Three years later to the day. That was when all the senses were knocked back into me. What was I thinking before that? That I was invincible? I think at that time I didn’t want to leave the place that had become my home. I stated earlier this week, and previously many times before that, what this city means to me. I must have known in the back of my mind what was going to happen. I didn’t want that taken away from me. What am I talking about? Read the following, it was written a year later.

The next morning I was chilling on the couch watching some movie....when a roommate came home, "Are you going to leave?" she asks me. "For what??" The hurricane that is coming" um no. I am not evacuating for a hurricane. It won't be that bad. They always say it’s going to be a bad one and it isn't. It probably won't even come this way. I decided to stay. Even after watching the coverage (which locally started around 1 or 2 on Saturday)and talking to several people. At that time I didn't have a car, so after both roomies left? I was on my own. I wasn't worried. I had some supplies, I cooked up a bunch of food that I could eat later cold. I made ice. I filled the tubs. I was good to go. I was even calling my friends to see if they were still playing at Donna's that night. To my surprise they were on their way out of town. I was even wondering if the Krewe of Oak, Midsummer party was happening down the street at the Maple Leaf. I decided to stay home and have my own hurricane party. I didn't sleep much that night. Early the next morning I started to worry. It was a Cat 5 now. It really is the big one. It really is coming this way. I am stuck here. I figure I can go to the superdome if it gets really bad. Then I realize I can't take my cat. My cat will go with me no matter what. So it’s either I stay put...or find a way out of town. If I didn't have my cat I would have stayed. I watched the last of my neighbors leave. It was so quiet. That feeling of oh crap....I think I did something stupid by staying, that feeling just rushed over me at that point. As luck had it? A co-worker and her hubby were still in town. And they were gettin out. They came and got me. I didn’t take much. Like most everyone else, I took my computer, a small duffel bag, my cat, her food and a small pan for her to use. That was it. About 4 hours into the trip, we were sitting on the Bonne Carre Spillway. In the countraflow. A dead stop. All four lanes. (for those of you that don't know, the spillway is maybe a half hour away...it took us 4 hours to get there) A feeder band came through. You could see it coming....the rain was just coming...the wind started rocking all the cars....the road was moving and shaking. I just kept thinking if this collapses? How far is it to swim with the kitty carrier above my head. The feeder band passed in about 5 minutes. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. You could see the fear in everyone around us. 12 hours after leaving New Orleans, we reached our destination. It was Jennings, LA. About 6 hours later, the full force of Katrina hit. We were all watching. we couldn't believe what we were seeing. When it was over? It didn't seem that bad. It really didn't. We figured by wed.....we would be on our way home. I was sleeping on the couch....well sleeping is a figurative term...I kept the TV on. I realized very early how bad the levee breaks were getting to be. Tuesday morning when my co-worker got up...she found me crying. "We aren't going to go home for a long long time" Later that day we headed to Austin. From there I went to Hickory Creek, TX. Where I spent the next 8 weeks with my dear dear friends.

Yeah, I was kinda stupid. If you have never experienced that feeling of belonging somewhere, then you don’t understand at all. My sense of being here has only strengthened in the past 3 years. I have gutted more houses than I can count. I have inhaled more mold than I care to think about. I have dealt with so much BS that is unbelievable. Knowing I am not the only one does help. There is a whole city full of people that feel the same way.
As we get nearer to tomorrow, that dreaded anniversary, with potential threat breathing down our necks, take a moment to remember lives lost, homes lost, lives destroyed and be grateful for what you have. I know I am

Posted by: Stacey at 09:32 AM
Category: Hurricanes