Hurricane Irene In The Shadow Of Katrina

Writer Lawrence E. Adjah reflects on Hurricane Irene from abroad in India, and shares how it brings back old memories of the 2005 disaster, Hurricane Katrina.

He writes:

I remember Hurricane Katrina.

Fortunately, I remembered it from a distance sitting in a New York City office with my eyes glued to the lobby TV. I felt sick and powerless. Less than four years earlier, I called New Orleans home for a summer. My counted blessings were all the (lifelong) friendships I developed and the special relationship I had with the NO. All I could think about were my friends and their families. I thought about Xavier University, I thought about Painters Street, I thought about every individual I came across and the spirit of love I experienced there. I thought about how fortunate I and many of us in the Northeast were for being spared that time around.

Fast forward to this weekend, I find myself sitting in a room halfway across the world in India, closely monitoring my twitter feed of friends and family, refreshing US weather and news sites and reviewing Weather HD on my iPad, I felt the same sense of powerlessness. My skype account was in full use as I kept the phone ringing trying to ensure my family and friends were well.

Read more at TheGrio.com

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