[SirenManda]

I was sitting in front of the TV when I realized what was going on. I called my family, and everyone was crying. It's hard to explain why we, people so far away, are so upset. In reality, it's because it was once us. We had 9/11, and the lives we lost will forever be a reason to feel sorrow and empathy for others. What hit me hardest was watching people sitting in the street, crying, holding people who were wounded or hurt. I was in lower Alabama after Katrina hit New Orleans, close enough to watch the news about people being stranded and not knowing what to do or where to go. It was a similar feelings watching the aftermath of Paris and knowing they felt the same. I pray they find some peace.