August 29th, a day many will remember and none will forget.  Katrina weakened our coastal lands and destroyed homes but strengthened bonds with one another.

During Katrina many things happened: properties were damaged, materials were destroyed, families were separated, and havoc filled the city and surrounding areas. As this anniversary advances, we remember what families went through, the never ending image of rushing waters as people sat helpless in their homes and others could not help while watching on TV. We remember and will never forget, Hurricane Katrina.

Amid the chaos, when people lost everything, we reflected suddenly on how our lives could be different; how in one single instance we can change the outcome. Our items floated away and a city lost everything, yet we gained a knowledge that can’t be bought .While each individual has a different story, I gained a strength that was never apparent, a strength that people had to adjust from having everything, to starting their life over, the knowledge that we can’t depend on materials for happiness, yet it took a hurricane to show us that.

As for the future, I hope that we won’t need a hurricane to bring families together, to engage in random acts of kindness, and unite a city with common hopes, dreams, and expectations.

 We are the leaders of tomorrow. I believe that is a good thing that we as teenagers went through this hurricane not because of the destruction and not because of all the panic that we witnessed, but because through this experience we have gained keenness on how our decisions effect not only others, but their lives. We as adolescents hope to surpass the goals, dreams, and expectations that our parents achieved, to go further than they did, and this storm has showed us that.

We have lost so much but gained more that no hurricane can ever break. We have survived Hurricane Katrina and we are now stronger because of that.