Unfortunately, this nightmare was the reality for many people on August, 23, 2005 because of Hurricane Katrina.
For junior Chelsea Donnelly, who was living in New Orleans at the time, this event was not just a segment on the news, but a real life experience.
“I was really scared because I knew all my family was getting hit by the storm. It was really devastating and really sad knowing my family was going through that.”
Donnelly’s home was spared while her grandmother, grandfather, aunts and uncles lost their homes to the hurricane.
“We had 10 family members who had to live with us for a month without electricity. Our house was ran off of a generator.”
Although this experience was close to home for Donnelly, most FC students did not take away the extremity of this storm.
“I wasn’t affected by Hurricane Katrina. I do however remember seeing all the destruction on the news and hearing about all the families that were affected. I also remember my dad actually going down there to help rebuild. He was able to see the destruction first hand and saw how devastating it was,” said senior Jordan Marcum.
As tragic as this event was, many people believe that if the necessary precautions were taken many lives would of been saved.
“I think people forget how devastating it was because they had enough warnings, which would of saved lives,” said 66-year-old Judy Youngs.
However, the devastation of this day has lead to an understanding of the importance of taking warnings seriously.
“I think that our generation can take away the knowledge of how to better prepare for storms,”said Marcum.