Jack O'Connor was a police officer at the University of Massachusetts for twenty-one years. After retiring from the police department, he moved to New Orleans and was employed as director of security for a New Orleans hotel chain. He was in the hotel where he was based in downtown New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck and devastated the city. O'Connor uses a blend of poetry and prose to describe what he saw, heard, and felt during the great disaster. He not only tells of the damage and horror, but he also shows the goodness of man that this tragedy brought out. He also describes how an event that brought so much pain and suffering to thousands also brought about some very major positive changes in his life. Home They say home is where the heart is. I dont doubt that this is all very true. Do you know what this really means? My home is really in New Orleans. While Katrina ravaged New Orleans And I watched in fascinated wonder, I only saw its power and wild fury As it played out in a very small scene. Over the following days and weeks, When I saw the devastation twas done, Bitter tears flowed down my cheeks As I saw the very soul torn from my home