Personal Narrative: The Day Before Hurricane Katrina

During the year of 2005, I was a young, naive six-year-old child that did not entirely understand the different aspects of life, let alone natural disasters or why certain events occurred. That was my perspective until the day before Hurricane Katrina arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Winds gusting, whistling peculiar sounds in contrast to the rhythms of the air, loose screen doors pattering against neighboring houses. The air filled with a lingering stench of sewage that could suffocate your lungs. At one in the afternoon, a scenery of thick charcoal clouds coated the sky, adding a gray tint to the daylight. My once bustling and rambunctious neighborhood was now unfamiliar, appearing to be a ghost town with no one in sight. It was at that

Ashley! Anthony! Pack some clothes quick, we’re leaving now, we have to go!” my mother shouted. Startled and confused, I stood from the living room sofa and watched as my mother’s concern grew as she watched the local news station. I remember seeing the eye of Hurricane Katrina on tv as it spiraled towards the coast of Louisiana. Suddenly, my body began to shiver, heart pounding overwhelmed with fear, my mind clouded with negative thoughts creating false scenarios thinking the world was about to end. Eventually, I manage to snap out of my trance-like state and run upstairs to my bedroom to pack clothes. I scanned my room looking for my Powerpuff girls backpack and rapidly started packing everything from shirts, jeans, pajamas, and undergarments cramming as much as I could into my bag. Afterwards, I dashed downstairs to unite with my older brother and mother. In the kitchen, we began to pack any non-perishable foods we had. I scrambled upon bags of Doritos, pop tarts, and Oreo cookies and shoved them into a shabby Walmart bag as my brother did the same. “ Mama, what’s going on, are we in trouble?” I asked frantically. “ Yes Ashley, just keep packing, anything that we may need put it in a bag. I need to