Watchful anxiety

You had to live through Katrina to fully understand.  There is a quiet, low whispering uneasiness in and around the Big Easy this week.  Despite 8 named storms so far during this huricane season we have avoided any anxiety or stress until maybe now.  In just one week we will mark the 6th anniversary of Katrina and all the post Katrina devastation that gripped New Orleans, southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  And approximately a week from now another lady storm, this one named Irene, will be impacting someone.

Even though the NHC tracks and the aptly named "spaghetti" models are still taking Irene east of Louisiana, and as far east as Florida, we just won't rest easy.  You see, the problem with these damn storms is that we have so many days to just watch.  Then you face the decision, so far out, to do some basic preparation or watch and wait.  One year, convinced a storm was headed my way, I bought so much gasoline for the generator that it took months for me to burn it in my lawnmowers when the storm came no where close.  I certainly was not complaining then and pray I don't have to complain in the near future.

As people of faith, we are used to praying for protrection against all harm from hurricanes.  Here in south Louisiana we invoke the help of Mary, under the title Our Lady of Prompt Succor.  Sometimes our prayers are simply that we be spared and that always bothers me when we are, but at the expense of another state or region.  Of course we pray that these storms just veer into open water or die out on their own.  But often, if we do not get struck, someone else does.

You know when Katrina hit, the plight of the folks in New Orleans and the communities immediately adjacent were well documented.  Many have never come back.  For me and my neighbors, while remarkably inconvenient, we avoided major damage.  But memories of almost 30 days without electricity, running a generator at night to cool one room, sitting in line for gasoline for sometimes 2 hours, not being able to find adequate supplies of ice, almost no open restaraunts, and receiving some federal assistance(for the 1st and hopefully last time in my life) are memories I hope to never repeat.

So we wait and watch.  Watch is all we can do.  We can prepare some and pray plenty but for now, we wait.  Forgive us if we seem a little preoccupied in this last week of August!