Say It Ain't So

(photo from nfl.com)
This game was a thrill to watch. Throughout, I had been excited by the idea of keeping the Redskins locked out, but it wasn't meant to be. Santana Moss intervened.

You have to admit, the man is fast. Those were some damn fine passes thrown his way, as well. The scores that the Skins put together in the last few minutes were too much to overcome with such little time left in the game. The Cowboys played valiantly, right up to the last second, so it's pretty clear the kind of rivalry that can be fired up between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. The ending of this game will only make it more intense.

Regardless, I am very impressed by the new Cowboys lineup. This will be a great season, so keep your eyes open for amazing plays and superb scores.

Reunion Arena

On Labor Day, I went down to Reunion Arena to volunteer. They needed the help. Within a couple of hours, they were so many volunteers that they had to begin turning them away.

The place I volunteered at was not inside Reunion Arena or the Convention Center. Those are the shelters. Outside, in the ground level of a parking garage, was the area where New Orleans residents waited for transportation to to other cities, and could pick up supplies before heading out. There were sections throughout the garage for each type of necessity. Women's Shoes, Boy's Shirts, Food, Prayer Services, Diapers, Formula, all with many people shuffling around with large shopping bags donated by The Container Store. New merchandise was also available, including underwear, socks, soap, washcloths, towels, etc.

With about 50 volunteers, we unloaded a semi trailer full of baby items in about 20 minutes. Inside the trailer, we had two human chains running down each side, with a person on the outside for each line, and a man in the middle in case either of the two weren't available for whatever reason.

The rest of the day was spent regulating stocked merchandise to the stations, so that they wouldn't have too many boxes crowding around them. This included moving large stacks of merchandise around with nothing but arms and a couple of dollies. We also directed people to the stations when they needed a particular item.

Occasionally, you would hear an announcement like, "Anyone wanting to relocate to Arizona or Southern California, come to the stage." It was interesting to see all the different people trying to find a good pair of shoes for their baby, or looking for the right kind of formula. One man was so exhausted, he passed out with his bag of goods on a stack of our boxes. A photographer came by and snapped some shots of him, then started talking to him. Two guys came over right after that and started praying with him.

It's been awhile since I worked that hard.

Katrina's Victims

Before the hurricane struck, I hadn't fully considered the plight of those who could not leave. The fact that I would have left blinded me to possibilities like not having the money to leave, or even a car, or not being healthy enough to handle a trip, etc. People close to me have considered me a tinhatter, and a survivalist, if only for my spoken concern about being ready for anything. This crisis shows pretty clearly that I know little and understand even less about how difficult life can become. These sorts of things happen in other places, of course. Bangladesh, for instance, receives massive flooding practically every year. This isn't Bangladesh, though. Here, in the almighty USA, there is an expectation that things should never degrade to this point. There should never be bodies lying around in the street for 48 hours. People should not be without food for nearly a week, and certainly not without clean water at anytime. There really is no excuse for a situation like this to occur in our nation. Everyone knew this was coming. We should have been ready.

There are two more major events yet to occur. That would be the recovery of the bodies trapped in wreckage for 5 days and counting, and the economic halving of the area. Between the duration of closure, the expected razing of structures, the exodus of refugees never to return, and the stigma of being known as a bowl waiting to be filled, New Orleans is most likely five days into it's downfall as a major American city. Every person who considers staying in New Orleans will have to consider the possibility of the levees breaking again, despite any assurances they might receive of their strengthening. How many people will put the safety of their family on the line and trust the rebuilt levees or the emergency response? What responsible corporation is going to remain in a town that can lose power for a month and put their real estate at risk if the right storm comes along?

As a note of optimism, I would guess that higher communities nearby might benefit from New Orleans residents moving in, but the benefit might just help soften the blow from the number of people who will leave their windblown homes behind and move away from the Gulf for good.

This is what happens when you do not plan for the worst.