Rooftop Terror: True Hurricane Katrina Story, American Couple Learns How to Survive a Natural Disaster

In late August 2005, authorities in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, read the warning signs and instructed residents to leave ahead of the approaching storm known as Hurricane Katrina-and most people did as they were told.

But for a few stalwarts, including Joseph Bellande and his wife, Linda, fleeing with their lives wasn't the obvious choice. With a sophisticated disaster preparedness plan and plenty of experience with hurricanes and tropical storms, Joseph and Linda decided to shelter in place at their St. Bernard Parish home just outside of New Orleans.

This decision proves nearly fatal, however, and leaves the Bellandes weathering Hurricane Katrina while tethered to the roof of the house, just fighting to survive.

It is the early morning hours of August 30th when Joseph realizes that no one is coming to rescue them. So along with their son, the Bellande family decides to try to save themselves by climbing into a boat and taking their chances against the great storm.

True Hurricane Katrina Story tells the harrowing tale of the Bellande family's fight to survive against the odds during one of the nation's deadliest natural disasters.

Joseph Bellande was born in 1949 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and moved to St. Bernard Parish in 1960. After earning his degree in economics from the University of New Orleans, he operated a small business as an electrical contractor for over forty-four years.

An avid outdoorsman, fisherman, and hunter, Bellande has experienced firsthand every hurricane and tropical storm that hit the New Orleans area since 1957.

Bellande married his wife, Linda, in 1970. They have two children, Tina and Jason. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and an advocate of personal responsibility, self-defense training, and survival planning.