Hurricane fears

A week of graduate school finished and an evacuation for another hurricane.... Sounds a lot like my husband's story with Katrina. I pray that this amazing city doesn't end up in shambles like it did three years ago.

I did relief work in Mississippi and Louisiana after Katrina. I saw the devastation the hurricane caused. I watched the brave people coming back to their ruined homes to rebuild. But, after a week of hard work, I could pack up and go home.

Three years later, the city is still rebuilding and coming back to life. Houses in the poorer areas are still empty and decaying, but slowly but surely, people have started to return. I still see hundreds of FEMA trailers, blue roofs, and downed trees, but the city seems to have regained its vibrancy.

Now, after working and living in this city for three months, I have started to get to know the people who have bravely faced the rebuilding process. I guess I never really realized that everyone lost everything. My coworkers still tear up when they recall the first time they saw their house after Katrina. My boss is so happy that she, after a couple years of work, has finally moved out of the FEMA trailer and into her home. I get a little emotional now when I think about what another hurricane could do.

The city is doing everything it can to avoid making the same mistakes it did in Katrina. Everything is shutting down even before the Gustav storm hits the Gulf. I definitely don't think it's overreacting to take these steps so early. New Orleans is a fishbowl that is sinking into the Gulf.... yeah, we need to get out.

It's scary to think that I might lose all of the things that Matt and I have started using in our new life together. This is my first hurricane where I feel that there's a lot more at stake. It was never my house or my car or my lifestyle that was going to be effected. But, it helps me to see where my priorities are and how strong my faith is. We will be taken care of. God does not forget His people.

Matt and I are packing up, emptying the fridge, and leaving for Pensacola (yeah... still in the hurricane's path, we know...) as soon as I get off work. Yay for a long weekend. *sarcasm*