A Country in Mourning
On August 29th and 30th, our country was hit by a devastating storm. Hurricane Katrina roared into the gulf coast and tore apart parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, and buried New Orleans in water. There are possibly millions of people who are homeless and probably thousands who are dead. Most of the survivors are now in makeshift shelters in our nation’s southern states wondering what is to become of them.
Right now, immediately after the hurricane, the golf coast is swarming with reporters who televise the latest developments in the gulf coast. We see the devastation through their camera lenses. We see the tear-stained faces of adults and children as they search for their family and friends. We’ve watched people who were forced to abandon their pets to ensure their own survival. We see their belongings scattered across the landscape because they are just too weak to carry them. We have watched them die from lack of food, water or health care. We see the bodies left behind in the flooded waters.
To make an unbearable situation even worse, news stories today are telling of illnesses related to the storm. Stories about people who did not have access to their daily medicine or oxygen, people who are suffering from dysentery due to contaminated drinking water. There is a high risk of infectious disease spreading quickly throughout the crowded temporary living quarters of the survivors.
In the next few months the reporters will slowly leave this storm-ravaged area and Americans will slowly forget about this tragedy. The donated money will slowly dwindle away because we will forget. We always forget about the victims of natural disasters. When was the last time you thought about the victims of Hurricane Andrew, or the tsunami victims in Sri Lanka, or the recent flood victims from central Africa? We send money at first; some of us volunteer our services when we can, but after a few months we go back to our normal routine and we simply forget about the tragedies until we see something in the news or until the next disaster happens.
We cannot forget this time. Although the death toll won’t be known for weeks and maybe months, this could be the worst natural disaster of any kind in U.S. history. Those people who were lucky enough to get out of the area with their lives still have no home, no job, and many have no money to start over. Many of the people who stayed behind were already living in poverty and did not have a car or money to leave town before the storm hit – America’s poor. Many of the victims were afraid of the looters that always come after a disaster. They didn’t realize that their possessions would be lost anyway. We must think about the survivors who now have to rebuild their lives. We must help them in their time of great need. We must help our neighbors who have lost their homes, their jobs, their friends and family members. We must send money and supplies to help them rebuild so they can continue with their lives; lives that will never be the same.
How can you help? Go to www.FirstGov.com. The web site is constantly updated with the latest relief efforts and provides valuable information for those wishing to volunteer their services or donate money. Unfortunately, there are always a few fraudulent groups who try to steal your money during any disaster. Do not donate money to any group without first verifying that they are a reputable organization. A list of national voluntary organizations active in disasters can be found at www.nvoad.org and includes only the names of reputable organizations with years of experience in responding to disasters. This list includes the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and other well established organizations. We can not let ourselves forget this time. Please donate.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of Hurricane Katrina.