(Pseudo-color IR image of Katrina in the Gulf from NASA GOES-12; processing by University of Wisconsin, Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies.)
Hurricane Katrina, a category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph, made landfall yesterday in New Orleans. The devastation, at this time, isn’t fully known. I’ve seen pictures of people sitting on their roofs with water up to the eaves of the house. Power is out across areas, flooding is widespread, houses were washed away, cars were pilled up on top of each other, boats were pulled from their moorings and crashed into house—the damage is estimate to be at least $9 billion.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those people who have lost family members, their homes, and everything they ever had. Houses used to be on the beach were washed away. Once I hear of the Red Cross effort to help collect donations or foodstuffs, my family and I will be doing what we can to help others. When the Tsunami hit and so many people lost their lives, my wife and I did the same. I know that the small amount of what we can give won’t solve all the problems, but if people can come together and offer what they can, then I believe this effort will make a bigger impact in the long run.
To lose everything that you ever had in your home (pictures that can’t be replaced, all your possessions, and the house itself!) is a tremendous strain. While listening to Adam Curry’s podcast, I heard him talk about podcasters thinking about coming together to have 2 minutes of their upcoming shows to ask for people to donate to the Red Cross to help the victims of this horrible storm.
Watching the television coverage on the hurricane, I’m reminded of the day after September 11, 2001. My work had closed for the day and I visited my family and then went to the local Red Cross location. I waited in line to give blood for over 6 hours because I (and the hundreds of people with me) wanted to do something to help. I remember how people just jumped on trains and headed up to New York to volunteer their time, seeing the pictures of the missing put up on the bulletin boards, and people like myself donating blood. Yes, I overreacted and I do understand that not all of that blood was used that day because so many people turned out to help. But I felt helpless. I wanted to do something positive besides giving money to help the survivors.
Hurricane Katrina is not a terrorist attack, but when I see the widespread damage that has taken place in the southern portion of the United States, I am humbled. In September 11, 2001, damage occurred in New York, the Pentagon, and in a Pennsylvanian field. Yesterday, a hurricane ripped through several states and damage is on a scale that I can’t fully comprehend. The damage is so intensive and widespread that the full estimate to the loss of life and property destruction may take over a week. Several weeks ago I saw a news report that talked about how members of a town were still having a hard time in getting by a year after a hurricane hit their town. Insurance claims had not been worked out, some people had chosen to move away while others weren’t able to rebuild and were still living in temporary shelter.
I suspect that the long term effects of the hurricane are going to severely hurt and hinder those in the affected areas. People who lost their homes will need to rebuild, bury their dead, and start all over again. I can only hope and pray that many people didn’t lose their lives from flooding. One report from an eye witness told of how the flood waters rose so quickly that he didn’t even have time to grab his shoes before he and his family had to climb onto the roof to save them from drowning.
If you’re not from the United States, I ask that you take a moment to consider helping out in even a small way. For those of you who are in the United States, let’s do something positive to help the families there. I suspect that in the next few days more information regarding donations and supplies that are needed will be posted online. Take some time out to look up the information on the American Red Cross website and help. Please reach out and offer your aid. Please.
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