Chapter 5 takes place on October 3, 2005. The family goes to see the Yellow House. The house has split into two. The later addition added by Simon separated from the house. The windows are blown out. The yellow siding hangs off the house. The trees are uprooted. As Ivory Mae stays in the car, Broom tentatively enters the house but doesn’t go very far inside. 

In July 2016, Broom learns that the house has been torn down. The city sent a letter announcing the demolition of 4121 Wilson to the abandoned house’s mailbox. No one is there to see it knocked down. Carl checked on the house regularly, but he is hospitalized for intestinal obstruction. Carl is convinced it was because of the toxic water he swam in during Katrina. He gets an infection after surgery and is hospitalized for 30 days. Other buildings in the city are demolished without warning too. Some were in perfect condition. 

After Katrina, Broom draws closer to her family and New Orleans. She visits seven times in three months. With only two brothers left there, her family is no longer based in New Orleans. She has no one to pick her up at the airport anymore.