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The Helicopter shook violently as the rotors gained momentum and the chopper slowly lifted off the roof of the school. I sat speechless on the floor of the chopper as its engine roared louder while we gained altitude. I thought of the people whom I had left behind and I wondered what would be their fate. The people that I had left behind were a tenacious bunch and I recognized they would not abandon the city without offering some opposition. But I had to listen to my spirit. It was both a sad and fortunate moment for me; distressing since I was saying goodbye to my friends and the town that I cherished, and fortunate because I was finally leaving the mayhem of Katrina’s aftermath. The sun was breaking its first light of the day above the hazy horizon as we lifted off. The sky was filled with smoke from the many fires that burned out of control beneath us. A number of people say the fires were started by enraged survivors who burned structures and stores they looted but no one will ever understand what actually happened. We ascended higher and although visibility was poor, I could see the massive opening in the roof of the Louisiana Superdome and the crowds of people on the ramp that surrounded the giant structure. I was amazed to see how much destruction Hurricane Katrina had done to the city. All I had imagined was nothing compared to the horror I saw as I looked down from inside the chopper. As far away as I could see I saw submerged houses, a number of them flooded to the rooftops and some scarcely recognizable as the peak of their roofs could barely be seen beneath the brownish swamp colored water. Until now I had no idea that the whole town had been inundated. It was September 5, 2005 when I left New Orleans, having been rescued by the U.S. Army and airlifted to Louis Armstrong International Airport. Scenes from that terrible day of the horror I experienced in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina still live in my memory. While I thought about it a number of times, I could never find the courage to return to New Orleans to live because somehow deep within I knew life in the Crescent City would never be the same. But after five years Katrina’s scars are no longer visible, and though time has healed a great deal of the torment I endured nevertheless the pain of leaving behind a lifetime of memories even now lingers. Nothing can describe the emotion of having your life swept away and being reluctantly exiled from a city and a culture that you’ve known since birth . Relocating to Fort Worth, Texas has in many ways been a blessing and I am little by little regaining many of the material possessions that I lost to Hurricane Katrina. But my spirit is still saddened at the loss of the irreplaceable things of great value like friendships and family photos. I still get home sick for the many things we call “Naturally New ‘Awlins”. I miss Cajun delicacies like boiled crawfish, crabs, shrimp and Gumbo, red beans and rice. I long to see a good ole “second line” parade featuring Mardi Gras Indians in full head dress. To this day I still dream about taking a Sunday afternoon walk in Audubon Park watching squirrels play in moss laden oak trees, some of them several hundred years old. As a native of New Orleans I know the people who chose to return will overcome the odds against them and rebuild because by nature they are a resilient people. I also believe rebuilding the ravaged city will be a lengthy struggle and a very demanding challenge. As for me, I will always be a New Orleanian at heart and I will continue to pray for my people and root for the Saints from my Fort Worth home away from home.
Article Source: http://www.newsarticlessite.com
Eric Dunbar is the owner and editor of Golden Entrepreneur, where you will find outstanding resources to help the online entrepreneur excel in business. Eric Dunbar is also the author of THE FACE OF A DEMON, referred to by many as “The Recovering Addict’s Handbook”, and editor of X-JOURNAL Blog
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