Three years ago today Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans killing hundreds of people and sending others thousands of miles away from their homes.

Local survivors are sharing their stories and their fears now that another storm is headed towards Louisiana.

Three years ago Gerald and Marie McCoy left New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Katrina for what they thought would be a day or two.

That storm took nearly all they had. They ended up settling in a state they'd never visited and in a city they'd never even heard of.

Predictions of a faraway storm feel uncomfortably close.

"I still get feelings in my stomach like I'm still there," said Marie McCoy.

Marie and Gerald McCoy can't stop worrying Tropical Storm Gustav will hit home -- or the place that was home -- before Hurricane Katrina forced the couple to leave New Orleans. They eventually found jobs in Fairfax,Va.

"I live up here, but I'm not comfortable up here," said Marie.

The only thing left from Louisiana is a picture of Marie's mother.

The McCoys realized how much they lost when they took video of New Orleans last year.

"I remember being there as a kid to go back and to see nothing, just to see a wasteland," said Gerald McCoy.

Dozens of people gathered outside FEMA (web|news) headquarters to protest what they call a continued lack of government help. Now, with Gustav threatening to put preparedness to the test, the McCoys say they're grateful to be out of this storm's path.

They don't complain, but on this Katrina anniversary others do: "Go to Louisiana where people had homes, now they no longer have them."

 "I don't know what tomorrow brings, we've had to make tough decisions, but they were made, and we're better people for it," said Gerald.

The McCoys spent the past two days calling friends and family telling them to evacuate New Orleans the moment the order is issued. Many of their loved ones stayed behind during Katrina and ended up in the Superdome. This time, residents tell the McCoys they will not take a similar chance.