Déjà vu in New Orleans

Three years ago, I witnessed Hurricane Katrina -- one of the worse storms in American history -- lay waste to my hometown of New Orleans. Many of my family members, twelve of them exactly, ended up staying with me in my one bedroom apartment in Baton Rouge, Louisiana about sixty-eight miles outside of the Crescent city. They thought their time at my place would be for a day or two, but it lasted for weeks.

As I now hear reports of Hurricane Gustav heading for my beloved city once again, I can't help but feel like I'm living Déjà vu. I'm still in the same one bedroom apartment and my family is running from yet another storm. This weekend I will have several relatives sleeping on my floor, sofa, or wherever they can find a warm spot to ride out the storm. My biggest concern and worry is that they might lose everything all over again. Hurricane Katrina took so much from my family--and so many others--that it has taken this long for them to recover to now face the possibility of starting over.

Of course, we don't know how this situation will ultimately turn out. Maybe Hurricane Gustav will turn in another direction and spare us the devastation that meteorologists are predicting. But no one is taking their chances. I have friends and relatives who left the city as early as Friday. (Gustav is expected to make landfall as late as Monday night). They remember what it was like to be trapped in their homes, on rooftops, and inside the Superdome. No one wants to relive that horrific experience again.

I pray -- and hope you will pray with me -- that this situation does not end up anywhere close to what happened with Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is such a great city and she has taken more than her share of beatings. The hometown folk are the backbone that holds the city together. They are some of the nicest and most genuine people you will ever want to meet. As they run from Hurricane Gustav with so much uncertainty in their hearts, keep them close on your minds. You know sometimes it's just good to know that you're not in this alone.