News from the Front

I spoke to a young man on Monday who spent his Labor Day weekend in disaster relief mode. He said that one of the hardest things he was going to have to do all weekend was to leave and get back home to go to work Tuesday. He talked of cramped conditions, filth and sewage, trash and confusion - and hope and prayer, smiles and supportive hugs, survival through sheer willpower and determination. And yet through all that, he felt the hardest thing for him was going home - because he did not know for sure that there would be someone arriving to continue his efforts. He was in tears as I talked to him.

After looming for centuries over the good folk of New Orleans, the sky has literally fallen, taking with it massive chunks of their lives, beloved ones, possessions. We are nowhere near a tally of victims or cost, and no true cost can be placed upon much of this.

Let me not turn this into a political commentary nor a finger-pointing exercise. There's a surplus of that going on, everywhere you turn, from broadcast news to print. We can point fingers. We can place blame, state, federal and local. But things are never as clear-cut as they appear to be when viewed from a safe distance.

As one reservist put it, on broadcast news tonight (I believe it was on Fox News), when he called home and was asked to describe how things are, he asked them to imagine the worst possible scenario - then multiply that dramatically.

If you are feeling helpless in the face of this, from a safe distance and under a roof that you own or rent, you are in a position to help.

Call the Red Cross (1-800-HELP NOW - 1-800-435-7669) - http://www.redcross.org
Call the Salvation Army (1-800-SAL ARMY - 1-800-725-2769) - http://www.salvationarmy.org
Call America's Second Harvest (1-800-844-8070) - http://www.secondharvest.org
Call Habitat for Humanity (1-800-422-4828) - http://www.habitat.org

Got a spare car? Contact Craig's List - http://neworleans.craigslist.org - link in and see who needs your help in your area

This is not a catastrophe that will resolve in a week, or two weeks or even a month. This is going to take much much longer to recover from. Every single one of us can help and must help. Do it now.

Thank you, and thank you to everyone who is doing their level best to get the Gulf Coast back.