"Hurricane Katrina" August 29th, 2005

We all heard about that devastating day when hurricane Katrina whipped through the Gulf Coast. I was camping up north with my family when I heard about it. This storm not only affected the United States, but people from countries all over the world. In one day, hurricane Katrina obliterated homes, hospitals, schools, businesses and communities in Louisiana and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast leaving people homeless, hungry and in the unfamiliar role of asking for help. In Mississippi, a 70-mile stretch of coastline laid waste, 236 dead, an estimated $125 billion in damage, and 65,380 houses were destroyed. To the west, a different story emerged in Katrina. The proud city of New Orleans, a place of jazz, dancing and happy times, fell into a sad state. Some 1,500 people died; the unaccounted for are still into the thousands. Homes, lives and history were lost. In a few nightmarish hours, evidence of three centuries of coastal life disappeared. Wedding pictures, high school annuals, diaries, histories - gone.
It's hard to imagine what these people have gone through and what they are still going through. But I can honestly say that this catastrophic storm has led me to some of the best experiences I have ever been through... leaving me with memories and stories I can share with everyone...