My family and I evacuated the Sunday before Katrina. We intended on staying and riding out the storm, but when we saw how much strength it had gained during the previous days of tracking it, we had no choice but to pack a couple of days' worth of clothes and food, and head out on a journey that we never would have expected. That Monday morning, Hurricane Katrina hit. We were in Monroe for two to three days with some people my aunt knew. Shortly after, we drove for hours and arrived in Orange, Texas. It was in Orange, that we stayed for a month and started to adjust to the place. I attended West-Orange Stark High and made a couple of friends. Unfortunately during the month I was there, Hurricane Rita was headed to where we were. Again we took leave and moved to Slidell, where we lived with our cousins for a couple of months. When we found out that New Orleans was gone, my parents rented a house in Slidell and decided that we would be staying there permanently until further notice. When we were allowed to see our house for the first time in months, we were devastated. I remember getting out of the car and looking at my neighborhood. It looked completely different. When we entered our house, the smell of mold and mildew went into my nostrils and almost made me run out of the house for fresh air. We got only six inches of water, which does not sound bad compared to other people's houses, but it destroyed our house completely. As of today, my parents are still living in Slidell, but are fixing the house in New Orleans. They said it won't be much longer until they move back.