As I sit and wait in the car with some of my belongings in the backseat and trunk, I see my mother come out of the house. Usually, when we evacuate, she checks the house, locks the door and we get on our way to wherever we are evacuating to. This time was different. While my mom was locking the door, she begins to cry. I had never seen my mom cry so much before an evacuation. All I could do was just hope everything will be okay and everything will be normal when we got back home.\r\n We finally got to the Hampton Inn in Baton Rouge and met with most of our family members. We all got settled into our rooms. Every day we checked for new updates and breaking news about what was going on with the storm. As I sat and waited the 1st couple of days out, I realized my uncle Bobby and my aunt and cousins were not here with us. I was not worried though because I figured they were safe in their house in Covington. Days were passing and the weather was getting worse in Baton Rouge. We were lucky if we could get a picture on the TV, a clear radio station, and to get a signal on my little Nokia cell phone. It was the only phone even working. My family realized how bad the weather was getting in Baton Rouge and how serious this storm really was so they decided to check on my uncle Bobby and his family. We couldn\'t get in touch with them. Some of my family decided to go to Covington to check on him. Finally, they came back with my uncle. He was safe but his house had some damage from the weather and he had no electricity. My aunt and cousins were also okay and were staying with my aunt\'s family. By this time, I realized how bad and strong this hurricane was and that it was a hurricane that will never be forgotten.\r\n It was two weeks later; I knew for sure that all my family was safe but now, it was time to go and see if I still had a home. I was ready to go check on my house and see what this storm had done, and I knew that if I wanted to find out, I would have to brace myself for the worst. My uncle Ed, my mom, and I finally got to my house. I remember seeing on the news that there were robberies going on after the storm, but when I saw my uncle pull out his gun, I realized that the place I called home could no longer be safe like it once was. I never forget him telling my mother and me that he was going to check and see if the area around our house was clear and that if anything bad happens for my mother and me to get in the car and meet him around the block and pick him up. At this point, I was nervous and scared, but these feelings went away fast once I walked into my house. Furniture was scattered everywhere, mold was on everything, and water line marks were on the walls. I was strong enough not to cry because I knew that this natural disaster couldn\'t control all the damage it had done, but once I open the door to my room, I broke down. Everything I owned was ruined and most of my things that held my childhood memories and other memories were gone. I couldn\'t believe my eyes. I finally pulled myself together and walked outside. I looked around me and realized this neighborhood once filled with voices and people is now silenced and nothing but air surrounded me. While I waited for my uncle and mom outside so we could leave, I saw a green truck coming down the street. It stopped in front of me and hanging out of the truck were soldiers giving out water and other little necessities. I remember seeing this type of thing in the movies and on TV; I never thought the day would come that I would experience what I saw people going through in the movies and on TV.\r\n About a month later, the state was finally letting people move back into their homes. For my mom and me, we got to move into our FEMA trailer. We had to stay in this trailer until our house was fixed and until everything was back to normal. I knew it wasn\'t going to be that day or even the next week or even that next month that I would get to move back into my house but it was nice to know that I still had a home and that with time, everything will fall back into place.\r\n About three years after Hurricane Katrina, we finally got settled into our home. Even though most people can\'t see the physical damage anymore from Hurricane Katrina, there is still the emotional mark that people will always hold deep inside because in one way or another, we were all affected. Hurricane Katrina is a part of our New Orleans history and is a part of everyone affected by it. It\'s time for all of us to take this experience and come together as one city and show everyone else that we are strongly moving forward and that the city of New Orleans will never die.\r\n