Katrina
They say this is the fourth strongest storm in history to have hit the United States. It's headed directly for New Orleans, and it doesn't seem to be straying from it's destination. It has picked up considerable speed and the weathermen are quoting hurricane speeds are at 165 mph. The authorities worry that they may not have enough body bags. (This worries me a bit.) All the houses are boarded up and the streets are empty, except for a car now and then, hopefully on their way out of town.
Nathalie and I are stuck at the hospital. Considered "Essential Personnel", we're here to take care of people that don't leave town, and the people that are too sick to be discharged from the hospital. So who's taking care of us? Dunno.
We've brought our most valuable and irreplaceable items with us: photos from our childhood, photos of our parents when they were younger, my wedding tux, our rings that we'll exchange in November, the various jewelry that I've given Nathalie, and my Curious George that I've had since I was 2 years old. We brought other knickknacks as well. And what we couldn't bring in our little Toyota Camry, we placed in the center of our house, and in the hands of God.
So a mere 5 hours or so remains until the edge of the storm hits us, and a mere 16 hours or so until the eye of the storm is directly above us. All the TV and radio stations are ablaze with constant talk about the hurricane. Nobody knows what to expect. Nobody knows what kind of destruction may be possible. Their only comparison is Camille from the 60's, which destroyed the Gulf coast.
One of the stories I heard on the radio as I was parking the car at the hospital parking lot was that a group of people gathered at an apartment complex to ride out Camille and have a "Hurricane Party." Given that this was a fairly new apartment complex, they were convinced this was the most safest place to ride out the storm. Their apartment complex got destroyed, and none of the people were seen again.
That story sent a chill up my spine. And I wished that Nathalie had left town with her parents, but in a way, I'm glad she's here with me to ride this sucker out. She looks worried, and I'm worried too. But I'm trying to be strong. And I think everything's going to be OK. The only thing that really matters to me is Nathalie, and I'm going to have a tight hold on her during this whole thing. Everything else that I've ever owned, including Curious George, I can replace.
Pray for us. May God be with us all.
Nathalie and I are stuck at the hospital. Considered "Essential Personnel", we're here to take care of people that don't leave town, and the people that are too sick to be discharged from the hospital. So who's taking care of us? Dunno.
We've brought our most valuable and irreplaceable items with us: photos from our childhood, photos of our parents when they were younger, my wedding tux, our rings that we'll exchange in November, the various jewelry that I've given Nathalie, and my Curious George that I've had since I was 2 years old. We brought other knickknacks as well. And what we couldn't bring in our little Toyota Camry, we placed in the center of our house, and in the hands of God.
So a mere 5 hours or so remains until the edge of the storm hits us, and a mere 16 hours or so until the eye of the storm is directly above us. All the TV and radio stations are ablaze with constant talk about the hurricane. Nobody knows what to expect. Nobody knows what kind of destruction may be possible. Their only comparison is Camille from the 60's, which destroyed the Gulf coast.
One of the stories I heard on the radio as I was parking the car at the hospital parking lot was that a group of people gathered at an apartment complex to ride out Camille and have a "Hurricane Party." Given that this was a fairly new apartment complex, they were convinced this was the most safest place to ride out the storm. Their apartment complex got destroyed, and none of the people were seen again.
That story sent a chill up my spine. And I wished that Nathalie had left town with her parents, but in a way, I'm glad she's here with me to ride this sucker out. She looks worried, and I'm worried too. But I'm trying to be strong. And I think everything's going to be OK. The only thing that really matters to me is Nathalie, and I'm going to have a tight hold on her during this whole thing. Everything else that I've ever owned, including Curious George, I can replace.
Pray for us. May God be with us all.
posted by THW at 7:59 PM
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