Devastation

I am so overwhelmed with the mass destruction and devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. When I posted about the different meanings of my name earlier this month I had no idea that my name would ever be associated with such a tragedy. At first friends and family were joking with me about it and leaving newspaper articles on my desk and emailing me updates on the storm. It was amusing at first but now it is horrifying. I can’t even begin to put into words the emotions I am feeling about this. I finally reached a point this morning where I had to turn off the TV and the radio; I couldn’t take the heart break anymore. My heart and prayers go out to all of the people affected by this natural disaster. I have a friend who lives in Pascagoula, Miss. that I can’t get a hold of and am praying he and his family are alright. I also have a close friend whose family decided to stay in their home in New Orleans, they survived and so did their house amazingly. But now they are stuck there with limited food and water and the threat of looters looming. When you try to think about what you would do in this situation your mind goes crazy, I can’t even begin to imagine what I would do and how I would feel. It is like a horror movie coming true, dead bodies floating around, looters fighting for food just to survive, the threat of mass panic and riots, police being shot while trying to protect and keep the peace, it’s like Dawn of the Dead. Not to mention the millions of people who have nothing left. Even if they did manage to evacuate and get out of harms way what do they do now? They have no home to go back to yet how long can you afford to stay in a hotel and feed your family with no job to go to? It is so mind boggling to me. Here in Jacksonville, FL they are beginning to set up shelters for people to evacuate to. Several of our local fire departments and rescue teams left yesterday to help in whatever way they can. I wish there was something we could do other than just sending monetary donations but there really isn’t right now. Even if you could volunteer to help you can’t get into the cities or even close to them at this point. I’m sure a lot of you have similar feelings about this and are feeling just as helpless as I am. I guess all we can do for now is pray and contribute what we can financially. Drew, if you are out there I love you and hope you and your family are safe. Jeff, I am so sorry for you and your family and if there is anything I can do please let me know. To everyone else that has been affected by this you are in my thoughts and prayers, God bless.