Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Remembering Katrina

With Hurricane Isaac attempting a repeat performance of Hurricane Katrina (set to arrive on the anniversary 7 years later), we've been talking about the things we remember from Katrina and the immediate aftermath.  Here's our family list -- in no particular order:


We Remember . . .

  • rain.  Lots and lots of rain.
  • playing board games with my siblings.
  • texting my friends to make sure all were well.
  • cream cheese with raspberry chipotle.
  • playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark.
  • my great-grandmother coming to stay with us.
  • the power being out for thirteen days.
  • finding the cat Katrina in the woods.
  • Cooking bacon on the grill outside.
  • my sister, Elisabeth, finding a new "friend" named Mouse.  Mouse was an imaginary friend who washed in with the weather.
  • dad being gone for five hours trying to get Ninny from the airport that was only an hour away.
  • staying at Mama Pete's house when her power came back on finally.
  • watching Jumanji with the Neiman's.
  • swaying trees in the wind.
  • trying to eat the food in the deep freeze before we lost it all.
  • being held by my great-grandmother by the front door as we watched a tree fall.
  • that a tree fell down and my cousins tried to get to our house.  They had to stop, get out of their car, and walk down the road to find us.
  • making rainbow cookies at a house with a gas stove.
  • the tree breaking the fence and Rebel getting loose.
  • pecan trees falling and smashing the shed.
  • the tree that came through the living room of Timothy Watkins' house.
  • that we never finished the game of Monopoly.  We always had to start over because someone would get mad and destroy the board.
  • the heat was terrible.
  • long lines for gasoline and only being able to buy $25 worth at a time -- cash only.
  • waiting in line at the Fairgrounds for our daily ration of ice and military MREs.
  • wanting to go back to our house as soon as the power came on, but my parents wouldn't let us because it was so hot inside.
  • Family.  Together.  For such a time as this.


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3 comments:

  1. I remember my Daddy using Joseph's weird shaped container of blue toothpaste as hair-gel in our dark house. Appreciation for military while eating MREs. My husband going to check on my friend's parents in Slidell and being greeted at their door with a shotgun because he wasn't immediately recognized- while their daughter in North Carolina was waiting impatiently to hear that they were safe. The news coverage of the waves filling the hotel right in front of my brother-in-law and his wife's house that they insisted on staying in. The relief when we finally heard from them. Then painful loss. Smiling still that the house we moved from 3 miles off the beach had no damage. But our first rental house right by the beach was washed away along with all the others on that street. Thankfulness from people we were able to share with as we turned our church into a donation station. Gratitude for truckloads of supplies dropped off at the church including gas! Amazement at the generosity of strangers. My daughter declaring from then on that she knows she is getting a hurricane for her birthday. The hum of the generator- I hope I don't have to hear that for three weeks this time. Yes, family together!

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  2. I'll be praying for your family. You all are so resilent!! Thank you for sharing.

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Thanks for stopping by and sharing your heart with me!