Euricka

According to Vibe, Euricka, one of the first female R&B solo singer from New Orleans to hit the mainstream, was trapped in her home when Katrina hit the Gulf Coast last August. Several service boats passed her, because picking up people was ?not their first priority.?

Euricka scuffled through waist-high water and stared down military guns before reuniting with her family in Houston.

The storm changed her life, but Euricka is focused on the future. ?I have to move on with my life,? she tells vibe. ?No one will ever tell me again that I am not first priority.?

Right now, her first priority is her music. The New Orleans native is busy preparing her new album, ?The Takeover,? for release this fall. But like most Americans, Hurricane Katrina stays on her mind.

?I put my heart into this album,? says the gorgeous singer, who also writes, models, paints and dances. ?It?s time for my takeover.?