Blog: Thoughts on Katrina

September 2nd, 2005 by Laurie Barak

It seems like everyone wants to talk about the negative points of what has happened since Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Gulf coast of the United States.

I’d like to focus on some positive things, and not just places where people can make donations. For example:

Here’s a wonderful CNN article about the unselfish, kind nature of people who are helping out Katrina evacuees. Some excerpts:

Football fans around the Southeast are giving up their prepaid rooms and even tickets to storm victims — opting to stay home and watch the game on TV.

Many fans not only gave up rooms but offered to pay for the evacuees to use them.

Mississippi State offered free tickets to evacuees for Saturday’s home opener with Murray State (Kansas). “Everyone understands that these people have nothing and that they have nowhere else to go,” said Arma delaCruz Salazar, vice president of tourism for the Greater Starkville (Mississippi) Development Partnership. “So we want to help them and let this be their home for as long as it takes.”

Food and water are now arriving in New Orleans. Lt. Gen. Russel Honore was directing the deployment of National Guard troops from a New Orleans street corner. He said getting food and water to the people at the convention center was difficult. “If you ever have 20,000 people come to supper, you know what I’m talking about,” the general said. But the general and his troops were able to provide everyone with something to eat and drink. Read the complete article on CNN by clicking here.

Countries around the world are helping the United States in any way they can. Some examples:

Australia on Friday said it would donate A$10 million (US$7.7 million) immediately to the American Red Cross as well as sending a team of emergency management specialists to identify what other help could be offered and providing services where most needed.

Japan donated $200,000 to the Red Cross and would also provide up to $300,000 in aid supplies such as tents and power generators.

The European Union said it was ready to offer any assistance.

Germany also said it would offer aid or money if requested by Washington.

This is the one that moves me the most:

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga said she and her fellow citizens felt solidarity with those affected. And while the small island nation is still recovering from the tsunami disaster, it also pledged $25,000 to the American Red Cross, the AP reported.

You can read the entire article including the excerpts from above at this link to CNN.

One of the most difficult things to do in the wake of such a tragedy is to keep one’s sense of humor. I found this posting on Craigslist and wanted to share it with my readers:

Katrina has been a terrible catastrophe for the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. I still haven’t been able to contact any of my friends and relatives on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Even with the sadness and depression many of us are experiencing right now, I had to laugh when I saw a photo of an Oriental rug store in New Orleans in today’s Austin newspaper. The photo shows a store front boarded up with plywood with this painted on the plywood:

Looters will be shot. Don’t try I am sleeping inside with a big dog, an ugly woman, two shotguns and a claw hammer.

I don’t know if anyone from any of the areas affected by the hurricane will ever see my Blog. But if you do, dear friends, I am thinking of you and hope that somehow you find some enjoyment or encouragement from the positive message I’ve shared today.

My mom had her last chemo yesterday. I sent her a little replica of the Point Loma lighthouse in San Diego to congratulate her on getting through. I reminded her that lighthouses are beacons of hope, points of light in an otherwise dark night that like stars, guide us through even the darkest of times.

This lighthouse is to represent hope for everyone affected by Hurricane Katrina.

lighthouse