My Katrina story is quite different than most New Orleanians\'. Two weeks before the storm hit, I packed my things and made my way to Orlando, Florida to participate in the Disney College Program. I have vivid memories of sitting in my living room with my roommates, explaining to them exactly what a hurricane was like and how devastating a category 5 storm would be if it hit the city. My roommates had no idea why there was such frenzy on the news since they were from places such as Ohio, South Carolina, and California. The morning the storm made landfall, I remember going to work at the Tower of Terror and being unable to concentrate, crying, and being so terrified of what the damage was going to be. I grew up in Destrehan, an area that floods easily, so I was very nervous that my parents were going to loose everything, but it turned out we were very lucky and had only minor damage. Watching the news every day was very difficult, not only was I homesick from being away, but I had to see so many places that I knew and loved in complete devastation. It was also so hard not being able to communicate with my family since all of the cell phones were not functioning properly, so I missed them that much more! \r\n\r\nIt was not until six months later that I came back to the city. As I drove through Biloxi, it finally hit me how bad things were. The billboards that previously had advertised for the Beau Rivage now had a powerful message about rebuilding. That was when I finally broke down. I think because I had not seen any of the damage first hand, I was able to ignore the reality of the situation, and then suddenly, I was thrown into it head first. I will always remember that feeling, and every time I pass that way, it comes back to me. A day later, my mother took me driving around the city and I just could not believe how bad the damage was even though I had been seeing it on the news. Seeing it in person put it in a whole different perspective.\r\n