After the Storm

The aftermath of hurricane Katrina has been a revelation for Team Mast. Since the water hit New Orleans, everything in this part of the country has taken a back seat to the evacuees and the relief effort. As I write this, Kim is up at the Reliant Center volunteering at the shelter. She went up last night as well--she spent the evening answering phones, stacking cots, and duct-taping supplies in bundles for transportation. She has also helped organize some of her friends' efforts. She took two others with her tonight, in fact.

Down at work, we've been seeing lots of displaced folks from the flooded areas. The medical staff have been working overtime to staff the local Red Cross shelter, and the institution as a whole is abuzz with relief efforts.

As we try to do what we can for the people affected by the storm, there's always one nagging thought in the back of our minds: it could have been us. Sure, we don't have the bad geography that has landed New Orleans in such trouble, but a category 4 would flatten our area just as surely as it did in Biloxi. It's always unnerving to realize how tenuous our comfort zone is. Kim and I have been giving thought to our disaster plan so that we will be prepared if we have the misfortune of being in the path of a future storm.

If you have the ability and opportunity to help the Red Cross or another relief organization (read: $$$), please do so. These people really need it. Thanks!