At ground zero, Hurricane Katrina’s impact hit the senses like a sledgehammer.

Ears struggled under the deafening winds.

Skin felt the piercing wind pushing and tugging.

Eyes hollowed with severe awe.

Noses smelled unusual aromas, from splintered lumber to mildewed air.

Mouths, sometimes dry from the heat, eventually began to taste the destruction.

Those sensory memories will be with us forever.

But Hurricane Katrina was a storm whose real impact is still being felt almost each day.

Parts of the areas hardest hit still show major signs of the destruction.

Katrina touched the people of the Miss-Lou in a way that is difficult to hear, touch, see, smell or taste.

Katrina touched our hearts.

The storm brought people to the area, some of whom have decided to call their newest homes their permanent homes.

Others came for a brief stay and hopefully left with a better understanding of the Miss-Lou’s special people.

Beyond residents in the path of the storm, dozens of local residents have traveled to Katrina’s ground zero to help rebuild.

For each the storm has had a profound impact.

Two years later, our senses may have returned to normal, but our hearts will be changed forever.