Hurricane Katrina

I hadn't blogged on this yet, because I just simply didn't know what to say. As I (an admitted news junkie) watched the news I just wanted to cry. I know what it is like to feel like you are in survival mode, but I still had a home, a car and food on the table, as well as clean water.

I get cranky when there isn't enough food prepared or someone didn't save me some of a great dinner, so I can't fathom the fear that overcomes people and what they will resort to just to find food and water for themselves and their families.

However, help is always needed. You will be hearing about this for quite some time. You will also hear from quack places looking to make a (sick) buck off of this tragedy. Please make sure that you are giving your time and money and donations to good and reputable organizations. In fact, Catholic Relief Serives gives 94% of it's donations directly to the programs. They will also direct you to Catholic Charities who work more with domestic needs whereas CRS is international.

The American Red Cross is also getting a great deal of airtime. If you haven't caught their commercial yet with Johnny Cash singing "Bridge Over Troubled Water " yet, get your kleenex ready. Man.

After 9/11 I was working in Boston and a group of youth ministers went down in early October to lend a hand. It was something I will never forget. The shock was still fresh and New York was still, well, friendly. I took a 12 hour shift as a short order cook in the block that held the morgue. We fed and made coffee (all free) to the morticians and rescue workers who were picking through the incoming rubble for any kind of human remains or valuables. My next assignment was down at Pier 19 where a warehous had been turned into a temporary relief building. I did the initial interviews for people who would be needing money to make it through the next weeks. My first interview was with a woman who was a cleaning lady for one of the towers. She worked during the night and had just gotten home from her shift when she got a call to turn on her TV. There in front of her was the insanity and chaos that we all witnessed.

I share this because while NYC was inundated with volunteers it was also clear that New Yorkers needed to see that the rest of us were there to support them and in a way, see to their needs when they were in dire need. There may be opportunities in the near future for a group of you to hook up with one of the local chapters of the Red Cross or Catholic Charities and offer your hands to help some of the victims of Mother Natures' Tragedy.

I forgot to add that we worked through the Salvation Army.