While Hurricane Katrina was rolling over New Orleans, a 14-year-old girl, still trapped in her home, wrote a message to no one in particular.
The message was written on August 29, 2005, and told about being stranded in a home with family members and "If anyone is reading this, keep me and my family in your prayers, and I will keep you in mine. God Bless." It was signed Angela Caballeros. (Via Opposing Views)
Then the young teen put that message in a bottle and dropped it into the rising water with no expectation of seeing it again.
Three weeks later, Rob Turan, a park ranger, found the bottle under debris while helping clean up the wreckage left by Katrina. He says he made copies of the letter and handed them out in hopes of finding Caballeros and her family, but nothing turned up. (Via KTXL)
Turan then took the letter home to Tennessee and had it framed. He says for almost eight years he's looked at every day and wondered about Caballeros. Eventually he looked her up.
A Times-Picayune reporter helped Turan get in contact with the now 22-year-old Caballeros through one of her high school friends. He then traveled to New Orleans to meet her, her mother and grandmother at their new home. In an emotional meeting, Turan revealed the framed message and gave it to Caballeros.
They then spent the afternoon catching up and telling stories of their time in New Orleans during Katrina. Turan treasured Caballero's message in a bottle for nearly eight years, and now Caballeros says she's glad she has something to show for the tragic events she experienced. (Via TIME)
Both Caballeros and Turan promised to keep in touch and believe they've found a lifelong friend in each other.
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