Surprisingly good things can come from natural disasters

By Lisa Janusa

Living with my family in New Orleans for over 50 years, we have experienced several hurricanes and storms that arose in the Gulf of Mexico.

Our first reaction to the news of a new hurricane was to pray that it would not come our way. Secondly, we considered whether to stay or flee.  If we should stay, then do we have all the supplies we may need if things like the power goes out and the food in the refrigerator spoils? Finally, we waited and hoped for the best.

Many of the family members decided to stay. We all came together in one house to support each other and act as a team to face the storm. The “family” consisted of 4 adults, 3 children, 3 dogs and, believe it or not, 3 pet pekin ducks.

The hurricane did its damage, but our house remained intact. The power was out, so we purchased a generator to power the AC and the refrigerator and even some cell phones. My son was a champion and set up the generator with various electrical cords. Gasoline had to be replenished to the generator in the middle of the night after some cool down time, and he was there to take care of it.

Because there was only one window AC, we all had to huddle together on hastily created beds. There was lots of time for conversations between young and old, and everyone helped with the cooking. The children took turns feeding and walking the dogs. Nighttime stargazing was possible with many city lights out.

We were even able to swim in our pool after we removed some debris. Recently, my granddaughter told me she thought that our family was blessed to spend that time together. The circumstances were scary at first, but then we realized that spending time together turned it into a cherished memory.

That was a time when something good came out of something bad.