After The Storm.......

My dad called today, to see if we were affected by Katrina. He said that the aftermath of the storm is all over the news up north, and even though we're in Texas, not Louisiana, he said he just wanted "to be sure." "You know how those weathermen are.... they never get anything right," he told me.

The headline of today's Chronicle was "Heartbreaking." Underneath that, you could see photographs of the devastation of Louisiana and Mississippi. Portions of I-10 (the interstate between Texas and Louisiana) were just washed away by the storm, as if the bridges over the swamps had been constructed with Legos instead of steel and concrete.

Just a couple of years ago, my husband and I drove across I-10 on our way to New Orleans for a summer weekend trip. Such a historic city surrounded by neighborhoods filled with incredibly beautiful homes and lush gardens. Katrina has left her mark on that city now and heaven only knows how long it will take for it to bounce back.

I just couldn't imagine having to evacuate our home and pray that something is left standing after the storm recedes. And what did those people do with their dogs and cats? Surely the shelters wouldn't have been able to make room for countless house-pets. I told my husband that if that ever happened to us here, then we'd be taking both cars so we could drive as far north as possible with Gracie and our four cats. No way would I be leaving any of them behind.