I am from Gentilly in New Orleans, Louisiana. My house have 13 feet of water in it, making the flood water line on top of my roof. My father is a captain of the New Orleans Fire Department and in the case of a natural disaster he and his fire fighters have to stay here and protect the city. Me, my step mother and my little brother were staying at the Hilton in the CBD next to the Mark Morial Convention Center. After Katrina passed we were notified Tuesday morning at about 3 am that the levee had broke and the flood waters were going to come into the CBD. When we were alerted we fled New Orleans and were one of the last vehicles to make it across the Crescent City Connection before officials blocked it off. We stayed in a Days Inn for the night in Baton Rouge off of Bluebonnette. There was still no electricity, but that was the last of our problems. For the time being we were concerned about my mother, her best friend, Sabrina, and her daughter who were all in a three story house in Gentilly with my pot bellied pig, Oscar Mayer. We were low on gas on the way to Baton Rouge and ran out on the side of the road, thankfully a stranger stopped and gave us some of their extra gas, they were on their way into New Orleans to help rescue some friend. We warned them not to go, but they said that it was a moral obligation for them. Remember it\'s still tuesday. Wednesday we driveto Houston texas and stay with my step-mother\'s distant cousin that she never knew existed before now, but her mom ( who lives in New Jersey) made arrangements for us to stay there and catch a flight Thursday to Philadelphia. We arrived in Philly Thurday, were picked up by her mother and younger sister and driven back to Clifton, N.J. Later that day I was enrolled in school and started school on Friday. One week ago from that day I was in New Orleans attending my small all girls private catholic school, Cabrini High, of 400 students. Now I am in Clifton enrolled in a public school, co-ed, of 4,000 students!! I finished the school year there after my younger brother returned to live with my mother in November of 2005, even after my step-mother returned I lived with her family until I completed my sophomore year in High School. I couldn\'t come back because of the health risk of black mold and pores was too dangerous for me to risk because of my asthma. Katrina ruined my city, but brought everyone here a little closer to home and now we all know what it means to miss New Orleans