Katrina – Day Three

August 28 – Sunday

At church someone asked about the on coming hurricane. Wondering about it getting to us that night. I knew it was too far away for that. But didn’t think anymore. At the lunch table my mom calls me to ask if we’re heading north. I was figuring she was asking about us coming to see them for Labor Day Weekend. I said that maybe we’d come up for the State game on Saturday, but that’s about it. But she meant about the hurricane. I thought she was crazy. There’d be no need for us to leave our home.

That afternoon I began watching the news. It was going to smack New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Potentially larger than Hurricane Camille from 1969. The “Big One” that all other hurricanes are measured against in these parts.

We prayed about it a little at youth that night. And I watched tons of folks leave the gulf coast area. As I left church just before 9pm I got caught up in a little traffic. Seems it was people from Louisiana getting out of dodge. Gas stations were a little busy. After being at home for a bit, I decide to go in search of gas myself to go ahead and fill up the Explorer since it was only 1/4 full. Tried an older station off the beaten path thinking it might be open. Wasn’t. But went to a regular one w/ no trouble. Gassed up and left. People from New Orleans were walking dogs and talking on cell phones at all of them.

I went back home and watched the news until about 2am. It was enthralling, but figured I needed the rest. By the time morning would get here Katrina would have hit New Orleans.