New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina from space

It has taken me a while to talk about what has happened in New Orleans. I have truly been in shock and dismayed by what has happened there. My grandparents used to live there and my grandmother still owns the house there, so New Orleans has very special meaning for me. I have been deeply saddened and upset by it all. I think the media showed too much of what was going on there, but me, like many other people, was glued to the TV. I would sob every time they would show the streets where I played with my cousins as a kid, the streets where I watched my first Mardi Gras Parades, the place where I got married to young, had my first job as a nurse at Charity Hospital, and the streets where I had my first alcoholic drink. Yes, I rank my first alcoholic beverage right up there with all my significant firsts! I remember every Sunday was brunch, beignets, hot chocolate and cafe au laits after Mass. Cafe du Monde, a sidewalk cafe reminisant of a Parisian cafe, has survived many a hurricane. Will it survive this one? My heart breaks everytime I think about it. The memories running through my head like a movie. I can't stop them and I don't really want to because that might be all I have left of the city I love so much.

What happened to the city that held so much joy for me? Right after Hurricane Katrina, I was worried about my family members that are still there. Some had left town on Saturday, but most stayed behind because they thought they could "ride" it out. No word from them for days. What scary moments those were. My grand uncle, who is 76 years old, walked the 80 miles from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, with his family. He refused to go to the Superdome, which I am so glad he refused, after hearing all the vicious things that occurred there. He said that if he survived World War II, he was going to be damned if he died in a Hurricane. He always kept 5 or 6 backpacks filled with MREs, water, flashlights, and first aid kits. Everyone laughed at him, but who is laughing now?! He survived, he and his family. No one really thought this hurricane would be a bad one. They thought it would be like all the hurricanes before. But Katrina surprised us all.

All of my family survived and are in safe places, but I think about those that didn't. I have some disappointment with the response of the government, but not overwhelming anger. I am pissed that they didn't carry out the disaster plan they created, specifically with New Orleans in mind. Why didn't they?! It was all outlined what needed to happen. Isn't it better to be safe than sorry, like we all are now? What was the point of doing all those exercises and drills? Was it a waste of tax payer money and volunteer time? I am beginning to think so. It makes me wonder are we safe from the so called terrorists. All that planning, will it be a waste of time should another September 11 occur?
Here are some pictures of my favorite places in New Orleans, that hold my fondest memories.

Bourbon Street

Natchez Riverboat on the Mississippi River

St.Louis Cathedral in the Vieux Carre

Super Dome

I pray that it can get back to it's former glory and distinction. I have plenty more Mardi Gras Parades, Jazz Festivals and Bayou Classics to attention. I LOVE YOU NEW ORLEANS!!