Sweet NOLA

I have many ties to New Orleans. When my paternal family migrated from St. Kitts and St. Croix several decades ago, that is where they made home. And oooooh what a home it is. Imagine a parcel of land just west of New Orleans with an oak lined drive that ends on a cul de sac with just three homes. One uncle and two aunts of my now deceased father's total 6 siblings live on this amazing piece of land. The few visits during the childhood summers, was always a highlight and sure to be a topic of discussion in the What I Did Last Summer speech.

Now that I am an adult, the trips to New Orleans have taken a different meaning. Hanging in the French Quarter with my cousins and friends and my all too frequent business trips there have given me a new appreciation of the Crescent city.

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina went from good news to bad. Immediately after the storm hit it seemed as New Orleans had been spared the level of disaster that was once expected. I had spoken to one of my cousins and a friends and all reassured me that they were ok. However waking to the Today Show this morning, I was alerted that several levies had broken and now the city often compared to a soup bowl was flooded with water.

I have unsuccessfully tried reaching any of my people in New Orleans all day while maintaining a close eye to the news reports to stay abreast of the situation.