Ashley Noah [AN], age 19, is a Rita survivor from Beaumont, Texas. As Rita approached the coast, AN had been visiting her home from her first year at the University of Houston. She planned originally to remain in Beaumont with her mother while Rita moved through Houston, but after the storm’s path shifted to Beaumont, she evacuated to Dallas and then The Woodlands. AN describes returning to Beaumont to find her house storm-damaged, including her bedroom. She and her family received some compensation and emergency aid from FEMA and the Red Cross. AN also relates her feelings of isolation after she returned to school. It seemed that most people were unaware of the destruction in Beaumont and indifferent to the effect of her experiences. AN talks about the damage to her grandmother’s house and various structures in Beaumont, and how this affected her. She describes the depressed morale of the Beaumont community and its gradual lifting. In the storm’s aftermath, she believes she is more attuned to others’ suffering, more motivated to help them, more aware of life’s unpredictability.