Hurricane Katrina

When I started blogging on here, I wanted to use this to keep a journal of my flight training. I am going to go a little off topic here. The effects of Hurricane Katrina have not only touched those in the city of New Orleans, but I believe they have touched the world. Last Monday the city of New Orleans and the gulf coast, Biloxi and Gulfport and points 100 miles inland were hammered by a massive category five Hurricane. Hurricane Katrina came ashore with 160 mph winds and leveled cities and towns, and left the city of New Orleans under water. I am at a loss for words and would like to express my feelings through this blog. I have been watching the news, monitoring CNN.com and listening to the radio. The feeling of helplessness and pain that I felt for the people affected bythis tragecy is like nothing Ive ever felt. This rivals the events of 9/11 in so many ways, but in so many other ways it is so much worse. with tens of thousands of people without homes(literally) and seeing them struggle to wade through feet of standing sewer water to get to a place that wasnt even safe broke my heart, and the heart of this country. I watched on Fox news this afternoon pictures of the superdome, and the houston astrodome, and the despair on the faces of so many. Then there were the people who were above the law and looted the city, shot at police and helicopters, and killed each other over abag of ice. I demand nothing less than the death penalty for those individuals....that behavior is inexcusable. Around 4pm today the USARMY rolled into New Orleans bringing rations and help. The cavalry had arrived. Ive never felt so proud of our armed forces as I did when the national guard convoy carrying1000 troops and over 9 million MRE's. The 300 helicopters went into action plucking people off rooftops and delivering them to safety. The hours immediately after the hurricane passed the coast guard sprang into action.....I believe this was what they were trained for, and this was indeed their finest hour. God bless the men and woman who were the real heroes in this rescue effort. An effort is underway right now transporting busloads of people to various states' stadiums and centers. The outpouring of support from the rest of the country has been immense: the airlines, the state govts, the sports teams, and the networks. All have been amazing. And when I got home today I watched Condoleeza Rice(sp?) announce that we have received offers of money, supplies, and help from the world. Most notably was Sri Lanka...who is still recovering from their own disaster in the tsunami. I felt a tear fall from my eye when I heard that. Across borders, oceans, and cultural differences the one thing that binds us all together is the human spirit. It is amazing to witness the outpouring of love, money, and energy for people we dont even know. God bless those effected by the storm, and may god be with you in the rebuilding of homes and towns.