I don’t think about Katrina every day, but forgetting is impossible. The memories remain etched in me like a watermark — faint at times, but always present. It’s hard not to envision another catastrophe that could once again plunge us into chaos. In the years since, I’ve come to call myself a “practical prepper.” I trained as a ham radio operator, stockpiled food and essential supplies and never leave home without my “get home or go” bag, packed with three days’ worth of gear. I’ve made peace with the idea that disasters are not a question of "if” but "when." And when that moment comes, the truest resource we will have is each other — our neighbors, our colleagues, our community.