Memories of a One Hurricane, Fears of Another

I'm a day late on this one... but just wanted to write something to commemorate the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which happened three years ago yesterday. I haven't been to New Orleans since Mardi Gras this spring, but the city has been on my mind a lot the past few days. I've wondered about how progress is coming in rebuilding, I've reminisced on the year that I spent living there, and I've missed the friends that are still there working to restore the city. Oh, and I've longed to hear some Trombone Shorty and Irvin Mayfield. :)

Obviously when August 29th rolls around on the calender, a lot of people will be thinking about Katrina (was it just me or did Obama's two references to New Orleans receive extra loud applause during his acceptance speech at the DNC?). And while I can vouch that the residents of New Orleans never STOP thinking about Katrina, it's actually not the hurricane MOST on their mind during this commemorative day. That's because Hurricane Gustav is already a Category 3 with a possibility of strengthening into a Cat 4 after it crosses Cuba. And though it's too early to tell where exactly it will make landfall, trackers are predicting that the storm could hit New Orleans dead-on. I spoke with some of my friends who live in Nola, and they were evacuating to Baton Rouge last night. I can't really express how much I'm hoping Gustav DOESN'T hit New Orleans. The residents have been through so much in the past 3 years - I don't know how many of them could continue if all they've done to recover is destroyed by another hurricane. For anyone who would, now would be a great time to offer up some prayers for grace, hope, and strength for all the folks on the Gulf Coast.

A couple links:

Anderson Cooper did an outstanding job in his reporting of Katrina, and more importantly, of the recovery process and failures of the government throughout the whole ordeal. Check out his 360 blog:

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/category/hurricane-katrina/

From the Times-Picayune, columnist Chris Rose can always be counted on to deliver poignant commentary on the status of the city, wrapping up biting truth within humor and sarcasm. For his latest:

http://blog.nola.com/chrisrose/2008/08/everybody_please_just_relax_un.html#more