Hurricane Katrina Poem by Donna McCord

The week before Labor Day in August it was,
In 2005 the whole town was a-buzz.
There was a killer coming, a huge hurricane
Headed for New Orleans, Katrina was her name.

The storm had been brewing for days in the gulf.
She increased her size and blew in with a huff.
The warnings were broadcast that this was THE ONE.
Please leave and find shelter, the warnings were done.

Why the whole town did not flee is unclear to us all.
A mandatory evacuation was what the officials called.
Still some people stayed, and ignored the warnings
And a lot of families now are in mourning.

Katrina was the size of the great state of Texas.
She packed winds in excess of 150 they tell us.
But still she hit to the east of New Orleans
And spared that town in spite of the warnings.

At daybreak officials surveyed the damage
Mississippi and Alabama caught the brunt of her rage.
But later in New Orleans a new catastrophe hit
Floodwaters breached the levee and went over it.

So as hurricanes go, Katrina was tough,
But with all she gave it wasn’t enough.
In New Orleans the winds did not blow it down,
The weak levee was what destroyed the town.

It looked like New Orleans had gotten off light
Just after the storm in broad open daylight.
There were hours between when the hurricane hit
And when floodwaters came and destroyed all of it.

Now some people say that help came too late.
They said they were ignored because of their race.
That just was not so, it was all about timing.
So get on with the clean up and stop all the whining.

Quit pointing and blaming and bemoaning your fate
Maybe next time you’ll leave before it’s too late.
Listen well to the warnings, pack up and get started.
For a fool and his money will soon be parted.