Though fall weather has yet to arrive and it won't be officially autumn for a few more weeks, it's September, and I decided to change the banner. I'm ready to put summer behind me.
Like most of you, I've been reading the news reports about Hurricane Katrina. The amount of devastation, and the lack of adequate emergency preparedness for such a disaster is just staggering to me.
I couldn't help but think of the Netherlands, a country where much of their land is below sea level. They've been fighting the encroachment of the sea for centuries, and I'm hoping that when New Orleans is rebuilt, that those involved will call upon the Dutch for their expertise in creating better defenses and protections from the weather for their city.
As I read accounts of people's ordeals during this storm, I was immediately reminded of similar stories I'd heard and read about another hurricane: Hurricane Carol, which hit New England 51 years ago yesterday. That day was my brother's ninth birthday, and I remember him telling me how his birthday party was cancelled after a tree fell and destroyed the dining room window and part of the wall of our house. After the storm, my parents bought a booklet about the hurricane put out by the Providence Journal. During my childhood, I read this booklet countless times and it is still in our family's possession:
I got an email today from my aunt in Rhode Island. She said that the family up there is collecting food to donate and that she is making a monetary donation to the ASPCA for displaced pets. She figured that enough agencies of various kinds will see to human needs, but the needs of animals might be largely overlooked.
Some storm refugees are staying in my town, those who have family or friends in the area. The local newspaper noted that among other things, the power company is sending trucks and EMS personnel are going down there to assist.
Pardon this rather rambling entry, but a disaster of this magnitude will take a long time to assimilate in any reasonable manner.
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For those interested in learning more about Hurricane Carol, I found an interesting site, hosted by a man who lived through it as a 13 year old:
http://www.giveyoujoy.net/natural_high/hurricane_carol/
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