Isaac stirs emotions for Hurricane Katrina evacuees

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With Tropical Storm Isaac bearing down on the Gulf Coast, evacuees from Hurricane Katrina couldn't help but think about the journey that brought them here and the people they left behind.

"It really brings back a lot of emotions," said Josh Miller, an evacuee from New Orleans who landed in Charlotte in August 2005.

Miller is a music writer and singer. He's found peace in his music and played a song he wrote about life after Katrina.

"I feel like I left New Orleans with so many lessons," he sang, "... I reminisce about my family that I left back home."

Miller's family was top of mind on Monday, as he watched news coverage showing Isaac's path headed toward his old home.

"I'm just hoping it doesn't make landfall," Miller said. "If it does, that people heed the warnings and leave this time."

If people do leave, Charlotte could become a destination, as it was in 2005, when more than a thousand Katrina evacuees found shelter at the old Charlotte Coliseum.

The Red Cross said it hasn't been told to prepare for a similar evacuation by any emergency management agencies. However, if people end up in Charlotte, the Red Cross said it had shelter agreements in place to meet demand.

While the transition to Charlotte hasn't always been easy for Miller, his music and his experience put him a little more at ease during a time as tense as this.

Miller wonders if, perhaps, he might've ended up in Charlotte for a reason.

"I kind of look at it as maybe a blessing because now, if they need to go somewhere," Miller reflected, "(they) have a relative in a different city, where they can get away if need be."

WSOC