Katrina survivor in New York feels the pain -- again

Dillon Couvillon says that unsettling feeling -- the one he got during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 -- came back this week as he witnessed parts of the New York area hit by Superstorm Sandy.

Couvillon, originally from Louisiana and now a Queens, New York, resident, says that although his area in Astoria was spared any damage, the storm brought back memories of the worst kind.

“I lived through Katrina and it was like reliving everything all over again,” he says.

Couvillon, who works at Viacom in Times Square, says he noticed a generally nonchalant attitude in the days leading up to the storm, despite local officials’ warnings.

“No one here seemed concerned about transportation or anything until that problem arose, but going through that experience I knew what to expect a little bit,” he says.

He knew that lines for gasoline would stretch on and on. He knew that their would be isolated pockets of people trapped in their homes and stranded.

“Having watched this, I felt like a psychic watching because literally you could see the next step,” he said. “When you go through stuff like that, you know the protocol, you know what’s going to happen next.”

He says that hopefully New York will get the needed resources in a timely manner, something New Orleans didn’t get.

Kathleen Koch, author of “Rising from Katrina” and a former CNN contributor, told Dr. Drew this week that storm-struck residents can look to each other for strength and support. “People pull together in times like this,” Drew said.

“You’ve got to look for these small blessings -- these little victories -- wherever you can find them,” he said.

“That’s another thing that can help,” Koch said.