Ami Green, 24, and his wife Renise, 20, prepare a meal at Ami's Cajun Cuisine yesterday at the Village Creek Mall. The Green family with their 4-month-old son Ami Jr. traveled through the storms caused by Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans to Grenada.
After Hurricane Katrina, Ami Green came to Grenada with nowhere else to go. Now as his family begins to start over, they may be here longer than they expected. Green and his wife Renise own and operate Ami's Cajun Cuisine located in the Village Green Mall.
However, the couple's journey to Grenada was a difficult one when flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina wiped out their home and forced them to evacuate north.
"We left New Orleans hours before the hurricane hit and we made our way up I-55," said Green.
Green said while traveling north into Mississippi, every hotel was either booked or extremely expensive.
"One hotel in Jackson tried to charge us $350 a night," Green said laughing.
He said as he and his family continued to travel north when the storm caught up with them north of Jackson and they were force to sleep in the car at a truck stop. The Green's arrived in Grenada the same day 50 miles per hour winds swept through causing extensive damage to the entire county.
"We couldn't even see the roads in front of us when arrived in Grenada," Green said, "and one of the hotels in here allowed me and my family to stay there and they didn't charge us a thing."
Green said this was a critical time for he and his family because their son, Ami Jr., was a little over a month old and grew tiresome of traveling.
Stay in Grenada
Green said from the time they arrived in Grenada, they were accepted with open arms. "The people at the Abundant Life Assembly gave us clothing for our child and really helped us when we needed it most," said Renise Green.
Start cooking
Green said while in New Orleans, he worked as a manager and chef in three different restaurants. "I brought my cooking skills up here with me," said Green, "because I specialize in cooking Cajun meals." The Green's said their stay in Grenada has been a blessing in disguise.
"I am still in disbelief that one city could have this many nice people," said Green, "we are thinking of staying and raising our family here."
The Green's said the only thing they have left from their home in New Orleans is a couple of pictures.
"We are glad to be here in Grenada," Green said, "instead of just sitting around doing nothing, we are just simply starting over."