Reliving Katrina

As I watch Gustav's approach I am plagued with a sick feeling. Remembering Katrina and watching it in much the same way, but without the sickening fear that I feel now. I was ignorant.

I lived on the Gulf Coast as a child. Hurricanes were actually exciting to us. The worst one I lived through was Frederick in 1979. The others we lost a few trees and got out of school for a week. Frederick was a bit worse. We had to walk to my GranGran's (3 milers) and literally cut her out of her house. There were trees down everywhere. Dog River was all the way up to the door stoop - but kindly, never came in. All the years my grandparents had owned the River House as we like to call it, it had never flooded. We lost the piers, lost dozens and dozens of trees...and other than minor damage from a fallen tree and winds - the house stayed safe.

Fast forward to Katrina. 2005. May of that year my Dad was diagnosed with cancer. Testicular cancer - stage 2. He was quite chipper about it actually except that he was 64 years old. The doctors said they rarely saw it in a man that old. But Dad did his chemo and was thin and frail when news of Katrina came to us. I was worried - but mainly because he could not batten down the hatches of the River House. My Gran and Papaw had long since gone and left the house to Daddy and so it was up to him to get it ready. But he could not. My brother is a fireman, he and several of his buddies from work came to the house and put up the storm doors and covered all the windows. The house was ready. I begged Mom and Dad to come up to stay with me...we were a good 3 hours north of Mobile and I felt they would be better off with me. But no, Daddy wanted to be where his things were...where his doctors were. So all I could do was pray.

We actually were not that worried about Hurricane Katrina. We knew there would be damage from storm bands coming through. We were more concerned about what it would do to New Orleans. But as far as the hurricane it self, we had no idea...it was on the west side of Mobile and that is the side that causes lest damage. But as I saw that monster in the Gulf I did have twinges - it covered the entire Gulf of Mexico.

I kept in touch with Mom and Dad by phone. They faired fine. They went and stayed with my brother. for a bit. My brother has a small house with two kids. It was crazy but Daddy said he could handle it for one night. When Bro. went to the River House , he called me crying...it was gutted. Five feet of water filled the house. Apparently Katrina's storm surge had pushed with such great force up Mobile Bay that it pushed it up Dog River as well...the house was about a mile from the bay up river. The water apparently hit the storm doors with such rapid force and pressure that the glass broke and the water rushed in. All the furniture....all Gran's antiques, all our pictures, were ruined...and though it was sad what was worse was the clean -up. The smell of dead animals and the nasty pools of water that were left behind. The humidity and smells were sickening at times as we were cleaning up.

But as bad as we were, we knew that there were others in worse conditions. Bayou LaBatre near us had families that had nothing. Mom would take canned food and carry it down to the Red Cross. In the midst of our devastation - for it was devastation - we would never see the River House again. And I am sad when I think about it. It was my childhood..my Gran Gran and my Papaw's place. The boathouse where I played and the rocks I sat on. Even the huge Cedar that we thought would never fall did.

Mom and Dad did not have flood insurance, never needed it. It had never flooded. So, we had to sell the place because we had no money to fix it. But still in all of this, my Mom and Dad conitinued to look out for those who had no places to sell. Dad and Mom lived in a pop- up camper until apartments became available. that was about 9 weeks. Once they got into the apartment it was easier. They had furniture given. They slowly got the mess cleaned out and we were able to sell the River house for more than it was worth to a neighbor who had been pestering the life out of us ever since Gran and Papaw died. So we were fortunate. So many were not.

The fear I have now is of what can actually happen in the lives of so many in the paths of these monster storms. And also of the unknown. You only think you know you are safe sometimes. You can never be sure.

What were some of your experiences with them and how did you cope?