PART 19

A month after the storm, the community center hosted a meeting about emergency preparedness.

Natalie agreed to speak on one condition: no one would use Ashley’s name or image in promotional material.

The organizers accepted.

She talked about the difference between concern and suspicion, the importance of calling for assistance when a child might be in danger, and the ways an ordinary neighbor could check on someone without intruding.

She said it was possible to care about a child’s safety while withholding judgment about a parent until facts emerged.