Hurricane Katrina destroyed the homes of thousands of victims, but it didn't destroy people's spirits. Instead, the devastating hurricane forced people to reflect on what life and God really are all about.

"I have rethought everything I ever thought I knew about religion, and I'm in the middle of a religious rut," says Trish Carter, 17, Biloxi, Miss.

Trish and her brother, Gavin, were among survivors of the massive storm that struck the Gulf Coast of Mississippi last August, destroying 65,380 homes. Their home sustained massive damage, but the family is rebuilding.

Their school, too, was destroyed, causing Trish to move to San Diego to live with an aunt for her junior year in high school.

Her family figured it was an important year for Trish, and she required some educational stability.

She needed to take advanced classes and a college entrance exam.

Unlike his sister, Gavin stayed in Mississippi and attended school with the same students and teacher, just at a different location. And even Gavin's outlook on religion is miles away from how his sister reacted to God after the storm.

"I have prayed every single night to him, just thanking him that I'm alive and my family is safe," said the 18-year-old.

The Carters didn't evacuate their home during Katrina; they figured they were prepared. They had boarded up all the windows and stocked up on supplies.

The Carters' parents -- both Air Force officers -- were busy at Keesler Air Force Base assisting with hurricane preparation activities there.

Their dad, Lt. Col. Mark Carter, was in charge of making sure all the airplanes had been evacuated.

Then, on Aug. 29, the worst of the storm hit. After sending their kids to a neighbor's two-story home, Lt. Col. Carter and his wife, Col. Sharon Hick, rounded up the family's two dogs.

By this time, the water had risen to their waists. They had to swim with the dogs out of the house and find something secure to hold onto (a pontoon boat and the top branches of a tree) for hours until the water receded.

"During the storm, I didn't know if they were dead or alive," said Gavin. "I was very scared."

The fury and devastation of the storm was hard to believe.

"No one ever thinks their house is gonna be destroyed. You know, you're in denial for such a long time," said Gavin, who found a 21-foot-long boat near the home's front door after the storm. A line of houses across the street was flattened.

"If we would've known this, we would've evacuated, and we should've listened to the warnings," he said.

Katie Acosta, whose Mississippi home also was demolished by the storm, is glad her family is safe, but longs to have back her keepsakes, such as family photos and childhood artwork.

"Memories that I've had from my childhood, things that were special to me aren't there any more," said the 17-year-old. "That's hard to deal with, and places that were really special to me are gone. It's changed completely, just completely wiped out (the community)."

Trish discovered that people from all over the world wanted to help her small community. "The majority of people in the United States, as well as in other countries, have really put in their time and effort," she said. "We're just grateful for it."

Hurricane survivors have rallied around one another, too. "Everyone cares about each other," said Trish. "When they see each other, they ask: 'How are you? How's your house? How's everything coming along?' "

But the recovery hasn't been all rainbows and roses, Trish and Gavin acknowledged. They said they've seen the best and worst in people. Some families took in storm victims, for example, but the families all ended up fighting with one another.

Money is tight, despite help from the government. Katie's family has received thousands from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but not enough to pay for a new house. They're using some of her college fund to do that.

The hurricane taught the nation a lesson about the horrors of natural disasters, but the victims of the storm have taken away something more personal from their ordeal.

Katie put it simply: "Value what's important and realize that things change and that's the way it is."

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Katie Ciresi, 16

REPORTERS: Ariana Gainer, 11; Alexander Waddell, 11; and Jonathan Gainer, 14