This story comes from a woman I met one day last semester, during a bus ride on the 55 Elysian Fields bus downtown from UNO. On the way down, some poor soul side swiped the bus, because they were on their cell phone, and we had to stop and wait for another one to pick us up while they figured out all the damage. I happen to have been sitting next to a woman who works somewhere on UNO campus, but I don't remember where. While standing outside we start talking and eventually start to learn a little about each other. She was born and raised in Treme and had lived here her whole life and loved this city to death.

With that being said, I asked her what she did when the storm hit seven years ago. Her story was short but effective. She said she had heard of the storm eariler in the week, and something told her to leave right then and there. So she did. Got her children, husband and parents and drove to Baton Rouge that night. Eventually, the storm became the disaster it was, and she fealt like she had done the right and smart thing. I couldn't argue with that. And I was so amazed that she took the initative, and just decided to leave. That was one of my first real first hand conversation with a local, and their stories. Her's was the easist one to stomach though.