How are you marking the 1 year anniversary of Katrina?

[Im_So_Depressed]

The nation's most destructive national disaster by many times over.

2000 dead.
Over 120 billion dollars in damages.
Incalculable suffering.
Depression left behind in its wake.
A vibrant city reduced to a repair town.
Racism and poverty exposed within and without.

[FritzPaul]

By tracking Ernie and maybe giving Entergy a call for the 1000th time about getting electricity to my house and/or FEMA trailor (FEMA put a trailer in our front yard and everything is hooked up except power and FEMA will not give out trailer keys until all utilities are hooked up) so that maybe one day, I'll be able to move back home.

[TSmith274]

Channel 4 in N.O. is now showing footage of their news coverage leading up to the storm. I've found it very depressing to watch. Not because of the storm event itself, but because seeing footage of bustling neighborhoods, clean streets, perfectly maintained houses, and manicured medians and lawns in New Orleans are so foreign to me now. These are the things they are showing on TV. I found myself getting choked up seeing my city so pristine. I hadn't realized that I had forgotten what we looked like before. I had somehow forgotten what the city looked like when it was full of life. It really has made it sink in... more at this very moment than ever before. I didn't think I'd have a hard time with it until this very moment. It's very weird to see this video from before the storm... and very difficult.

[Dionne]

I just finished reading the childrens essay winners about their Katrina experiences. Fortunately I keep a box of kleenex on my office desk.

I had planned to go to The Beau and visit Franks home under construction.

All the men that have worked with me for the last year have the day off with pay.

My new plan is to attend morning mass and spend a quiet day at home.

[Jagno]

TSmith & FritzPaul, not a day goes by that our hearts and prayers aren't extended your way. We lost it all in Rita but somehow we still feel that you folks in E. LA and Mississippi still have it soooo much worse where rebuilding is concerned. Despite the theiving contractors, we had our infrastructure up and running quickly which allowed the rebuilding process to begin quickly. Still, days go by that NOW all I want to do is cry because I'm so sick and tired of debris, sights of ruin and most of all the look of hopelessness in so many peoples eyes. My biggest heartache for you is the trash that the media portrays concerning New Orleans. I get angry every time I see a news article because they act as though every single person in New Orleans was black, lazy and a 4th generation welfare recipient. I've gone back to New Orleans many times over the last year and it is showing signs of improvement albiet in very small progression. Keep your chin up and keep moving forward. I still wake up every morning to the sounds of saws and hammers but that is fine with me because that means that progress is being made.....even if it is noisy as hell and I'd like to sleep later than 6:00 a.m..

[redmosquito]

I'm not. Seriously, do I really need to mark it? I respect all the points you covered, but thats the end of it.

[EverythingIsEverything]

By saying a quick prayer for those, who feel like they can't do it on their own, asking God and his angels to provide them strength and sustain them through this depressing hopeless time they are going through. Amen!

[Canelaw99]

Honestly, I'm marking it by being glad I"m in town for whatever Ernie brings our way (we were in PR for Katrina and I was a wreck - no S2K, no preps done at home, etc.), and by tracking my amigo Ernesto.....

Hard to believe it's been a year already, that's for sure.

[jlauderdal]

The nation's most destructive national disaster by many times over.

2000 dead.
Over 120 billion dollars in damages.
Incalculable suffering.
Depression left behind in its wake.
A vibrant city reduced to a repair town.
Racism and poverty exposed within and without.

clearing off my pool deck and preparing for a power outage. honestly i will take what we get if it allows them a break, they deserve it.

[Lindaloo]

I'm not. Seriously, do I really need to mark it? I respect all the points you covered, but thats the end of it.

Well then why bother replying to this thread? We actually do not care if you want to mark it or not and that is the end of that!

[BigO]

I'm trying to celebrate instead of mourn. Sure, I miss the heck out of the place and its environment, but materially my family are better off away from the place. We've made some really positive things happen since the storm and I'm doing my best to focus on those positive developments instead of what we lost or cannot reclaim.

I'm not what you'd call an optimist, but that's how I am choosing to treat it.

[rtd2]

I started my day by praying for the families who lost their possession's and even worse their loved ones. I kinda dreaded this day as now I'm reliving each hour. I can recall what I was doing and the fury I experienced. its 9:00 and the worst part of the storm was some 2 hours away! 2 hours that changed my community and so many others. 2 hours that ended to many lives! I thankful I made it through alive with my family safe (wife and son evacuated, I could not due to job) The sites and smells will ALWAYS been stamped in my memory. I remember around 4pm leaving work(Keesler AFB) with a co-worker and walking down to the beach in biloxi and crying my eyes out as I looked out over what use to be. BUT with all the death and destruction there is hope and a chance to rebuild stronger and nicer and to educate those who may want to ride out the next big one!

[redmosquito]

I'm not. Seriously, do I really need to mark it? I respect all the points you covered, but thats the end of it.

Well then why bother replying to this thread? We actually do not care if you want to mark it or not and that is the end of that!

Wow. Great.

[Lindaloo]

I thought so, mosquito.

[LAwxrgal]

I took the day off work and went to church, to pray for the many souls who were lost.

[hurricanesurvivor]

When it cools off later, I'm going to go to the cemetery and visit my grandmother's and mother's graves. I really miss them. It's been a sad year.

[Audrey2Katrina]

I'm not. Seriously, do I really need to mark it? I respect all the points you covered, but thats the end of it.

Well then why bother replying to this thread? We actually do not care if you want to mark it or not and that is the end of that!

EXACTLY, I was about to say the same thing, the question was what are you doing to.... not a questiona about what are you NOT doing.... sheee!

As for me, I'll be attending a memorial service... and thinking about the city as it once was...the beautiful Gulf Coast, as it once was... and only hope and pray we can get something of that back--but there are aspects I know are lost forever...

I guess trying my darndest NOT to be depressed *sigh*

A2K

[alicia-w]

I burned ten memorial candles and planted two avocado trees in memory of those who passed.

[Audrey2Katrina]

What a nice gesture, Alicia! At least from my end... thanks.

A2K

[NFLDART]

My hopes and prayers are with all, both those lost and those who remain. I am however joyed at the resurgence of spirit and hope that has been shown by the residents of the gulf coast. I hope and pray that you will never have to need my crew again, but, if you do, we will be there once again.