I have lived 21 of my brief 25 years in south Louisiana. I have seen hurricanes come and go, and I have sat in traffic for what seemed liked days on end. I have heard the theories about the \"Big One\" and always thought that it wouldn\'t happen during my lifetime.\r\n\r\nFriday night before Katrina I went to see Dub Side of the Moon- the classic Pink Floyd album reggaefied and dubbed. It was a great show. I went to sleep that night thinking the storm was headed for the Florida panhandle. Saturday am, a little hungover, I was greatly surprised at the new developments of Katrina. Soon I was on the phone consulting friends and weighing hunkering down in my uptown apartment, or evacuating to Hammond.\r\n\r\nAlong with 7 friends(thanks mom and dad) I evacuated to Hammond late Saturday night. In typical New Orleans fashion, the next day and night were spent consuming vast amounts of alcohol in celebration of no work or school. Little did we know...\r\n\r\nHammond actually recieved a nice punch from the storm. Trees were snapped in half, roofs blown off, etc... A sense of dodging a bullet was felt because what few reports we were able to hear said the storm had moved east at the last minute. I felt that my city would be fine and I, along with my 7 drunk friends would be able to return home soon.\r\n\r\nThen I got a text message from my brother in Texas, a former NOLA resident, informing me of levee breaches. My heart sank, but I could have never imagined the turmoil that lie ahead.\r\n\r\nI left Hammond for Texas on Wednesday and along the way picked up a copy of a national newspaper. This was my first real source of information and images of the devastation. I cried.\r\n\r\nI cried a lot for the next few days. Thinking about those poor people stuck in NOLA without help, but selfishly I thought of myself. What about my friends, these awesome people that I know and love that make New orleans so special. Would they come back? Did everyone actually evacuate? What about my semester? What about my apartment? What about my job? I never want to have that feeling of total chaos again. It was so empty and lonely, no one could console me except fellow New Orleanians.\r\n\r\nMy apartment was pretty much fine. My job secure. My semester salvaged through the beauty of the internet. But those that I love and care about are gone. I am back in New Orleans, uptown on Magazine St. It\'s lonely and depressing, but also uplifting and full of positive vibes. I love this city and will defend it for the rest of my life. It may never be the same, but I was there and I can never forget the amazing times and people that New Orleans has to offer.