This assignment is rather difficult for me as I was not in New Orleans at the time that Katrina hit land. I didn’t feel the true devastation as most did that were in New Orleans. I was affected in some ways, although not as intensely as other citizens. I still have not returned to see for myself what has happened or how things have changed. I can only try my best to relay how my life was before, during and after Katrina. However, it will be from a totally different perspective than most people who were actually there.\r\nAbout a month before Katrina began her decent to New Orleans I was asked to take an overseas assignment with my job. I would have the opportunity to visit some friends along the way and then continue my journey on to my final destination where I would begin working. It was a fantastic offer and as much as I loved my home and my life, I decided to accept the new position. I left my apartment accessible to my brother who lives in New Orleans also. He is a police officer so he would go once a week to check my apartment and make sure that everything was okay. The things in my apartment were left just as when I lived there because I planned to return in three months. My company agreed to pay the rent on my apartment so that I did not have to break my lease. This agreement also saved the company moving and storage costs at the time of my departure and return. \r\nI was visiting my friends overseas in Leeds, U.K. when my brother called to ask me if I had seen the news. I told him I had not and asked him why he wanted to know. He told me that a hurricane was headed for New Orleans. Now, many of us that have lived in Louisiana all of our lives get use to hearing “a hurricane is coming”. I told him it probably wouldn’t be a big deal, but asked him if he would go by and check the apartment if the hurricane did land near New Orleans. He assured me he would and we finished up our conversation shortly after that. This was Friday morning according to my time. I decided I would keep an eye on the storm via the internet just in case.\r\nWhen I first heard the news that Katrina had directly hit New Orleans I thought that things would be okay, probably just a lot of minimal flooding and some external building damage. I tried to log in to the UNO website and found it didn’t exist. I couldn’t believe that the website was not found. I checked the news again and found that all of New Orleans was virtually under water. I called my brother and asked him why he had not let me know what was going on. He told me he had been working over 24 hours straight and was completely exhausted. He had no time to sleep or eat and things were just too unbelievable to describe. He had not been able to get to my apartment to see what damage was done, but said he would as soon as he could. I was very upset and nervous about the condition of my valuables and property. I felt so helpless being so far away. I was praying that maybe I would be lucky enough to not get flood water or damage. As I watched on television and kept up with the latest information online, I began to realize that my hopes were probably in vain. I was starting to be thankful that I was alive. Life as everyone knew it had been washed away with the flood waters. I felt despair and heartache for those that were left with no home, no clothes, no electricity, no water, no food and no hope. \r\nThree days after the initial flood waters began I received another phone call from my brother. He had been working almost around the clock with a few hours of sleep here and there. He had finally made it to see what was left of my apartment. I held my breath as he prepared to tell me what he had seen. He said that there was severe damage to the outside of the building. I was not very concerned about the structure as it was a rental and not my responsibility. However, I was very concerned about what he said next. He told me that most of the carpet was destroyed and obviously there had been quite a bit of flooding in the apartment. The living room furniture and bedroom furniture was soaked. Everything would have to be taken out and cleaned and put back after the carpet was removed and replaced. The first thing I had to do was figure out exactly what I wanted to do with my things that could be salvaged. My brother was heavily burdened with work so it was impossible for him to handle this situation alone. I told him I would make a few phone calls and see what I could get done and then call him back and let him know.\r\nI contacted my insurance agent and explained the whole situation. She assured me she would send someone to see the extent of the damage as soon as possible, but I should understand that it may take some time and that there were much worse cases than mine. I also contacted the main office for my employer and asked if there was anyway they could offer some assistance. I informed them that my things would have to be moved from the apartment as soon as it was inspected by the insurance company. I talked to the building owner, who sounded shaken and bewildered on the phone. He was describing things to me that I could not even picture in my mind. The description he gave me was one of pure chaos and obliteration across the entire city. The building owner informed me that he was also waiting for the insurance company and that he would keep me abreast of what was happening with the building. He promised me he would not do anything with my apartment or it’s contents until speaking with me first. \r\nI called my brother back after a day or so to let him know what I had found out. He was still exhausted and been continually working. He told me about some of the worse areas he had seen. I couldn’t believe that what he was describing was the city that I had come to know and love. The insurance adjuster finally made it out to survey the damage and faxed the report to me once it was completed. I faxed the report to a liaison at my office. She made arrangements for movers to go and get my things and said she would find me a safe and dry mini storage that they could be stored in until I returned. I had to contact my brother again to find out when he would be available to meet the movers and supervise the packing and moving. Once everything was arranged I felt more at peace.\r\nFortunately my job was not affected by Katrina so my financial situation was better than most. I was lucky enough to have only lost minimal furniture and some small items that were easily replaced. I was safe and no one that I had known was injured in the storm. Life is going on which only goes to prove to me that what doesn’t kill us will make us stronger. I have a long road ahead when I return home, but for now I am just happy to be alive and well.