Then and Now: New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina

PEOPLE.com revisits the city – and its determined residents – four years after the devastating storm

'SPIRIT FOR LIFE'

In the chaos of the storm, Morice answered a friend’s plea to check on his father. Morice found the man’s lifeless body in the attic of the family’s home. Fortunately, he was able to help others to survive. Now he is back in his renovated home – and he is hopeful. "We have many tasks at hand in New Orleans," he says, "but our spirit for life and laissez les bon temps roulez attitude will get us through."