One year ago today I never thought our lives would be forever changed the way it was. Fortunately for us we did not have any water. We had minor structural damage. When we were sitting in Jacksonville Florida and received a phone call from our cousin stating they were upstairs in our uncle's house which sat on the water 28 feet above sea level and they already had 4 feet of water. O'Neil and I knew we were coming home to a flooded out house or no house at all for that matter. Then the reality hit me...What about my mother, father and grandmother who had stayed? I knew if Biloxi was that bad I couldn't fathom what it was like where I grew up. Phone lines down, bridges completely wiped out, roads piled with debris to the point of no passing. Pure destruction and devastation. Where they alive? Did they drown? All these thoughts running through my head while trying to keep cheery and happy go lucky for my kids. O'Neil left Jacksonville the night of the 29th and returned home to start cleaning up. He went down to my mom's house and he was able to get a line out to tell me they were alive. The house had 8 feet of water and they rode out the storm in the attic. If the water would have risen anymore they would have drowned. They had no ax no saw, nothing. The water entered the house so fast it swept them off their feet and they were able to make it to the attic stairs.
I finally left Florida to make it home. I could have never prepared myself for the actual damage that had been done. The destruction, the devastation, the chaos that we would endure for the next several months. The media could not and had never done justice to the destruction as seeing it in person. It was horrible and something I hope we never have to go through again in our lifetime.
Here it is one year later and Biloxi looks better but it is far from "normal". Where I grew up still looks like the Hurricane hit yesterday. It is sad and depressing. I hate to go down there and visit but I know it makes my family happy so I do it.
If you are interested in seeing pictures you can go here and here.
I am in the process of making a separate album in photobucket for all my Katrina pictures.
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8 comments:
oh babe...so glad you and your family were safe...hugs...
I still can't believe the damage that the Katrina caused. It is really mind boggling to someone that lives so far away from such things. I hope to hear great stories of recovery over the coming year.
Scott
oh man...greta.
I can't even imagine.
so glad you all were safe.
xoxox
It's unbelievable. I couldn't believe it when we passed through in July. I so much want to see the Biloxi/Gulfport that we used to know, but it's a long time coming.
Its really hard to believe. So many lives were touched by this storm.
I swear I left a message here earlier and it didn't take I guess! :(
I'm glad you and your family are safe!!
I was wondering how the anniversary was going down there, *e* said it was crazy.
Now that it is on tv again, I am still amazed at all that water, seriously. I don't think I could ever live in hurricane territory, I would be a nervous wreck!
You are way tougher than I girl!
Wow, I cannot even imagine. I'm glad those you love were safe.
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