A LESSON LEARNED

By Sandra Hammon
communityallianceforaction@gmail.com

It's not something you can see. At least not yet. But it's here. It's a feeling anyone who lived in this area three years ago knows very well. It's called 'forebode'. That inward feeling which tells us something ominous is about to happen. A heaviness in the air that is all too familiar.

I don't recall having this foreshadowed feeling before Katrina. Maybe it's because we'd not had such a catostrophic event on the Mississippi Coast since Camille in 1969. Camille was horrendous, but it pretty much stayed in the bounderies of the coastal area. Katrina, on the other hand, was a far more adventurous storm. She seemed to have no boundries or mercy once she made landfall.

The good thing about this inward forebode, is what it causes one to do. The preparedness level steps up and we are far more ready than we were with Katrina. Some of us overprepare, but isn't that better than shrugging it off? Maybe.
Or maybe we are being overcautious before we need to be. As for me, I'd rather err on the side of caution. We need to have everything prepared, so as to help others. If we don't have this mindset, we cause ourselves to be a burden. This is unnecessary and can be prevented.

So, listen to your gut feeling of forebodeness. When you stock up, grab a few extra cans in case your neighbor runs out. Err on the side of caution. We learned a lesson with Katrina. If we heed that lesson, we can all do this together.