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September 04, 2005
Hurricane Katrina - Our Tsunami?
Last week FEMA announced that 90,000 square miles were affected by Katrina, an area greater than the size of the United Kingdom! This message certainly puts the effects of this devastating storm into perspective.
In one of the early news releases after Katrina hit Louisiana last week one survivor said "This is our tsunami". My initial reaction was "Oh, come on, you can't even compare these two". By now my opinion has changed, however, as I submerged myself more and more in what really happened there. This was our tsunami, we have just had a warning and therefore were better prepared. Another chilling similarity, both the tsunami and Katrina sought out the most vulnerable - old, young, poor, isolated - to kill them in greater numbers, destroy more of their resources and make their recovery tougher than that of the better situated people.
I consider myself very lucky, as I'm sure many do, to only have been effected by this indirectly. Pete and I were invited to a friend's wedding at the beginning of October at the Loews Hotel in New Orleans. The hotel has been hit hard by the storm and floods and had to close down. They have also started a great program to ensure the safety of the hotel's employees. We are all very lucky and I'm sending happy thoughts and as much help as I can to all the folks down there that weren't that lucky.
In any event, the countless victims of Hurricane Katrina are attempting to recover from this massive storm. American Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to the hardest hit areas of Katrina’s destruction, supplying hundreds of thousands victims left homeless with critical necessities. By making a financial gift to support Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts, the Red Cross can provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Chris and I have made private donations as well as provided financial assistance through Globat's recently founded Globat Foundation. I encourage you to please donate to the Hurricane relief fund of the Red Cross today!
Posted by Ben at September 4, 2005 01:02 PM
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