After six harrowing days in the Superdome in New Orleans, Shiprah Benlevi Downing and her husband Lloyd Coffey Jr., along with their 4-month-old infant, were airlifted to Baton Rouge. They were boarded on buses with no idea where they were going.

Exhausted and traumatized by the ordeal in the Superdome, they arrived in Mesquite, Texas, just east of Dallas. In both Mesquite and Baton Rouge they were met by loving volunteers who reached out to show them love and support. "The welcome we have received began to wipe away the loss - we don't know where we are going, but we are going to survive," said Lloyd.

As parents of an infant, they did all they could to survive in the Superdome. The first two days were okay, but then it became a hell on earth, he said. No more electricity, no more water, no toilets. The stench became unbearable.

Then the violence began. Lloyd said, "No one was safe. It was every man for himself. "In the dome we had no news. We had no idea if anybody knew or understood what we are going through."

Although still in shock, they are determined to stay together as a family and start over. Shiprah said, "We had just bought and furnished a home, and a year ago we were homeless. A year ago we lived under a bridge and over the course of this past year we 'pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps,' and we are going to do it again."

When their bus arrived in Texas, they were greeted by World Vision volunteers and staff member Cassandra Wyssbrod. Cassandra wrote, "The survivors would disembark and they would come through metal detectors and whatever belongings they had - next to nothing - was searched.

"Then they came to me and a group of volunteers where we helped wash their hands with sanitizer. We made every effort to make them feel welcomed and loved. I kept telling them, 'Welcome to Texas. We are going to take care of you now.' When we would touch their hands they often were overcome with emotion, as were the volunteers."