I was a freshman in high school when Katrina hit. I live in St. Charles Parish, and my house was hardly damaged at all by the storm. In fact, we came back home the night after it hit and simply had to live without electricity for about four days. Initially, I was not dramatically impacted by the storm. All of my friends were safe, I didn\'t lose anything, and I got to enjoy a few weeks off of school. As time dragged on, however, I started to see how horribly people really were affected by the storm. I started to meet new people the following year, and I started to appreciate the power of this event more. Although Katrina was perhaps the worst storm that New Orleans has ever seen, it brought me one of the greatest joys I have ever gotten out of life. Katrina brought me my first love from Chalmette. Her house was completely flooded all the way to the second story, and she was forced to move to Metairie. This girl and I found comfort in one another that we hadn\'t found in anyone beforehand. This was meant to be a profound love story, but no words can describe the way she made me feel. We have since gone our separate ways, but the feelings remain strong. After dating on and off for four years, we decided it was time to take a break from each other. She will always be my first love, and I will always attribute my meeting her to Hurricane Katrina.