When I first heard the news that Hurricane Katrina was heading our way, I was a bit nervous and excited at the same time. I was happy about the cancellation of school and I needed a little vacation. However, I was in the mindset that this hurricane would be like every other one in the past few years; I figured it would look like it was coming straight for us and turn away at the last minute. So, like I said, I was ready for a vacation with my family. In the next few days, my family and I made the decision to leave with our campers and camp out somewhere in northern Louisiana. We headed up to Jonesboro, LA and stopped at a campground there in the middle of nowhere. Our convoy of people consisted of my stepmom, my two stepsisters and their husbands and children, my stepbrother and his fiance\', and some of their relatives. The plan was that my dad would meet us up there a day after we left, but by then it was too late to leave town. The traffic was so bad, he just drove to his brother\'s house a few towns away so they could look after each other if things got as bas as predicted. So, imagine how I felt to have my mom and dad stay home where this big monstrasity was projected to hit and cause lots of damage. All we could do in Jonesboro was watch the weather updates and pray for everything to be ok. We all watched in terror as Katrina finally made its way to New Orleans and caused havic in the city, as well as many deaths. I was very stressed out that my home may have been destroyed and my parents may have been seriously injured or dead. Through all this commotion, no one had much luck using their cell phones, so I was not sure of the condition of my home and my immediate family. Finally, my dad showed up and informed us that the house had only some roof damage that he had repaired before he came to meet us. He said they expected power outages for weeks, so we should plan on staying where we were for the time being. He witnessed the dangerous condition of the city and all surrounding areas as it was like a third world country with men carrying guns standing on every corner. All I could think about was getting back home soon and seeing my boyfriend who had evacuated to Florida. Eventually, things became safe enough for us to return home to St. Charles Parish, where there was little devastation in our area.