What Katrina Took

What Katrina Took

What did Katrina take? Our homes and our town, but not our faith and spirit!

St Bernard Parish, Louisiana has been what we've known as "home" our entire lives. On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina took that away from us. Not just some, but all residents of St. Bernard Parish were affected by this horrific storm. The storm passed over the Parish early that morning. Our levees, which were built to protect us, broke and within hours the entire Parish was underwater. The water sat in our homes for weeks destroying just about everything we own. Our worst fears came true... The big hurricane everyone talked about for years swallowed our below sea-level town.

Those of us who evacuated escaped safely. Some remained and weren't so lucky. We pray for them and their families. To those who stayed and rescued thousands of our neighbors, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. To the cities of the nation that accepted us evacuees with open arms, we also thank you. You gave us shelter in our tragic time of need for however long necessary.

Some will return to rebuild and some will not. Some of us will learn to call another place "home". In this period of so much uncertainty, one thing is for sure. St. Bernard Parish will never be the same. It is forever changed. But in the midst of all the heartbreak and loss, there is one thing Katrina could not take. It is the spirit of the Parish that will live on and we will take it with us wherever we go. You can take the people out of "da Parish", but you can't take "da Parish" out of the people.

Site Updates:

12/12/05: Added another slideshow titled "Louisiana"

Coming Soon: Pictures of our house and the houses of some of our family members.

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