As the Atlantic Hurricane season winds down to its close on Nov. 30, we in Washington Parish can thank God and our lucky stars that Hurricanes Harvey and Maria didn’t head our way. The first devastated Texas, then the second did the same to Florida after both wiped out several islands in the Caribbean. Much of Puerto Rico remains without power, and we, who were forced to endure Hurricane Katrina, know just how that feels. We didn’t even get hit by Hurricane Nate, which recently blasted the Gulf coast.

But many of the people of Puerto Rico are still without water many days after the storms hit. After Katrina, most of us at least had access to water, which fuels our human lives. And many in Puerto Rico are mourning the deaths of friends or family members.

The Daily News wishes them all well. We wish them peace and serenity. We wish them fresh water. We wish them a return of power, and we wish for them the realization that each of them has individual strength and power.

We also hope and pray that local residents don’t get hit by any hurricanes through the rest of October, or in all of November.