The kindness of strangers, Part III

When Hurricane Alicia hit Galveston in 1983, the emergency generator at City Hall failed. The City Council held an emergency meeting with flashlights and candles. It turned out somebody hadn't put oil in the generator.

What went wrong in New Orleans? Anything. Everything.

Mother Nature. Government. Some people. Everything went wrong.

Someone on TV said the relocation of the "evacuees" will eclipse the great migration of the Dust Bowl in the '30s.

I don't know.

This much I do know. A father from New Orleans, who now finds himself in Brazosport, told his eight kids on the way to church this morning to "pray long and pray hard for the people who lost everything."

"We lost everything," one of his young sons said.

"We have each other," the dad said.

The eight kids prayed long and hard, and so did their mother and father.

That happened today in every town, every shelter and every state where refuge was offered and taken.

They are glad to alive.

What are they grateful for?

If they have a mattress, clean sheets and warm water, they are thankful for that.

If they only have a cot, they are grateful for that.

For the first time in six days, they can really sleep, and maybe watch their children or their spouse really sleep.

In Brazosport, there are at least 23 grateful families, maybe more. In Houston, there are thousands. In Texas and other states, there are thousands more.

What are they thinking about now?

If their kids are OK. If the new schools they'll be attending are good. If the new people in their new towns are nice. If they can find work. If so-and-so is OK, and where old so-and-so is right now.

Some of them, many of them, will never go home.

Let's everyone try to make them feel like they have a new one.
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KATRINA BLOGROLLING

Laurence Martin links to a year-old National Geographic story that predicted a hurricane in New Orleans would prove disastrous.

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists a hurricane strike on New Orleans as one of the most dire threats to the nation, up there with a large earthquake in California or a terrorist attack on New York City. Even the Red Cross no longer opens hurricane shelters in the city, claiming the risk to its workers is too great."

Slampo sets the scene in Houston, where his daughter reported a brand-new classmate from Louisiana, one of many children who lost everything.

In the coming weeks we want to keep this little girl in mind, her and all the other children housed at the Astrodome and the Brown Center and in hotels and homes and other locations across our city, as the inevitable but justifiable concerns about the costs of our hospitality---both to the public purse, and in the stresses to the social fabric---are raised and argued.

Tom Kirkendall links to a brutally incisive City Journal article and makes note of the politics underlying the response to Katrina.

As one my former professors used to remind me, "they fiddle while Rome burns and, to make matters worse, they do not realize that Rome is burning or that they are fiddling."

In-Exile Chronicle blogger Abram Himelstein says the outspoken mayor of the city he loves is "heroic."

When the national media talks about the "vacuum of leadership" we know that they are talking about George Bush, or the Congress that underfunded our levees. Or FEMA that doesn't know how to give power to someone who understands the way the city works. Because Ray Nagin, our leader, has been heroic.

Some commenters agree, some don't.

NOLA.COM, the online version of the New Orleans Times Picayune, reports that New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson is "leaning" toward moving the team permanently to San Antonio.

“This is like pouring salt into the wound,” (La. State Sen.) Michot said.

Eric Berger, who writes the SciGuy blog in the Houston daily, has learned 5 things from Katrina. One of them: blogging from non-media types during chaotic events is powerful, whether it's by citizens directly affected by breaking news or those who aren't in the eye of the storm.

Anne Linehan & Kevin Whited at BlogHouston have compiled their numerous Katrina posts in one clickable link and also have a handy resources link if you want to help.

Have a happy Labor Day holiday tomorrow.