Originally Posted by: iihollyWell this is my share on the whole Katrina incident. As a few of you know, or maybe just Jolly, I visited my brother down in New Orleans the week before Katrina. He lives, well lived down there.
We were visting the Grand Isle and went to a food place. This redneck waiter told us that the hurricane was supposed to hit New Orleans. Before that we had assumed it was turning the other way. So we go home, watch the news on the internet (to poor for cable). And all of a sudden we realize how serious this is (this is Friday night by the way).
Next day I'm going home on my flight. We had to sit through traffic to get to the airport from all the people evacuating. When I finally got to the airport there were tons of people. I talked to one guy, and he said he was flying up to Dulles (as I was) to just get away from it. Other people were just buying tickets on the spot. Basically most of the people at the airport were just trying to find a way out.
Well imediately after dropping me off my brother went and got his clothes, and started driving up towards Virginia to stay with me. He left his computer, stereo, and tv. Before I left his land lord was assuring him that everything would be fine, and they probably wouldn't even lose power. My brother, being from Virginia and not used to hurricans, wasn't about to sit and wait a hurricane out.
Before he left he tried to pick up his friend Ms. Dale, because she doesn't have a car. She was a nice mid aged black lady that I met. She said God were protect her, and my brother left. He also talked to his boss from Starbucks on the cell phone. She said (which I thought was funny) "i'm going to go stay in the projects, those bricks will never go down." I also met that lady too. Its hard for me to believe that more than likely those two ladies are dead.
I walked the French Quarter and visited the graveyard with voodoo queen in it, walked down bourbon steet and saw all the idiot drunk, smoked in a hookah cafe, and a million other things. I saw huges houses that had been there for 200 years. To even imagine any of that destroyed is just devastating me.
I wanted to go to Loyola, finally figured out what college suites me, and its probably not going to work out. Thats my selfish motive.
All I can say is I hope they restore the city, because it is more than just any regular city like Denver or DC, because of its culture. Its one of the last places in America, I believe, where one can pull of the whole starving artist routine.
My prayers go out to them.

Peace,
Holly