When Words Fail

I wrote earlier that it was really hard to put into words my thoughts about the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina. That was before all the footage and photographs I saw today. Now it's even harder. The response, by all accounts, has been quick and efficient, as government agencies, the military, charity organizations, and corporations all do their part to rescue those trapped, evacuate the stranded, care for the living, and recover those who did not survive the fury of the storm.

The scenes are worse than gut-wrenching, and it's frustrating to sit here and know I can't help in any direct way right now. I will certainly continue to pass along the link to the Red Cross (you can also call them at 1-800-HELPNOW), and urge all who can to give as they can. And I offer whatever support words can give to those who do have the training and the ability to help in the efforts, like my friend Garrick Hoadley, who commented below. He'll be heading to the region tomorrow as a Red Cross volunteer, along with hundreds of others - they deserve our praise, our respect, and our support. They are the people who will bring the region back from the brink, and who will help the suffering in their hours of need, and all the power in the world to them.

This is not the time for politics. This is a time for togetherness, for mutual support and for appreciation of leadership and humankindness in all their forms.