Today is the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes the United States as ever seen.

Katrina came ashore during the early morning hours of August 29th, 2005 as a strong category 3 hurricane, just downgraded from a category 4. Sustained winds were 125mph, with higher gusts. Katrina brought a storm surge as high as 27 feet along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The bottom line two years later, things are getting better, but they are hardly the same. Having worked and lived for three years in Biloxi pre-Katrina, I have many friends and ties to that region. It has been tough on me seeing friends struggling to regain their footing. I can only imagine what is like to have lived through it. Just one year ago, my friend told me McDonalds was five-star dining there.

The region will recover, the residents are resilient. But, I find myself asking the question, "What about next time?" Sure, they are making the structures stronger and the levees higher, but how much can really be done? It's not a question of if, but when another major hurricane will strike that area. New Orleans is a city that is actually below sea level, so I think their flooding problems will always be with them.

It is great to see the human spirit alive and well along the Gulf Coast. It's also nice to have heard the stories of so many residents of Oklahoma lending a help hand to those in need, back then and even today.

Rusty