In late December of 2004 a great tsunamis swept across the Indiana Ocean killing thousands of the Sri Lankan population. Living on the water on the North side of the Pontchatrain Lake for all 20 years of my life, this devastation really made me and my family wondered if the next hurricane season would be it for our lake front community in Eden Isle. Ironically, my parents had decided 2 months later to sale the house. After so many years of worrying about if this would be the year the lake would finally creep far enough into our home, my parents decided they were not going to stress over what to pack up any more.\r\n The packing began differently that year. In June, they had sold their house and were waiting for the completion of a new construction on the north side of Interstate 12(which was definitely out of a flood zone). Because of the high demand for construction at that time the progress of the new house was taking longer then what was expected. That\'s when they decided to buy a small house next door to my sister who lived of Old Spanish Trail (approximately 5 miles from the Pontchatrain Lake). Meanwhile, all of their prized possessions sat packed in brown boxes. The stacks of boxes stood from floor to ceiling in one room and furniture jammed pack in another room. Everything was out order not knowing where anything might have been.\r\n All of a sudden late August came and sure enough our predictions came alive. There was a category 5 brewing in the Gulf of Mexico heading straight for the New Orleans area. Franticly, we make reservations to stay in Phoenix, Al for 15 members of my family and seven dogs. Not thinking the temporary house would come close to getting part of the lake into it, we decided not to dig through the boxes. That was the first time my mother had never taken any non replaceable article, such as pictures. \r\n After many hours of fighting the traffic during evacuating, we finally reach our destination. Phoenix, Al, a small town with a bowling alley across the street from the hotel. August 29 the storm had hit the coast of Louisiana and the eye looked down over Slidell. One thing I will never forget is that next night watching the news seeing nothing but darkness and hearing nothing but yelps of help on the news broadcast. When the lady broadcasting broke down I think that\'s when I knew how bad it was and then I just lost it. \r\n Three days later, after the breaking news hit the national news, we headed to Memphis, TN. Me and my whole family were gracious enough to have had all expenses paid for by my mothers company, First Horizon First Tennessee Bank. While traveling in my own car only with my dog, Paris, with no phone reception, the radio announcers kept putting out the warning for evacuees to beware for car jacking. I was pretty frightened by that since I was constantly stopping to fuel up and let Paris out. Then as so as we get to Cordova, a small suburb of Memphis, while getting gas my fiancé encountered what had been warned. A local had attempted to steal his car. Luckily all that the local had accomplished was to give my fiancé a black head.\r\n After weeks of anticipation I finally received the chance to go home. When I got to Hattiesburg I started to get scared from the sight of all the trees that had fallen along the interstate, and then once I reached Slidell I just could not believe it. The water lines soared up homes and building, roof tops had blown off, peoples belongings wear hanging in trees, and then the school and church I had grew up in was non existent. That was my baking point. Our Lady of Lourdes was completing gone. The church I was destined to get married in and have my children baptized in. Moments later the temporary house was found in no condition at all. \r\n The brown boxes that were stacked floor to ceiling where now wet and pouring out of the broken window. The furniture was in places that we did not leave them when we evacuated. For the next days later all there was to do was sort through all the boxes and look for priceless things that could possibly be salvaged. Pictures, clothes, high school memorabilia, our furniture had been wasted and thrown out. The smell of the gunk from the bottom of the lake lingered all over our house and belongings. The pile of trash grew larger as my parents and my sister combined both of there mounds of trash.\r\n From my family 7 out the 8 houses flooded during Katrina. The only one that did not flood belonged to my 80 year old grandfather. His house is located in old town Slidell and not only survived Katrina but also Camille and Betsy. Early January my parents and sister had finished rebuilding their homes and had moved in with out having to spend time in a FEMA trailer at all. \r\n