Aftermath

Today, New Orleans and the stricken Gulf Coast cities woke up to a harsh reality. Hurricane Katrina had struck. But the true nightmare was just beginning.

I've been watching The Weather Channel and CNN all evening, and I'm shocked. I've watched a lot of footage of hurricane aftermath in densely-populated cities. That includes Andrew, Hugo, Camille, Opal, Mitch, Ivan, the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 ... you name it, I've seen it. None of that compared with the sheer devastation that Katrina inflicted on the Gulf Coast. My heart is breaking at the scenes that I'm watching from the comfort of my television and laptop. I haven't felt this awful, been so affected by such a disaster since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Just when it seemed like New Orleans had dodged the bullet yet again (having been hit by Katrina's considerably weaker eastern flank), two of its protective levees burst today. That sent a torrent of water pouring into the city from Lake Pontchartrain and flooded the streets with as much as 20 feet of water. Eighty percent of the city has been submerged, and the water is still rising with nowhere to go. The pumps that get rid of floodwater have failed and won't be working again until emergency crews can repair the broken levees, which could take weeks. That means New Orleans could be dealing with floods for weeks or even months, escalating an already bad scenario.

One million people are without power across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama; many don't even have clean water or proper sanitary conditions. People who ignored the mandatory evacuation order spent as much as 24 hours sitting on their rooftops (those lucky enough to still have roofs) awaiting helicopter rescue. Ambulances sat parked helplessly on interstates, water blocking their path. The sudden flooding in New Orleans prompted the evacuation of the relief shelters, including the Louisiana Superdome, which itself sustained noticable roof damage from Katrina's wind, lost power, air conditioning, and became unbearable with stopped toilets and putrid stench.

The Weather Channel website was one of many that became unavailable temporarily because of being inundated with requests and concerns for loved ones in the disaster. Jim Cantore, one of the storm crew members who was sent to Gulfport to cover the hurricane, took shelter in the Armed Forces Retirement home, which he described as "built like Fort Knox" and perfectly safe. They didn't count on Katrina's 30-foot storm surge that flooded the first floor of the home and forced Jim and the panicked residents to seek higher ground. That same surge brought down an entire beachfront apartment in Louisiana, burying an untold number of people under water and debris.

I can't describe my feelings right now. I watched a man named Harvey Jackson, both arms around his two boys, being interviewed by a reporter. He was talking and sobbing all at once because he'd lost his wife in the deadly floodwaters that destroyed their home. He was wandering the streets aimlessly with his kids with nowhere to go and no idea what to do. Just unbelievable. Seeing devastation like this on multiple levels ... I can't comprehend it.

What gets me most is that for these poor cities like New Orleans, Gulfport, and Biloxi, the real nightmare is just beginning. Now they have to find a way to keep on living with how Katrina has changed their lives permanently. Residents won't be able to go home for months. Thousands of people face up to two months without electricity. Prisoners of a New Orleans jail have to be re-located because of the floodwaters spilling into the prison facility. Precious supplies like food, water, and first-aid will become treasures people will fight and even kill each other for ownership. Martial law is already in effect for cities with looters running rampant in the face of this disaster; policemen and national guard are only now cracking down on the problem because they too are soaking this in.

You know, I put down all these facts, these statistics. Part of me feels heartless to think of them like that. But in all honesty, describing what happened and laying out my thoughts in words helps me to deal with tragedy of this scope. Prayer is also very theraputic. It's hard for me to understand God's will sometimes, especially when I see tragedies like this. The Oklahoma City bombing, Columbine High, September 11th, the South Asia tsunami, and now Katrina. So often, I'm on my knees asking "God, I don't understand. I don't know why You allow tragedy, death, and carnage to happen. It hurts so much..." And I'm not even a victim. I have no answers. I can't claim to know the mind of the Lord and what His plans are. To even try to do that is, I think, the height of arrogance and stupidity. Hard as it is, all I can do is accept that tragedy happens. We live in a fallen world, and we have no one but ourselves to blame. We are sinful and depraved, and in the big scheme of things, we deserve a fate far worse than anything Katrina can do. We deserve the depths of hell, but we have hope in the mercy and salvation from Jesus Christ. Times like this test our faith in Christ more than anything, but as difficult as it is, we are stronger for our suffering. When we suffer in Christ's name, we can do nothing but rejoice.

If you are reading this, I ask you, please pray for the displaced residents of the Gulf Coast. Pray for those who have lost loved ones and property in the flood waters. Pray for those who must spend another agonizing night on damp, crumbling rooftops waiting to be rescued. Pray for those evacuating the Superdome and the other shelters to go who knows where. Pray for those in shocked, dazed states who haven't yet come to grips with the reality of what's happened to them. Pray for the rescue workers, nurses, doctors, and repair crews who are out there putting their lives on the line to help people, clear debris, coordinate relief efforts, and patch the damaged levees. Don't just do this offhand or mention it in passing. Take significant time to lift these people up to God. Prayer is powerful, and it works miracles, great and small. Don't ever take for granted what it means to pray for someone.

If you feel led to help relief efforts in the aftermath of Katrina, here are some organizations you can look into. A donation, no matter how big or small, can go a long way toward helping to provide residents with water, food, medicine, insurance, long-term recovery plans, and so much more. Please consider helping with one of these:

American Red Cross
https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation-form.asp

Catholic Charities USA
http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org

Charity Hospital (in New Orleans)
1532 TULANE AVENUE
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70112

Habitat for Humanity (New Orleans)
http://www.habitat-nola.org

Hearts With Hands
http://www.heartswithhands.org

Noah's Wish
PO BOX 997
PLACERVILLE , CA 95667

Operation Blessing (I did this one)
http://www.ob.org

Samaritan's Purse
http://www.samaritanspurse.org


To all of those affected by Katrina, my prayers are with you. As little as I can do, God can do infinitely more. May his strength and peace help and comfort you in the days to come.