It's very hard for me to express what I am feeling right now. In the blink of an eye, my life and the lives of millions of people on the Gulf Coast region of the southern United States has been changed forever. I am here in Atlanta, Georgia, in the safety of my mother's friends where the weather is sunny and dry. But on August 30th, 2005, we were escaping the ravages of my home city, New Orleans, Louisiana. My family and I were blessed. We made shelter at the Louis Armstrong International Airport, which is miles away from the metropolitan New Orleans area. We couldn't have imagined what has happened. While at the airport, we had electricity, running water, and food. In a day, the power went out and the water could not be consumed. We were running out of food and the weather after Hurricane Katrina's wrath was unbearably hot. I saw tourists who had come to New Orleans looking for a good time stuck in the airport with their pets, children, suitcases and worried faces wondering when would they make it back home. But our situation fared much better than those in the "Crescent City" and Gulfport, Mississippi.

As we fixed the television in one of the airport offices, we saw the unbelievable images of our city under water. We saw people looting stores, stealing necessities such as bread, bottled water, and milk, but some stealing beer and cigarettes. We know that our houses are now under water and what we currently own is in our getaway bags. My memories, artwork, pictures, books, and house are all destroyed. Al-hamdu lillah, I have a copy of the Qur'an and some books about Islam. But by the grace of Allah, we are alive, healthy, and in good hands. Most of those material things can be replaced and I hope that when we get a chance to recover, we can rebuild and become stronger as one of America's most historical and beautiful cities.

We also heard the distress of our mayor, C. Ray Nagin, as he stated that rescue efforts came terribly late and the shelter facilities were in deplorable condition. Al-hamdu lillah, I thought, as I counted my blessings and thanked Allah for our means to evacuate. What many people do not realize is that 30 to 40 percent of the citizens of New Orleans live in poverty. It took my family $120 dollars of gas money to get from New Orleans to Atlanta, Georgia. Most New Orleanians did not have the means to evacuate, so many braced for the worst of the storm and hoped that they would be spared. You don't know how wonderful it was to get online and read about various friends finding refuge in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and northwest Louisiana. But I am still trying to reach my father, who may have made refuge on what is now the flooded but famous lane of Canal Street. I believe he is out of harm's way and I'm relying on Allah. My great-grandmother and cousins are fine, but we haven't heard from them in while so we are worried. We believe that they have been sent to Texas to escape the disease and anarchy that has settled upon the city. I just keep making du`aa’ for everyone who is there suffering one of the worst storms to have ever hit the United States. It’s already being referred to as the “American Tsunami.”

New Orleans is home to thousands of Muslims who attend the various masjids throughout the southeastern area of Louisiana. New Orleans is the place where I went to school, worked, and where my father and I took Shahadah and became Muslims. My friends, loved ones, and many Muslims call New Orleans home. There are many people in New Orleans and all throughout the Gulf Coast who need your help.