The Helicopter shook violently as the rotors gained velocity and the chopper gradually 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 stubborn bunch and I knew they would not leave the city without offering some resistance. But I had to listen to my heart. It was both a sad and ecstatic moment for me; heartbreaking because I was leaving my friends and the town that I cherished, and fortunate since I was finally leaving the mayhem of Katrina’s aftermath.
The sun was breaking its first light of the day over the hazy horizon as we lifted off. The sky was filled with smoke from the many fires that burned out of control beneath us. Some say the fires were started by enraged survivors who burned buildings and stores they looted but no one will ever grasp what really occurred.
We ascended higher and even though visibility was poor, I could see the massive opening in the roof of the Louisiana Superdome and the crowds of people on the access ramp that surrounded the enormous structure. I was surprised to see how much destruction Hurricane Katrina had done to the city. Everything I had imagined was nothing compared to the horror I saw as I looked down from inside the chopper. As far as I could see I saw inundated houses, a number of them inundated to the rooftops and some hardly 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 entire city had flooded.
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 living in the Crescent City would never be the same. But after five years Katrina’s scars are no longer obvious, and despite the fact that time has healed a lot of the torment I endured still the pain of leaving behind a lifetime of memories still lingers. Nothing can describe the feeling 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 things that I lost to Hurricane Katrina. But my heart is still saddened at the loss of the irreplaceable things of immense 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 difficult 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.
Author Resource:-
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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