Three years
Hurricane Katrina hit the LA/MS coast three years ago this week.
Yes, it is that time again - the end of August which is traditionally the most active time during hurricane season. For me, watching the Weather Channel becomes almost second nature this time of year. (Thanks for the years of conditioning, Mom.)
For those of you that don’t know, my husband and I are from the Gulf Coast and our families are sprinkled along the coastal areas most affected by the storm. I still regret that I have a lot of photos of the aftermath that were strictly for insurance purposes. When I rushed down to help my family armed with water, bleach, gas cans, rubber gloves and face masks, I took my camera with me as an afterthought. Out of habit, I guess. The pictures I took? Well, so many of them show things. Things that were owned. Things that were treasured. Things that hadn’t been washed away. Things that were destroyed.
Some of the things that we searched for underneath the mud and muck were old photos. Luckily, we were able to find and restore some of them. Others were not salvageable.
With Gustav forming in the Gulf, I guess this blog post is just a Leslie du Mont Public Service Announcement. This storm season, if you have to leave, don’t forget to take your family photos along with you when you go!
Keeping my fingers crossed that none of you will have to,
Leslie