Bibliafarm - 2015-08-21 10:13 PM  Amen Julie

It is a tragic time right now up there. very sad.. praying for them all

Swannranch - 2015-08-22 1:27 PM   I was here then. Wow, cant believe its been that long. That was also part of the horrible Florida hurricane season. We were hit by 4 hurricanes in one season then another the next. Remember prayi g for LA people.

Ashlen1515 - 2015-08-23 5:15 PM i lived in Mississippi while hurricane Katrina happened! luckily our family got out before it hit but when it was all over we went back to our house it was flooded and EVERYTHING was ruined! we left everything behind and moved to texas and started all over! it was very hard but it brought our family together:)

komet. - 2015-08-23 5:06 PM I was in Missouri learning there were people stupid enough to live in a hole below sea level between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. Not only this, but they were stupid enough to be surprised when the water slopped over the rims and filled up their hole. Prayers to all the firefighters out west. It's hot, nasty, dangerous work.

Dreamingofcans - 2015-08-24 2:09 AM


Wow. First of all, no one is stupid for living in South Louisiana. Being judgmental about people you don't even know based solely on geographical location is asinine. Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst natural disasters this country has ever seen and you're going to call people stupid? Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you from Louisiana? Secondly, the water didn't "slop over the rim and fill the hole" - the levees busted. Maybe it's a technicality, but regardless. This started out as a remembrance post since the 10 year anniversary is coming up - remember all those who died, all those who helped, the total devastation, the loss of . . . Everything. Your disdain for how others may feel when reading your derogatory comment about "stupid people living in a hole" further confirms your lack of moral decency. Are people stupid for living in Tornado Alley? Are people stupid for living anywhere on the Gulf Coast or east coast?  Hurricanes hit there as well. What about out west where forest fires are common? Pray tell All-Knowing-Komet, since you're so knowledgeable, you tell us the best place to live and then all the "smart"'people can move there. 

komet. - 2015-08-24 3:51 AM OH!!! Thank you! Yes. I do now Live 50 miles south of New Orleans. And 50 miles north of the Gulf. Let us start with "tornado alley"... I used to live and work there. I grew up there. Did you? Can you spot a wall-cloud coming at you in daylight? Can you SMELL one coming at you in the dark? Can you hear one in the Dark? I learned all this decades before Doppler Radar... I've lived through an F4 when I was a child in Omaha. I Watched an F5 skirt past me when I lived in Sperry OK. Yes!!! There is a REASON they call it a "FLOOD PLAIN"... and only STUPID PEOPLE build there and expect the rest of us to pay for their stupidly. I remember the day the insurance on my truck DOUBLED!! I went in to ask my State Farm agent (for over 20 years) what the deal was and he told me they took a bad hit from Katrina and EVERYONE ELSE had to cover it!!! Yes!!.. Get off your a$$ and LOOK at a TOPO map of That Hole in Ground!!!

Rocket'sMagicGirl - 2015-08-24 11:37 AM

I lived in Vinton, LA (Calcasieu parish) at the time and remember keeping a close eye on Katrina. The day it made landfall, we had the most gorgeous weather because we were on the "good" side of the storm. The days after were terrible hearing about the levees busting and the flooding, looting and devastation going on in and around New Orleans.

And then just a short time after Katrina, hurricane Rita was barreling down on us in the western side of Louisiana. Rita was actually a much stronger hurricane than Katrina was, but after seeing the devastation from Katrina, most people did take the warnings seriously and evacuate in time. I really believe hearing the devastation from Katrina saved lives during Rita. People down here are so accustomed to hurricanes. We haven't had a bad one since the early 90s, so when the weathermen say it's a good idea to evacuate, no one pays attention. Well, after seeing only slabs of houses left in Mississippi and Louisiana after Katrina, it made things more "real" and is a bug reason people actually evacuated for Rita.

I remember I was in a meeting for LSU's Master Horseman program in Lake Charles and the ag center was getting supplies and volunteers to help house the horses in Baton Rouge from Katrina, when just a few days later we had to worry about getting our horses evacuated and to better locations ourselves. We evacuated for 3 days. When we came back after the storm, it was terrible. No power anywhere for about 3 weeks. That meant no cooking on electric stoves or microwaves, no refrigerator, no grocery stores were open. Remember, this is southern Louisiana in September. It was HOT. Ice was like gold. Thankfully my husband is an electrician and we had a generator, so he set it up to power the fridge and a little window ac unit in one room. I was 3 months pregnant with my first child and the emotions going through me were horrible! lol. I'll remember those weeks for the rest of my life.

Dreamingofcans - 2015-08-24 12:49 PM After we evacuated to Florida for Katrina, we watched on the news the levees breaking and the total chaos that ensued. My dad lives in Belle Chasse and he had evacuated to Texas, but I couldn't get in touch with him - it was weeks before I knew if he was ok or not. We stayed in Florida for 2 weeks because they wouldn't let us back home. When we were finally able to get back home, well, it was total destruction. My mom lives North of Lake Ponchartrain and the eye of the storm went over where she lives. My dad has a citrus orchard and lost everything. An oak tree fell on the house I was living in and took out 3/4 of it. It was a mess. My aunt lives in Gretna and she wasn't allowed back to her house for over a month. I also had a town house that, fortunately, came away unscathed so she moved in with me for the time being. I can remember waiting in line for hours for water and MRE's to eat because we had no electricity. It took a long time to get back on our feet. School started about 6 weeks after and that was rough - they had to cram an entire semesters worth of material into 6 weeks. And it was biochem! Natural disasters can happen anywhere. Hurricanes can affect numerous states. Look at the fires happening out west. I can remember the huge tornado that hit Moore, Ok and the one in Joplin before that. What is awesome and a true testament to people's good will is when they come together to help total strangers. When you live through total devastation like that, it is such a feeling of relief when someone pitches in to lend a helping hand. It feels like a lifeline - and it feels just as good to help others out.

Dreamingofcans - 2015-08-24 11:23 AM  I can sit on my butt and look at the topography via this really amazing thing called the Internet. I'm well aware of it - I lived there for years. And I've also lived in Tornado Alley. You complain about "stupid people" living there and how your insurance premium went up on your truck because of hurricane Katrina - do you know where the most damage occurred? It wasn't in said hole you speak of, it was Mississippi and Alabama where entire towns were wiped out. If it hadn't been for the levees breaking, New Orleans would have been fine. The levees had been leaking for years - The Corps of Engineers would never get their act together and fix it. So wait, you're mad because you had to pay extra for a natural disaster? What about those of us who help pay for a disgruntled, angry old mans disability? 

Herbie - 2015-08-24 3:44 PM

Many continued prayers for this great country.  I vividly remember everyone on BHW offering help through all of these terrible situations and am proud to be a part of this group.  We pull together even in the toughest of times and darkest moments, and that is what true family is all about.