Remembering Katrina

It started on August 28, 2005.

I heard that Hurricane Katrina was classified as a Category 5 and was aiming for New Orleans. It was the storm New Orleanians always spoke of and hoped would never happen. This was the big one.

For the first time in its history, a mandatory evacuation of the City had been ordered by Mayor Ray Nagin. The shelter of last resort? The Superdome.

Call Lisa. She had left well before the evacuation order was issued and was on her way to Houston with the kids. Where's Kevin? West coast trying to head east.

I-10 west from New Orleans #parkinglot

Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005. Initial reports from New Orleans #alliswell

I caught up with Kevin and Lisa on the evening of August 29, 2005, at the J.W. Marriott in The Galleria area on Westheimer. Lisa's family was there.

We ate at Ninfa's by the ice rink. The Galleria was packed and everyone knew each other. THESE were the people who could get out on their own and had a place to go. There was an odd electricity in the air. #distractthekids

There were odd conversations happening. #whathaveyouheard #theleveesheld #neworleansdodgedabullet

I said good-bye to Kevin and Lisa. #hughugkisskiss

I woke up on August 30, 2005, to the news that the levee system failed. #neworleansisunderwater

The reports started coming in that people were stranded in the Superdome. Reports of hospitals without power and flooded. Reports of people in their attics and on their roofs because the water had risen that high. Reports of bodies floating down streets.

Call Kevin and Lisa at the J.W. Marriott. They've checked out. Call Beth. Kevin and Lisa had left and were making their way to Lafayette.

And then it turned out that the reports WERE true. I remember a guy calling in to CNN from Hotel Monaco that he was a guest and was stranded.

Soledad O'Brien reporting from the Convention Center. People went there hoping for help and no one was there.

Where was FEMA? #michaelbrownatruthschris #batonrouge Nagin? #rantingontheradio Blanco? #pissingcontest Bush #onanairplane

There was enough blame for everyone to share. #annericeranting What amazed me was that all of this was happening 300 miles to the east of me. We can airlift food and water to people overseas but we can't help our own? HOW does this happen in the United States of America? HOW do we leave our fellow citizens stranded? WE don't do that but OUR government let it happen.

It still puts a lump in my throat to think this was only 10 years ago. And the City of New Orleans was not the only one affected by this storm. Other parts of Louisiana, and Mississippi and Alabama received their share of damage.

We Will Rise Again - George Rodrigue

Parts of New Orleans have recovered, others have not. People who made their way to Houston...some have stayed, others went back to New Orleans. Why would they do that?

There is something about New Orleans. For some people, it's in their DNA. For me, it's hard to explain. I fell in love with the City the first time I visited. I can understand why someone would go back and rebuild their life.

I've been told by multiple people that I'm an old soul. New Orleans is an old city. It was bound to happen.

It's the people. The people are resilient; it's in their blood. It's the music. #birthplaceofjazz It's the food. #cajuncreole It's the city that care forgot. #laissezlesbontempsrouler It's the city that has always welcomed me with open arms.

Tennessee Williams once said, “America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.” #iagree

There are defining moments in everyone's lives and unfortunately I have had two within four years of each other...9/11/01 and Hurricane Katrina. Let us never forget.

Pic Of The Day - 08.20.15 - Remembering Katrina

The 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is approaching. As part of the commemoration, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu made a stop in Houston to thank the city for everything we did to help the evacuees. Houston wasn't the only city that opened its doors but it was the first to step up to the plate to offer an option to those who found themselves stranded in New Orleans. Houston also took in the highest number of evacuees.

This is a photo that Annise Parker posted. I believe it was a photo on Mitch Landrieu's Instagram page. It shows people housed in the Astrodome. From the Houston Chronicle:

One of the most notable temporary housing options for the evacuees was Houston's Astrodome, which housed thousands of evacuees during the weeks following the storm. Many of the people who ended up at the sports complex were transported via buses hightailing it from New Orleans. Volunteers set up temporary cots, clothes lines and food stations throughout the complex and doctors came through to provide medical attention to those with serious need.

As people started to move back to what remained of their homes and decide where they wanted to spend their future, a number of those displaced by the storm opted to stay in Houston. Former Mayor White said there are an estimated 40,000 evacuees who are now full fledged Houstonians.

"What we do know is that we were already kissing cousins and we became closer," Mayor Parker said. "We already had a lot of cultural overlap. Our food became just a little bit spicier and our culture became just a little bit richer because so many people came here."

Hurricane Katrina Five Years Later (Part III)

August 30, 2005 I called the JW Marriott to talk with Kevin and Lisa.  They had checked out of the hotel.  I asked to speak to her father; no answer.  I asked to be connected to her sister and Beth answered.  Kevin & Lisa left early in the morning to get closer to New Orleans.  They were going to Lafayette.

I think they left before Brian Williams started broadcasting live from New Orleans for Today Show.  He was standing on Canal Street and water was in the streets.  The levee system failed and water was pouring into New Orleans.

Life would never be the same for hundreds of thousands of people.

What followed in the next few days is hard to believe.  People were stranded in the Superdome.  People took refuge at the convention center.  There wasn't any food or water for these people.  It would be days before any relief would be sent to them and before they would be evacuated.

Local, state and federal governments failed the citizens of New Orleans.  There were no airdrops of food or water.  I still find it hard to believe what happened 350 miles from my doorstep.  It looked like scenes from a war-torn third world country but no, it was the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.  People died in the streets; people died in their homes.  People died trying to escape; people died in hospitals.

Please let this never happen again.

Hurricane Katrina Five Years Later (Part II)

On August 29, 2005, I went to the JW Marriott to meet up with Kevin & Lisa and their kids.  The hotel was full of guests from New Orleans.

On the morning of the 29th, Katrina came onshore.  The Mississippi Gulf Coast bore the brunt of the storm.  At the last moment the storm took a turn to the east.  However, New Orleans still took a beating.  The roof had been ripped off the Superdome; the shelter of last resort for thousands of people.  The Hyatt Regency had its windows blown out.

We walked over to The Galleria to have dinner and I have never seen the mall so full on a Monday night.  The evacuees really helped the Houston economy.  Restaurants were full and people were shopping and ice skating.  Everybody new each other and everyone talked about how lucky they were that the levees had held.  They were all making plans to go back to New Orleans on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I was glad to have spent time with Kevin and Lisa and some of their friends.  They were hopeful that everything would be ok when they returned and I shared in their hopefulness.

And then on August 30, 2005, Bryan Williams reported live from New Orleans on Today Show and we found out what really happened.

Hurricane Katrina Five Years Later (Part I)

August 28, 2005, I was at FIT and watching the news while I was on an elipitical machine.  I knew that a hurricane was heading toward Louisiana but I didn't know that Mayor Ray Nagin had issued a mandatory evacuation of the city of New Orleans.

On my way home I started to listening to a news station and they were talking about the amount of traffic on I-10 coming in from the east.  I called my Lisa to find out if she was OK.

She and her two children left New Orleans before the evacuation order was issued and had gone to Lafayette.  With the storm still on course she left Lafayette and was stuck in traffic on I-10 coming into Houston.  Kevin wasn't with her because he was on a business trip in San Diego/Tijuana.

She assured me that she was OK and would be meeting up with her family at the JW Marriott in The Galleria.  Kevin was trying to get to Houston.  I told her to please let me know if they needed anything.

This was just the beginning.

Jukebox Wednesday

September has always been an odd month for me. It always signaled the beginning of the school year. When I worked at a university in the admission/financial aid office, it always meant that the freshmen class was coming in and it was time to start a new recruitment year.

Labor Day is usually considered the line of demarcation for the end of Summer. The Miss America Pageant used to be held in September. Throw on top of this, the peak of Hurricane Season is September 10.

Somewhere in September, the temperatures actually start to drop from the high 90s to the high 80s. The daylight hours are definitely getting shorter in September. Football season begins in September. September also signals the beginning of fun runs in Houston because now people can run and actually enjoy it.

And how can we forget September 9, 2001 (9/11)?

There are some sad songs about September: See You In September and September Song

And then there is the song by Green Day. I will always associate this song with Hurricane Katrina & Hurricane Rita. Even though Katrina made landfall on August 26, 2005, much of the month of September was spent dealing with the aftermath of the storm. In September of 2005 when Rita was threatening Galveston-Houston, it lead to the biggest evacuation of a major American city only to have the storm go into southwestern Louisiana and finish off what Katrina left behind.

Even though my birthday is in September, I really don't like the month.

(btw...the music starts around 3:55)

Cone Of Uncertainty

I've noticed that I've been eating quite a bit more over the past few days. Kenny In Montrose (KIM) said he never knew I was such a muncher. I think it's all of this talk about cones

On a more serious note, Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans, told people to get their butts out of town. Going overboard? He said he would rather tell America that he was wrong.

He has said that communication up and down the line between government agencies is not what it was during Hurricane Katrina and that supplies and militia are in place.

By the way, where is Brownie (UGH! another food reference) these days? You remember Michael Brown from FEMA don't you?

And what if you planned a party and there's a party pooper by the name of Gustav knocking on your door? The Republican Party starts its convention tomorrow and the shadow of Katrina is hanging over them. I will say that blame for the poor response to Katrina can be spread from Mayor Nagin to former Governor Blanco to President Bush. Two disasters in one week? Gustav and the Republican convention. I'm just sayin'.

New Orleans

There have been two catastrophic events in my lifetime that have definitely made an impact on me. It's almost as if there are two bookmarks within a matter of years.

The first is September 11, 2001. I had been in New York City celebrating my 40th birthday and left on the evening of September 10 to return to Houston. I remember waking up on the morning of September 11 and watching the Today Show only to have it interrupted with live coverage of what was happening. Not only was I stunned because I had just been there but also because two of my friends were still there and were due to return that evening. They were safe and eventually made it back to Houston.

The second event is Hurricane Katrina in 2005. On the 2nd Anniversary, I put down some thoughts. I have always felt like New Orleans was a place I could call home. It isn't all about the French Quarter and the debauchery of Mardi Gras. It's about the history, the people, the food and the unique charm of the city.

Right now residents along the Gulf Coast are keeping an eye on Hurricane Gustav. It is too early to tell what it will do but it is a bit odd that a watch is being held on the 3rd Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Rather than dwell on this yesterday I picked up the phone and called a long time friend of mine who I had not spoken to in many, many months. She and her family are natives of New Orleans and returned to rebuild their lives.

I spent an hour on the phone with her taking a few trips down memory lane, sharing many laughs, and sharing a few hurricane preparedness tips. I actually offered one to her that she had not even thought of! Pretty good for a guy who has only lived on the Gulf Coast for 16 years, eh?

I also got in contact with some former clients of mine who also returned to New Orleans to rebuild their lives. They're in a watch mode and still a bit numb from what happened three years ago.

The tenacity, resilience, Southern charm and love of life is what all of these people have in common. I'm glad that I took the time to get in contact with them because they reminded me of what makes New Orleans so special: the people.