Death, devastation, and destruction are words that people would probably agree with when it comes to talking about Hurricane Katrina. Everyone has seen the city of New Orleans literally under water, the many people who were rescued, the families who were separated from each other, and the many years it took for the city to somewhat get back on its feet. I'm here to explain my outlook on Katrina, eleven years later.

The year was 2005, and I had just started the first week of third grade. I was so excited because my teacher was one of the best teachers I've ever had. I hadn't even completed a full week of school when my family heard that we had to evacuate ASAP. I was eight years old at the time, so I didn't fully understand why we had to leave our house all of a sudden. My mom said that we would only be gone for a few days. Well, a few days turned into a few months living in Austin, Texas. For something that happened when I was so young, I vividly remember everything like it happened yesterday.

I didn't realize back then how blessed I was until now. My family members could've been stranded or unable to evacuate the city due to all of the chaos. I was fortunate that my house only had roof damage and my fence was knocked down. Katrina was disastrous, but it opened a lot of doors and opportunities for people. New Orleans is still rebuilding and recovering, but the city is stronger and better than ever. Thank you, Hurricane Katrina for making my family start from scratch. Thank you for uprooting people's livelihood's right from under them. Thank you for separating thousands of families. Thank you for the opportunity to rebuild. Thank you for teaching me to appreciate the things that I have because you don't know what you have until it is gone. Thank you for changing my life forever. Katrina, you will never be forgotten. Rest easy.