Katrina........5 years later

Five years ago today the waters rushed, the lights went out and for thousands of Gulf Coast residents nothing was ever the same.

Katrina left more than 1,800 dead in its wake. It slammed into the Gulf Coast near the Louisiana-Mississippi state line early on August 29, 2005. Most of the dead were in and around New Orleans, where more than three-quarters of the city flooded after its protective levees failed. Nearly 300,000 people were displaced.

After the storm, "We were a city that had no people in it," Ray Nagin, who was mayor of New Orleans when Katrina struck.

"Now, we're a city that has over 80 percent of its population back. Lowest unemployment in the country. Construction everywhere. I think we're on our way to success," Nagin told CNN's Don Lemon as the storm's anniversary approached.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/29/katrina.anniversary/?hpt=T2

This day brings back vivid memories for many................thousands who were directly affected by the massive storm and hundreds of thousands who watched the terror via television. And let's not forget the volunteers who witnessed first-hand the devastation that this storm left in its wake.

I was one of the volunteers. It is an experience I shall never forget. Just watching the Katrina specials that have been on all week has elicited a sense of deep sadness in my heart as I remember the faces of those who lost everything that day.

How were you affected by Katrina? Please feel free to share your story.

Five years ago today the waters rushed, the lights went out and for thousands of Gulf Coast residents nothing was ever the same.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/29/katrina.anniversary/?hpt=T2

This day brings back vivid memories for many................thousands who were directly affected by the massive storm and hundreds of thousands who watched the terror via television. And let's not forget the volunteers who witnessed first-hand the devastation that this storm left in its wake.

I was one of the volunteers. It is an experience I shall never forget. Just watching the Katrina specials that have been on all week has elicited a sense of deep sadness in my heart as I remember the faces of those who lost everything that day.

How were you affected by Katrina? Please feel free to share your story.

Thank you for volunteering.