September 2021
I was lucky enough to have friends close to New Orleans that I could go stay with until Ida passed. We originally thought we were going to have to evacuate again but the storm ended up turning before us and we barely got any rain at all. The wife of my friend that I was staying with works for FEMA, and we stayed up for the duration of the hurricane and talked about the ways FEMA could help and what we could do as individuals to help. After it passed and I-10 was reopened, I drove back to New Orleans to check on my apartment and see if I could help anywhere. On my way back, I was so overwhelmed with gratitude as I saw countless electrical trucks, trucks carrying gasoline, and other vehicles carrying water and other supplies. My mother lived in New Orleans for a little while after college and often tells me about the nickname “The City That Care Forgot.” This was not the case after this disaster. Right before I got to Metairie, my classmate, Jared Rosbrugh, called me and said he was working in a kitchen, and he could use some help. I drove straight to the Howlin’ Wolf downtown and started helping where I could. I was told to hop in the refrigerated truck, grab something, cook it, and make sure it can feed more than 10 people. We spent the day cooking free meals for people who had nothing left. Barbecue, fried chicken and fish, fries, slaw, stews, bacon, ham hocks; these are just a few of the things we cooked that day. While I did not get to see the people I was helping, I was so grateful to be in a position where I could help others. I went to my apartment after there was not enough light left to cook and thankfully it did not sustain any damage other than a few fallen limbs.
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