read me
I had to do this for a school project, and i was kinda surprised at how it came out.
And we thought the worst was over…
The day after Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, all is calm. People begin assessing the damage, wondering when they will get their lives back. It seems this city was spared its life, or so the people thought. One part of a levy breaks, then another, and another. Soon more then half of the city is drowning while its people run for safety. The cry for help goes out.
This is where I come in. My name is James, and I am a Coast Guard member trained in search and rescue. It has been two days now since I have started working. I have had three meals and about 6 hours of sleep, but that's more then the people I am saving. Right now, we are airlifting a few elderly people from a retirement home in the New Orleans basin. It's refreshing to be seeing smiling faces again. Some of these people need oxygen tanks to breath, some cant even walk. My buddy and I had to drop down into the water when one of them slipped and fell in. I think he might have broken his hip. We flew out here in a specially equipped helicopter just for these people. I remember when we lifted one old lady, and she got in with us, and noticed a bed for the first time in days, she smiled, said thank you, and promptly went to sleep.
We have been to this home now three times. Each time the number of people left gets smaller, and not just because we are evacuating them. When we returned the first time, I noticed one of the men missing. When I started asking around, I was just solemnly told that he died and fell into the water. We have to move faster. These people may not have much longer to live, but they do deserve to get the chance.
Some of them don't even know what is going on. I was asked by one man why there was a swimming pool in his back yard. I chuckled a little bit and decided he was going to be one of the first to go before he got any ideas. A few of the more nimble people help me along in my efforts, electing to stay behind for the next ride, or giving me a hand when they can.
This is our last load for this place. There are two people left, a couple. They wanted to spend as much time at their home as they could before they left, probably never to see it again. I look back at this experience, and wonder what it would have been like if it was say an apartment complex, healthy young people fighting to get out, while these kind elders wait patiently. Some were perplexed, some needed special attention, but they were al civil, and each one gave me a smile. For that, I thank them.
And we thought the worst was over…
The day after Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, all is calm. People begin assessing the damage, wondering when they will get their lives back. It seems this city was spared its life, or so the people thought. One part of a levy breaks, then another, and another. Soon more then half of the city is drowning while its people run for safety. The cry for help goes out.
This is where I come in. My name is James, and I am a Coast Guard member trained in search and rescue. It has been two days now since I have started working. I have had three meals and about 6 hours of sleep, but that's more then the people I am saving. Right now, we are airlifting a few elderly people from a retirement home in the New Orleans basin. It's refreshing to be seeing smiling faces again. Some of these people need oxygen tanks to breath, some cant even walk. My buddy and I had to drop down into the water when one of them slipped and fell in. I think he might have broken his hip. We flew out here in a specially equipped helicopter just for these people. I remember when we lifted one old lady, and she got in with us, and noticed a bed for the first time in days, she smiled, said thank you, and promptly went to sleep.
We have been to this home now three times. Each time the number of people left gets smaller, and not just because we are evacuating them. When we returned the first time, I noticed one of the men missing. When I started asking around, I was just solemnly told that he died and fell into the water. We have to move faster. These people may not have much longer to live, but they do deserve to get the chance.
Some of them don't even know what is going on. I was asked by one man why there was a swimming pool in his back yard. I chuckled a little bit and decided he was going to be one of the first to go before he got any ideas. A few of the more nimble people help me along in my efforts, electing to stay behind for the next ride, or giving me a hand when they can.
This is our last load for this place. There are two people left, a couple. They wanted to spend as much time at their home as they could before they left, probably never to see it again. I look back at this experience, and wonder what it would have been like if it was say an apartment complex, healthy young people fighting to get out, while these kind elders wait patiently. Some were perplexed, some needed special attention, but they were al civil, and each one gave me a smile. For that, I thank them.