I had known that Hurricane Katrina was coming for Louisiana prior to the evacuation warnings, but when Hurricane season rolls around each year, I tend to get excessively vigilant. And by that I mean that as soon as I hear on the news or radio that a tropical storm has developed into a hurricane and it moves up from a Category 1 to a 3 then a 4, and so on, I want to evacuate as soon as possible. Hurricanes are not to be taken lightly.\r\n\r\n So on the evening of August 28th of 2005, me and my father and a friend whom is currently residing with us, Don Holder vacated our home in Marrero, Louisiana at 6:00 PM and we drove through numerous cities between Marrero and Lafayette, Louisiana. We initially wanted to go to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but we arrived there late at 10:30 PM an ever motel and hotel had a “No vacancies” signs in their doors for people seeking refuge. \r\n\r\nOut of the three of us, we all got out of our vehicle and walked up to the door to see if any place had any vacancies open at all. As we were driving all around a diverse amount of our friends and family were calling us on our cell phones asking about our safety and if we was evacuated and we ensured them that we were okay. Our cells would not stop ringing. But those phone calls were the main thing that was keeping me together and increasing my faith. It was their concern that I made it through and my father and everyone’s prayers.\r\n\r\nAs we began to drive further and further we noticed the citizens had given up hope on finding a place for the night or for a couple of weeks because of Hurricane Katrina. I saw people sleeping on top of establishments like Burger King, Waffle House and in the parking lots of strip malls, in camping tents outside of the hotels and motels, and sleeping on top of their vehicles. My hope became a reality. My father had told me that it looked like out only option might be to sleep in the car for the night. \r\n\r\nEvery time he mentioned that option, he said to him, “No!” My reasoning for saying no was I was stretched out in the back seat for hours trying to find shelter and I wanted to stretch out. My father is a really elevated person and he was killing my legs. I said silent prayers all the way during our trip and I knew that my prayers would get answered. We were asking people who were walking around at odd hours of the night, what places are open, could they assist in finding something, etc. But every place they told us to go to had no room. \r\n\r\nSeveral places we went to had vacancies, but people had called in ahead of time for their rooms and the operators of these facilities did not want to give up their rooms, they did not know if they were going to show up or not, but I cannot blame them because everyone was looking for a safe place to reside. At 1:00 AM we decided to head to Lafayette and see if we could find something there. We must have gone to every Best Western, Sheraton, Marriott, and Holiday Inn and they were all booked up. At that point, I acknowledged that I was getting exhausted. \r\n\r\nSo I decided to fall asleep and around 3AM I woke up and my father was asleep so I woke him up and asked him, “We will have to sleep in the car, huh dad?” And he replied, “Not if I can help it, son!”\r\nI then told our friend who was driving all night to stop at this Holiday Inn I noticed in Lafayette because my father and I had to use the restroom. We did and Mr. Don went to talk to someone working there and he came back and informed us that the lady working at the front counter said she had 1 room existing and it was the Presidential Suite and she would let us have it at $120.00 and check out time was at 3:00 P.M. I begged and pleaded with my father to take the room. I begged him to ask somebody for cash at this point becuse I was desperate for rest and a shower. \r\n\r\nThis was the ONLY place that had a room for us. My father, “the brains of the family” was a Holiday Inn Reward member and he saved us a bundle on the price and because of him, we could eat a free breakfast too and that was great on his part! We took the room and I was ecstatic that we finally had a place to sleep and it only took us 10 hours to find it. So at exactly 3:43AM we were in the room, Mr. Don slept on the sofa and I had my own bed and so did my father. I showered and I was in bed for 4 AM. Before lying down, I thanked God for us to have found lodging. I have never gone to bed that late in my entire life. I fell right asleep. The only thoughts that were going through my head while I was sleeping were, “Air conditioning!” “A nice, comfortable bed!” and I wonder what our house will look like tomorrow!”\r\n\r\nWhen we woke up Mr. Don discovered that his sofa was a sofa bed. I was still too tired to laugh at that. I immediately turned on the news and I saw what destruction Hurricane Katrina had done to Louisiana done parts of Mississippi.\r\n\r\nI was watching CNN and the live footage and I was in shock. I never wanted anything like this to happen. I was in complete awe. This is what we have to go back to…this mess! Well as the morning progressed and as much as I did not want to get out of bed, we all washed up and left our Suite to get something to eat. After that we went back to Holiday Inn and packed up and headed back to Louisiana. We knew that we would not have electricity for a sufficient amount of time but we did not have $120.00 to give the hotel a day. A lot of people were maxing out their credit and debit cards to stay there and then when it ran out, hotels and motes were kicking them out and I am glad that we left because they were wrong for doing that. They had no idea what their homes looked like or anything. I knew that my family was safe because they evacuated to Texas, so I was not worried about them at all.\r\n\r\n\r\nBut for the hotels and motels to kick people out, that tells me that all they were concerned about was making money and they did not give a dam about the people and how this hurricane has changed their lives. There is nothing that they could say to me that would condone their behavior. Nothing at all! We arrived back home at 4:00PM and as we were driving back home, I saw the flooding and the trees on top of houses, the holes in the roofs, the stores gone, looters, establishments broken down and burned. Cell phone establishments raided and everything in their stores gone. Looters really had their chance to misbehave during this misfortune, but when I heard Gov. Blanco say that this is not the time for that and they will be punished to the fullest extent of the law, I felt relived that something will happen to them. \r\n\r\nTheir behavior is not disqualified in my eyes. When we arrived back to our house, it was flooded and there was no mold or stench in our home at all. No damage was done at all except the food going old, but we cleaned that out in a matter of minutes. Large amounts of people were on our street because they like other people did not have the funds to stay out of town for weeks. I agreed with my father when he said,” If the officials want us to leave town for weeks, the them give us the money for it.” We had a landline at out time and a gas stove, so we were able to cook. We did not use the water until we heard that it was okay to use and/or drink from the faucet. My father and Mr. Don were going to Thibodaux, Louisiana about once a week after tings were dying down a bit tog et food and the Alario center was giving out military food and ice/bottled water to everyone. That was great!\r\n\r\nMy cell phone had died out and I was not able to use it but I was checking my voicemail thru the landline and I was returning the calls via the landline.\r\n\r\nI was thankful for my family and friends still calling me. I was calling Entergy almost everyday asking when the power would be restored. My father can really verbalize himself well and he got results, he came to me and told me that Entergy said someone would be fixing the electricity on September 11th. A day that I will never forget because that is the day that the electricity was restored and the 9/11/2001 incident occurred. When the power was restored on September 11th, I yelled and kissed everything in the house. I ran to my DVD’s and put one in my computer.\r\n\r\n Turning my computer on gave my great enjoyment. The only thing that we were waiting on was Cox Cable. I watch Nip/Tuck, Charmed, and 7th Heaven the most and I had a friend of mine tape them fro me until the cable was restored and she was doing it for like 3 weeks. The cable was restored on October 10th. The first day of UNO’s online classes. Now, I have all that I want. Some of the stores are returning to their normal hours and that is pleasing me. A lot of employers are looking for people to work fro them since Hurricane Katrina has torn up their homes; they cannot come back here to a moldy and totally destroyed home. I hope that in a year, New Orleans, Louisiana returns back and better than ever!\r\n\r\nIn comparison, Hurricane Rita did not come near the Westbank where I reside, but it did not cause any major destruction as Katrina, but I am praying that the people who did get a portion of Rita can rebuild their lives and put all of this negativity and mass destruction behind them. Hurricane Rita never should have came to Louisiana at all because Hurricane Katrina did a number on us, but I am grateful that Hurricane season is almost over with because with the holidays coming up. Now is definitely a time of togetherness and a time of love and sincere giving. \r\n\r\nWe should cherish out loved ones and the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.\r\n\r\nIn conclusion, Hurricane Katrina has taught me 3 priceless lessons: One, always be prepared fully for Hurricane season, two, always now where each and ever family member are locating to keep in touch because you can go without communicating for weeks due to no connection on cell phones or they got destroyed during the devastation, and three, the looters deviant behavior will NEVER be tolerated again because now the officials know what to expect and the security will be tightened a whole lot! I am grateful that my parents are alive and all of my close friends.