The Walkers celebrate New Orleans resilience through the Krewe of Pyros 20 years post-Katrina.
ARLINGTON, Va. — This week marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, flooding neighborhoods, destroying homes, and displacing millions of people. Among them were JC and Cuba Walker — a couple who ended up in the D.C. region and turned tragedy into a mission to help others.
Inside their Arlington apartment, the couple looks through old photos as windows to the past.
“This is me, a little boy in the Saint Bernard Project,” JC Walker smiled.
They sift through pictures of a past rooted in New Orleans and the strong community they grew up in.
“We were living the high life, going to parties, enjoying ourselves — pre-Katrina,” JC Walker remembered.
But when the storm churned toward Louisiana in late August 2005, everything changed.
“Everybody was packing up their cars,” he said.
The Walkers evacuated to Texas, but JC Walker says the uncertainty was unbearable.
“I was anxious to get back. I needed to know where my mom was, where my aunts were — where everybody was,” JC Walker said.
When they finally returned, the city was unrecognizable.
“Chaos. All the back windows [of our home] blew out. It rained inside the house,” JC Walker said.
That devastation forced a life-altering decision.
“I said, ‘What are we going to do?’ And he said, ‘Well, let’s go on the East Coast,’” Cuba Walker recalled.
Days later, they landed in Washington, D.C. Their first stop was the Hilton on Connecticut Avenue.
“They let us stay three months. We even got FEMA mail there. They did our laundry,” Cuba Walker said.
From there, the Walkers built a new life in Northern Virginia, starting fresh careers and putting down roots. But something was missing — Mardi Gras.
“I had to find New Orleans culture. There were some organizations here, but it still wasn’t home,” JC Walker said.
So, in 2016, the couple founded the Krewe of Pyros, a Mardi Gras–themed social and philanthropic organization. Since then, they’ve hosted parades, awarded scholarships, and raised money for education and community programs.
For Cuba Walker, the celebrations aren’t just about the party.
“We’re not celebrating the levees breaking. We’re celebrating the resilience of the people of New Orleans,” she said.
This weekend — 20 years after Hurricane Katrina — the Krewe of Pyros will host a remembrance celebration at the National Urban League in D.C.
“It’s the celebration of our hearts, our spirits, and our resilience,” Cuba Walker said. “We made it. Twenty years later, we’re still thriving.”