I came to the library after watching the horrific scenes on TV

of the aftermath of Katrina and what it has done to New Orleans and other areas of the Gulf Coast, thinking that I could at least do some volunteering for the Wiki, but the site is either experiencing difficulties or for whatever reason I can't reach it from the library computers. (Yes, that was a long sentence, I know. Bear with me. There will probably be more.) So I'm left blogging.

I wish I could do more. I have only a little money I can contribute, but every bit helps, I suppose. To see people sitting in the heat dying of dehydration and exhaustion is awful, but I'm glad they're showing it, because we need to know what this hell is like. I think it will shock many Americans at just how quickly a major metropolitan area sank into lawlessness and Third World conditions. New Orleans shows what a breakdown in communication...for certainly that is at the heart of this, as people are cut off from any hope of rescue and the uncertainty of when they will find food and water is fueling so much of this frustration. Everyone keeps asking, 'where are our leaders?' and 'where is the government?', even 'where are the relief agencies?' and the government gets defensive and says it's trying everything it can. But there's a giant divide between the average American watching these scenes on TV, and even those closer to the rescue efforts, and those waiting at the convention centre or on rooftops for some sign of relief. That gulf is communication, and it's costing lives every bit as much as the floodwaters.

I've never been to New Orleans, although I grew up outside Shreveport and Alexandria as a child, spending about seven years total in the state of Louisiana. I consider it a sort of second home, after Kentucky. I hate to see such destruction hit it, or the neighbouring states for that matter. As a Southerner, I feel like the heart of my region has been blasted apart. But I have no doubt that there will be recovery, albeit slow recovery, because the South has an indomitable spirit that has weathered storms, war, and other destructive forces before. Life will go on. That's little consolation for some, especially when small things like an oxygen tank or a little water could mean the huge difference between life and death. Each life saved is a miracle in the wake of this storm. I'm sure all the best and worst of humanity will be brought out by the crisis. But for now, I simply wish good weather and Godspeed to those trying to rescue and rebuild.