HOUSTON — August 29, 2025, marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, devastating New Orleans and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. For many, Houston became a temporary refuge. For Terrance Gasper, it became home.
When the storm hit in August 2005, Gasper was staying with his cousin in the Lafitte housing project. He remembers walking to the top of a bridge and seeing a sea of people escaping the floodwaters.
“Bro, it was like the Million Man March. The whole city was coming from the east,” Terrance Gasper said.
Like thousands of others, he ended up at the New Orleans Superdome, stranded for three days before boarding a bus with no idea where it was headed.
“I fell asleep, and when I woke up, we was in front of the Reliant Center, the Astrodome. I said, man, we’re in Texas, in Houston,” Gasper said.
At the time, Gasper thought his stay would be temporary. But returning to New Orleans wasn’t an option.
“All the houses and stuff, it was just destroyed. It looked like a bomb had hit the place,” Gasper said.
Gasper decided to relocate to Houston. He opened Young Fellas Barbershop and built a loyal clientele. Business has been steady ever since.
Still, his New Orleans roots run deep. His 10-year-old son, Terrance Jr., has picked up his love of music, drumming in the shop and on stage. Gasper plays bass drum with The New Orleans Hustlers, a brass band made up mostly of Katrina evacuees.
“New Orleans is in my veins. I’m full of New Orleans culture,” Gasper said.
He’s also the Mardi Gras Indian Chief of the White Eagles, a role he’s held since 2005. Every year, he drives back for Mardi Gras Day, no matter what the weather.
Two decades after arriving in Houston, Gasper says Bayou City has won him over.
“I’ve been here half of my life,” he said. “The food. They’re barbecue specialists here. These people can barbecue anything.”
From the buzz of his clippers to the beat of his drum, Gasper has found ways to keep his New Orleans spirit alive while building a life, a business and a community in Houston.
You can catch the New Orleans Hustlers Brass Band playing at venues around Houston most nights of the week. Click here for locations and times: https://hustlersbrassband.com/
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