I remember watching the approach of Katrina three years ago. The mayor of New Orleans stood at the microphone and told people not to worry, the city was safe. He even went so far as to tell them not to leave their homes. I remember screaming at the television, "Don't listen to him! He's going to get you killed!"
Watching the same mayor with a completely different attitude this weekend warmed my heart a bit. I am thankful Gustav was nowhere near as dangerous. I am also thankful people listened and left this time. I saw first hand the devastation Katrina caused in Waveland and Gulfport, MS, and I worried when I saw where Gustav was headed, with so many of the same warning signs. I still wouldn't have wanted to be in New Orleans for a Category 2, since my family sat through Hurricane Charley in Daytona Beach as a Category 1. The wind howled and the rain pounded the building. The hotel swayed so much that we could watch water run in and out of the toilet. That was enough for me never to want to be in a hurricane again.
So today I am thankful that the dangers were averted. I was even more thankful people learned. I will continue to pray for the swift recovery for all those in the path of these terrible storms. The season is certainly far from over.
-- Robert
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2 comments:
Wow. The HOTEL swayed? Eek.
How could people NOT listen after Katrina? I just saw a thing on the news about how some organization was giving space for evacuation and tracking tags to pets, so that owners could leave their home for safety and not leave their pet behind to be killed. That warmed MY heart.
Yeah, the hotel was about twenty stories tall or so, maybe thirty, and we were on the fourteenth floor. We could see the chandelier swaying and the toilet water going in and out. The building next door had a lot of stuff covering the windows that made it appear to be under construction. That stuff slapped and slapped the building, and we thought "good thing it's deserted." Then the next morning people were out on balconies drinking coffee. Just crazy. We've always checked Florida's weather before driving down since that trip.
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