Barry reveals the completed Akivo superhero drawing to Jay, and the two friends plan to enter it in the Acclaim Comics contest.

Neighbor Abe Mackay pretends to unleash his dog Cruz on Barry and Jay before Roddy steps outside and intervenes.

Roddy tells Barry the city has issued its first-ever mandatory evacuation and the Tucker family must leave for Houston.

The Tucker family stops at Lightning's club, where owner Dave refuses to evacuate and invites them back as a safe refuge.

Cleo falls seriously ill in the stopped highway traffic, forcing the Tucker family to abandon their evacuation and turn back home.

Barry's parents decide not to take the family to the Superdome after hearing reports of severe overcrowding and worsening conditions inside.

Floodwaters burst through the front door at dawn and Roddy rushes Barry upstairs before the first floor is completely swamped.

Roddy produces an axe hidden in the attic and hacks through the ceiling so the family can escape to the roof.

Barry catches Cleo as wind nearly blows her off the roof, then a powerful gust knocks Barry himself into the floodwater below.

Swept away by the raging current, Barry manages to grab a tree trunk and pull himself up out of the floodwaters.

Barry follows Cruz's desperate cries into Abe Mackay's floating house and frees the dog from where he is chained to a bedpost.

A rescue helicopter hovers over Barry and Cruz briefly but then flies away without stopping to help them.

A woman named Nell arrives in a yellow motorized raft and rescues Barry and Cruz from the floodwaters.

Barry hears his family's voices calling his name and the four Tuckers reunite in a tight embrace on the St. Claude bridge.

Barry finishes a new Akivo drawing featuring a dog sidekick and a guardian angel in a raft, and his mother says Akivo looks like Barry.

Barry Tucker and his best friend Jay are excited to enter a superhero drawing contest when the arrival of Hurricane Katrina forces Barry's family to attempt an emergency evacuation. After the evacuation fails, the family shelters at home and is overwhelmed when the levees break and floodwaters invade their house. Barry becomes separated from his family during the chaos on the rooftop and must survive alone in the flooded Lower Ninth Ward with an unexpected companion, a dog named Cruz. A volunteer named Nell eventually rescues Barry and Cruz by raft and delivers them to the St. Claude Avenue bridge. Barry reunites with his family and the Tuckers eventually rebuild their lives in New York City, carrying their hope of one day returning to New Orleans.

The essential survival story of Barry Tucker and his family during Hurricane Katrina.

Barry and Jay say a reluctant goodbye and link pinkies in Akivo's special move before separating ahead of the storm.

Barry finds Cleo crying in her room, upset that a lady named Katrina is going to take her princess house away.

Barry persuades Cleo to get ready by telling her they are going on an adventure and Akivo will meet them in Houston.

Driving out of the Lower Ninth Ward, the family passes the bakery where Barry's mother once worked and still dreams of owning.

The Tucker family sits in standstill traffic for hours on the crowded highway as thousands of others also try to evacuate the city.

As the storm intensifies outside, Roddy puts his trumpet to his lips and plays softly along with the howling wind.

Huddled in the flooded attic, Barry thinks about his Akivo drawing now destroyed in the rising water below the family.

The Tucker family escapes to the rooftop as floodwaters rise into the attic, huddling together against the wind and driving rain.

Cruz slams his body into Barry, knocking him away from a water moccasin swimming through the flooded kitchen in Abe's house.

Barry sings Blueberry Hill to a frightened Cruz during a lull in the storm, and the dog falls asleep on his lap.

The rescue helicopter's rotor wash blows Cruz into the floodwater, and Barry jumps in to pull him free from tangled debris.

Barry and Cruz crawl onto a floating car as the sun sets, listening to distant cries for help from other stranded survivors.

Nell tells Barry she has already rescued more than thirty people as she steers the raft toward the St. Claude bridge.

Barry reaches the St. Claude bridge expecting a large rescue operation but finds only volunteer boats and roughly a hundred displaced survivors.

The family shelters at Lightning's after the storm, travels to Houston, then moves to New York when Roddy receives a college job offer.

Behind the headline events of Hurricane Katrina lies a series of quieter but equally important moments that reveal the bonds, decisions, and small acts of courage that carry Barry and his family through the disaster. From tender farewells with his best friend Jay to the family's tense hours stuck in evacuation traffic, these scenes show the texture of life before and during the storm. Barry's efforts to comfort his little sister Cleo, Roddy's use of music to transform fear into calm, and Cruz's instinct to protect Barry from a water moccasin all illustrate that survival is built from many small moments. The disorganized scene at the St. Claude bridge and the kindness of volunteer Nell further highlight the contrast between community-led rescue and government unpreparedness. The pool closes with the Tucker family's uncertain but hopeful journey from Lightning's club to Houston to a new life in New York.

The human moments and smaller decisions that shaped Barry's survival story.

Barry learns his family is leaving New Orleans for the first time ever for a hurricane, revealing just how dangerous this storm is.

Barry recalls his grandfather's stories of Hurricane Betsy and remembers the warnings that the city's levees may not survive a major storm.

Barry overhears the radio announcer warn that Hurricane Katrina is now a Category 5 storm with 175 mph winds and 20-foot waves.

Barry's mother turns off the radio despite the Category 5 warnings, and Barry realizes she is lying when she says she is not worried.

Barry recalls a turbulent flight with his father and the secret Roddy shared: he silently sings Blueberry Hill to stay calm under pressure.

Barry's mother says the levee, Roddy, and Barry understands the Industrial Canal levee has broken and drowned their neighborhood in floodwater.

Barry calms a panicking Cleo inside the flooding house by suggesting that Akivo might already be waiting for them up in the attic.

Barry pulls himself to the top of the tree and surveys the completely flooded neighborhood, seeing no sign of his family anywhere.

Barry recognizes the floating house as Abe Mackay's distinctive sky-blue home and makes the decision to swim to it against the current.

Cruz's desperate whimpers convince Barry to push past his fear of the dog and climb into the flooded house to rescue him.

After freeing Cruz, Barry realizes the dog is not dangerous but terrified, and understands he is no longer facing the storm alone.

Barry spots the brightest star in the night sky while stranded on the rooftop with Cruz and decides to claim it as his own star.

Nell looks steadily into Barry's eyes and tells him with full conviction that he is strong, just before leaving to rescue more survivors.

Standing on the bridge, Barry realizes he acted bravely throughout the entire storm even though he felt afraid every single moment of it.

Barry hears Cleo humming Blueberry Hill and learns that Roddy sang it constantly on the roof while the family waited for Barry's return.

This pool traces the inner arc of Barry Tucker's story, focusing on the moments of realization and decision that transform him from a self-doubting boy into someone who understands his own bravery. Early revelations about the levees, the storm's true severity, and his father's secret for staying calm lay the groundwork for how Barry will cope when separated from his family. The breaking of the levee, the loss of his sense of safety, and the discovery of Cruz as a companion mark crucial turning points in Barry's survival. A chance conversation with volunteer Nell becomes the catalyst for Barry's most important revelation: that fear and bravery can coexist, and that he has been brave all along. The pool closes with a quiet, hopeful moment that cements the Tucker family's bond and their connection to New Orleans through the song Blueberry Hill.