Doc never gives up hope that the clubs, symbols of New Orleans music and soul, are spared and that his apartment above the Pharaoh club is in tact. Hurricane Song is a beautifully written book of hope. He describes streets drowning in fetid water and looting of abandoned stores. Volponi describes the horrendous living conditions the evacuees suffered: filth, lack of food and water, sleeping while sitting on stadium seats, guarding their possessions.

Offsetting the hopefulness of the displaced is the lack of compassion shown by some law enforcement officers. Juxtaposed against the homeless caring for each other is the harshness of gangs roaming the Superdome extorting protection payments and brutalizing evacuees. In daily installments, Hurricane Song recounts the stark reality of the humane and brutal sides of shelter life during the hurricane. So, the Superdome/hurricane shelter conjured up different images for each of them. His dad and Uncles first gig was in a shelter. Miles dreamed of playing football in the Superdome. Miles, his dad and Uncle Roy hit the road, but when their car overheated, they were forced to abandon it and take shelter in the Superdome. The roads were jammed and traffic was at a standstill. As the storm approached, people began evacuating. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans that summer. His mother warned him that he better get used to being second in his dads life. Hed visit his father each summer but, now that the Chicago apartment was getting crowded with more brothers and sisters, he decided to live full time with his dad. His dad, Doc, a trumpet player, stayed in New Orleans. His mom remarried and moved from New Orleans to Chicago.

Hurricane song by paul volponi