Memories of Hurricane Katrina and Other Musings

Jack O'Connor was a police officer at the University of Massachusetts for twenty-one years. After retiring from the police department he moved to New Orleans and was employed as director of security for a New Orleans hotel chain. He was in the hotel where he was based in downtown New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck and devastated the city. O'Connor uses a blend of poetry and prose to describe what he saw heard and felt during the great disaster. He not only tells of the damage and horror but he also shows the goodness of man that this tragedy brought out. He also describes how an event that brought so much pain and suffering to thousands also brought about some very major positive changes in his life.<i><b>Home</b>They say home is where the heart is.I don't doubt that this is all very true.Do you know what this really means?My home is really in New Orleans.While Katrina ravaged New OrleansAnd I watched in fascinated wonderI only saw its power and wild furyAs it played out in a very small scene.Over the following days and weeksWhen I saw the devastation t'was doneBitter tears flowed down my cheeksAs I saw the very soul torn from my home ...</i>