Katrina's Lives Lost:	Pam Washington 1980-2005
			Darryl Milton 1977-2005
Submitted By: 		N.O.V.A January 2006
Source:			Times Picayune 01-17-2006

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When they were a little younger and a lot wilder, they did their
share of partying and running the streets of the Lower 9th Ward.
But Pam Washington, 25, and Darryl Milton, 28, recently were
engaged to be married and decided it was time to settle down.

"Back in May, we were playing cards and she told me how she wanted
to get her life right," her father, Reginald Washington, said. "I
remember feeling so proud because she was so young but already
lived such a hard life."

Pam, one of four female siblings, was still in high school when her
mother and her maternal grandmother died within a few months of
each other. Reginald said the deaths took an emotional toll on Pam,
who gave up on her studies, got pregnant and dropped out of school.

Soon after the birth of her daughter, Whitney Washington, Pam
returned to school to get her diploma.

"The whole family was proud to see her not settle for a GED," said
her aunt Sabrina Alexander. "She wanted to earn her degree and go
on to college, so she could get a good job."

At 24, the single mother learned that she was HIV positive. Her
father said Pam didn't let the news detour her from pursuing her
college dreams or her deepening relationship with Milton. After
dating for a year, the couple rented a house together on Jourdon
Avenue in the Lower 9th. Pam enrolled in the University of New
Orleans for the fall semester and planned to major in computer
science while Milton worked his new job as a dishwasher at a French
Quarter restaurant.

"He said he was with who he wanted to be with, finally," said
Patrice Milton, Darryl's cousin. "I remember thinking he sounded
like he'd finally figured out what he wanted to do with his life."

As Hurricane Katrina approached, the couple considered evacuating.
But they didn't expect the city to get hit hard, Reginald
Washington said, and decided to ride it out at home and send
Whitney out of the city in the care of Pam's sister Kim.

Darryl was a strong swimmer; Pam couldn't swim at all. As the water
began to rise in the neighborhood, Darryl phoned his uncle, Terry
Milton, to ask for help getting them out. Neither escaped the
rising floodwaters in time.

"There's no way to know what exactly happened," Patrice Milton
said. "We do know the barge now sits where their house once was."

Two bodies were removed from the site, but the Washington family is
still waiting for DNA tests to confirm that the remains at the St.
Gabriel morgue are Pam's and Darryl's.

"It's our family's belief that Pam may have drowned and Darryl had
no way to escape from the attic," Patrice said. "We can only find
peace in the fact that they found comfort in being together."