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My pay at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans in the basic life and weeks behind Hurricane Katrina are the accentuate of my occupation some a day of reckoning communicator and a medical professional. Surprisingly, it is not the reality that I reorganised sorting along Integrated Triage guidelines, nor the lives ransomed in the nitpicking charge tent, but the duration that reached out and tinged me that is my most wanted and humbling recall.

It was the tertiary day of dealings in the aerodrome. The break procession was still incredibly toiling with 80 to 90 evacuees inbound every 10 account. Thanks to the sorting process, those requiring learned profession meticulousness were summarily detached from the lucky figure who just needful carriage to a safer metropolitan area. One of those not so beneficial was "Mattie." "Mattie" was 90 age old, or better, 90 time of life young. She had been saved from the territorial dominion of her den in the full Ninth Ward. "Mattie" had not been competent to move dislike the reality that she was in brilliant vigour. Prior to the tempest she cared for the warren wherever she had raised her offspring and grandchildren. This spunky generator even cut her meadow with a thrust mower.

"Mattie" had seen the tropical storm desolate her section and her surroundings. Just when she proposal the pessimum had past, the barrier gave way and her locale swiftly flooded historical the safety of the 2d floor. "Mattie" wanted area in her territory wherever she waited for relief for cardinal years.

When the Coast Guard recovery jock repelled onto her protective covering near a concatenation saw and cut a hole, "Mattie" disorganised into the feathery and the ready instrumentation of her brachypterous angel. "Matte" arrived at the flying field dried out and looking fearfully ill. Despite this, she had a aflame facial expression that grew larger as the endovenous fluids and Gatorade began to lift outcome. Soon "Mattie" was sitting up on her animal group and thanking us for future to relieve her city.

"Doc, would you commune near me?"

"Mattie's" submission left me a petite embarrassed. I am a apply Catholic, but I am not fain to civil displays of devotedness. "Mattie's" smirk was nevertheless overpowering.

"Of module I will 'Mattie'!"

"Mattie" began: "Dear Lord, satisfy put forward Dr. Ramirez..."

I was appalled and abashed. Here was soul who had squandered her home, her coalition and for all she knew her home yet she was praying for me! Most society would be express God for their trial. Even those whose hope was extreme would commune for their own inevitably. Here was this astonishing female praying for me.

"Mattie" continued: "... and the larger-than-life men and women who have locomote present to assist us in our 60 minutes of need. Surely they are here doing your will. They are your angels present on Earth. Amen"

"Angels" I had never been reflection of as an "angel." I knew I was far from an "angel." I recovered myself open at the flooring in disappointment. I had come up here to effect my inevitability to serve, to be a division of something meaningful for me as overmuch as for those I served. Now this adult female reminded me that my target for individual was far greater.

"Mattie" before long felt authoritative adequate to support and way of walking. Soon she left us to move about to a safer city, but earlier she larboard she denaturised my life span. My memory of Katrina is of an spiritual being who visited me in those menacing days, an supernatural being I bid "Mattie."

(excepted from my book, Blowin' Through the Big Easy: Memories of Katrina)