"So they can bury you when it's over."

It was 2003, and the last extreme hurricane to hit the U.S. was Hurricane Andrew.

I was just starting my senior year of high school, and I remember the week leading up to Hurricane Isabel so clearly. At first, it was just another hurricane that would hit the Carolinas, travel up the coast, and we'd get some rain, wind, and maybe a few tornadoes. But then... one day... it all changed.

"Local authorities are now advising residents who choose to ignore the evacuation recommendations to write their Social Security numbers on their arms in permanent marker. This will allow workers to quickly and positively identify their bodies for burial after the hurricane has passed."

Umm... WHAT?!

The radio announcer MUST be playing a joke... and it certainly isn't funny!

That was the moment I truly became afraid. We'd had hurricanes before, but NEVER had something like this been said.

At school, I asked my Physics teacher what would happen if the hurricane hit at its current strength (Category 5). He said, "Well, there won't be any houses left."

Great.

We went to the store & stocked up on the essentials, including food that would keep without a fridge & could be eaten without being cooked. We got waterproof flashlights, making sure to get "floaty" attachments so we wouldn't lose them in flooding.

Ultimately, Hurricane Isabel hit as a Category 2. It wasn't a fun experience, but certainly nothing we couldn't ride out, and with underground power lines, we never even lost power for more than a few seconds. The neighborhood was a MESS, and I got some great pictures for my scrapbook, but it wasn't a big deal.

But for those few days... it seemed like the world was going to end once that hurricane got here. We dodged a bullet... the people affected by Hurricane Katrina weren't so lucky.

It's hard to believe it's been 5 years. Five years since something happened that will NEVER leave the memories of those who lived it, something that can define someone from New Orleans as much as 9/11 is a part of me. On 9/11, I thought the world was ending & I'd have no family by the end of the day... that was my Katrina. This was their 9/11.

Don't forget the people affected by that storm. Just like with 9/11, all the country was touched, but only those there can TRULY comprehend what happened. And a lot of those people lost EVERYTHING. How do you recover & rebuild when everything around you is gone as well? When the very institutions that are supposed to help in a crisis are themselves destroyed?

Pray for the victims as they continue to pick up the pieces. And pray that God softens your heart to the hurting so that we never forget.