Tuesday?s light rain outside of the Armed Soldiers Retirement Home in Gulfport, Miss. where Sally Manning and about 200 other seniors reside was just a subtle warning that Hurricane Isaac would be arriving today on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.It?s a home that Manning, who has family in Lynn, remembers being evacuated from after Katrina wiped out the electricity, running water and the levee walls in New Orleans, La. in 2005.?They didn?t expect it to be the way it turned out to be,” said Manning, a Navy World War II veteran. She said the residents of the home were asked the day after the storm to pack one bag that included important papers, and they were off on 10 buses to the other Armed Soldiers home in Washington, D.C. “They said we?d be back two weeks later, and five years later we came back.”With Isaac placed as a category two hurricane, most aren?t putting it on the same level as Katrina, a level five. Still, Manning said, “Hurricanes have a way of having a mind of their own. Whether it turns out to be a tropical storm or full-fledged hurricane I don?t know. It just depends on what God wants it to do.”Track Hurricane Isaac in an interactive map.About 80 miles away, New Orleans is still recovering from the damage Katrina caused. North Shore Community College Director of Student Life Lisa Milso has been leading annual community service trips with students to New Orleans for six years to rebuild homes. Milso said although “a lot has changed,” many residents are still struggling to build their lives back while caring for their families. Milso said many have been victims not only of displacement and financial ruin, but also of “human greed” when contractors who promise to rebuild their home skip town with the money. Stress and even sickness from toxic trailers made into temporary homes wear on the health of the people of New Orleans, said Milso, but they refuse to leave the city.?People ask, ?why would people return to an area vulnerable to storms??” said Milso. “It?s the place they love and where they want to be. ?The Wizard of Oz? said it right with ?There?s no place like home,? if that?s where your heart is. That?s their home, so we do what we can to help.”State Trooper Charles Luise, a former Lynn police officer and member of the National Guard, arrived in New Orleans just days after Katrina did. “Out of all my deployment, that was my most rewarding experience – helping fellow Americans,” said Luise.Luise said he heard from Louisiana state troopers that not everything has been repaired sine Katrina, but that “it shouldn?t get that bad again.” Luise said there is a pumping station to combat flooding, and with reinforced levee walls, the area should experience only “normal” flooding.After living through Katrina?s ordeal, Manning said Isaac will be “nothing to be alarmed about.” Already the National Guard and Naval Construction Battalion soldiers have been “here in force helping everybody do everything that they can,” said Manning.Manning said her home has been improved since Katrina so that it can withstand a category five hurricane. The building?s new generators stand high in the air so they will not be affected by flooding, and they are designed to give power for five to seven days after a blackout, unlike seven years ago, Manning said, when they gave out 20 minutes into the storm. She added that the glass windows are “very thick,” and probably won?t explode like they did during Katrina. As far as procedure, Manning said she and the other residents have already taken in belongings from their balconies and parked their cars under an enclosure on the property.?We had several meetings and all our questions were answered,” she said. “I feel very safe, not the least bit nervous. I think we?re all very prepared for it.”Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected] your memories Have you traveled down to New Orleans or nearby areas to help with the clean up from Hurricane Katrina? Share your photos with