As I sit here waiting for the visit from Florence, memories flood my mind. I know how bad things can get in a hurricane because my family lost our home during Hurricane Katrina. By the time everything was finished, it was two and a half years before we were able to be back in our house. I witnessed one of those worst-case scenarios firsthand. I know the long-lasting ramifications of an intense storm.
As we anticipate our unwanted visitor in the Midlands, it is hard not to think about the impending storm. People are talking about it everywhere and making preparations. Plans are wonderful. “Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best.” And a lot of times you prepare and nothing terrible happens. But sometimes it does, and making sure you were storm-ready will be worth it.
In life, you do not know when the storms will come. It is hard to prepare for the unknown. I think it is a good thing because if I knew some of the things in my life were going to happen, I would live in dread of that day.
But those storms are not always completely bad.
Even through the experience of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters in my life (four times my house has flooded.), I have learned things. Because of those storms, I have grown as a person and coped better in my post-disaster life. I can now see how Hurricane Katrina developed my character and world view in ways that might not have happened otherwise.
Here are some things that I learned from Hurricane Katrina.
Above All, Lives Matter the Most
Property can be replaced. The sting of loss of prized possessions might hurt and be unfortunate, but the most important thing is protecting lives. This is why evacuations started so early and offices were canceled earlier this week. I can attest that you can lose pretty much all of your possessions and still be OK, but losing a person you know is not as easy to bounce back from.
Family Matters
A lot of people reported growing closer to their families after Hurricane Katrina. It was because we were unplugged and without power for a long period of time. We listened to each other’s stories and bonded. Those were sweet, undistracted times. Take time to unplug during non-hurricane times.
Memories are Best Stored in Your Heart and Mind
I was a bit of the historian in the family. I kept the photo books and had a whole shelf full of albums. Many of them did not survive the storm. But despite the loss of those things, I can still see many of those pictures in my mind, and the memories now reside in my heart and not a shelf.
People Still Care for Others … Humanity is Not Lost
The best part of this devastating experience was seeing the outpouring of volunteers from all over the country, and even other countries, come to help us rebuild our lives. I interviewed people who lived through Katrina for my masters thesis, and every one of them had the same sort of story. Those of you who volunteer after natural disasters really do change lives. My grandmother took a picture of every volunteer who helped rebuild her house and cherished that collage. I remember the first volunteer I saw after Katrina. It was a hard day. We had to pretty much throw out all of the contents of our house to be picked up by the trash collector. A volunteer drove through our neighborhood and offered us a hot meal. It had been a while since we had one of those. He was from Florida and he told us how he had lost his house in a hurricane too, and that it would be okay. It gave me hope.
Even Though Something Feels Like the End of the World, it Does Not Have to Be
After Katrina, I felt like the world was ending. It was a strange, new existence. We were under martial law from the National Guard. Stoplights did not work. Electricity was almost a distant memory. Card machines did not work, and cash was king. It was the end of my world as I knew it. I now measure my life as pre- and post-Katrina. But that devastating blow was not the end. We all came out on the other side even though we had a new normal.
Most Things are Small Things
I measure my stress level by Hurricane Katrina measures. Do I have electricity? Do I have food? Do I have water. Well, I should be fine. Most things are not dire, and having the essentials are really all you need.
There is Always Something to be Grateful For
Even through Katrina was horrible, it taught me a lot. I learned that bad things can happen, and it will be OK. I learned the importance of resiliency. I saw my community come together, help each other out, and emerge stronger. There is a Ground Zero Museum near my hometown that tells the story of Katrina, and there is a gratitude tree. Even in the worst of times, there is plenty you can be thankful for.
