cabrini High School looked very different. With nearly 75% of her classmates displaced, the event was much smaller. “Not too many people came back,” recalls LeFrere, now 37. “But it was still a good time.”

Despite the destruction, the students found joy. Their celebration was even featured in Teen PEOPLE, giving them a chance to be teenagers again after such a traumatic year.

“They made us forget that that year was so terrible,” says classmate Hannah Foret. “They definitely made it memorable for us.”

That prom was made extra special by the generosity of Marisa West, a high school senior from Maryland who had never met the students of Cabrini. West organized a drive to collect thousands of prom dresses for girls along the Gulf Coast.

LeFrere proudly wore one of those dresses on prom night. “It was very sweet that someone that didn’t know us or experience what we’d been through cared enough to do something,” she says.

For Foret, who wore her own dress, being included in the story was still a thrill. “I was a very introverted person, not involved in many clubs. It was really cool to be picked,” she remembers.

Today, both women reflect on how Katrina changed the course of their lives.

Foret, now 36 and living in Houma, Louisiana, with her husband and three children, says the tragedy unexpectedly led her to her family. “My husband is from this area. It’s kind of crazy to think had Katrina not happened, I wouldn’t have met who I married. I wouldn’t have these kids.”

LeFrere, who lives in Houston with her wife and newborn son, feels similarly. Though she doesn’t think about the storm as much now, anniversaries bring back memories. “You have to be resilient, because if not, you’ll break down every day,” she says. “The city you love — it’s never the same.”

Still, the kindness of a stranger helped them find light in the darkness, proving that even in the aftermath of tragedy, small acts of compassion can leave lasting impact.