There is plenty to be nervous about

I would not say that I am afraid, for I am not; but I will readily admit that the incredible things happening with the weather and economy make me very nervous.  There is a huge difference between being afraid and being nervous.  One is counterproductive and the other is the natural reaction to uneasy situations.

Just four years ago I would have been working 20 hours per day finding relief supplies for tornado victims in the St. Louis area and flooding victims in southern Missouri.  I know my days of trying to “save the world” after every disaster ended some time ago, but I am still deeply impacted as I see images of destruction and hear reports of catastrophic flooding soon to cause untold problems in many areas.  Throw into the mix some of the worst wildfires Texas has ever seen and you have a truly troubling situation building.

I study weather and I have seen from multiple sources that the upcoming month of May will be MUCH COOLER than normal throughout much of the USA except along the Gulf coast.  The last two times this happened were 2005 and 2008 which were years that produced hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma; and 2008 which produced hurricanes Gustov and Ike.  Many experts are already warning of the imminent possibility of multiple strikes by huge hurricanes along the United States coastline this summer.

For a very long time I used to study and try to understand economic concerns.  What is currently happening is so distressing that I no longer have the desire to try and figure out what is happening and about to happen.  Contrary to what media outlets are saying, there is a period of hyper-inflation just around the next bend.  We are already seeing it in the constantly rising prices for gasoline and food.

It is estimated that nearly 15% of all Americans have had to raid their retirement accounts to find resources for emergencies.  I know this is true for I am one of those 15% and am not proud of it.  But, when all other sources of income are removed, and expenses pile up; there is no place left to go but to the IRA or 401k that was supposed to provide income for 25 years or more after retirement.

Recent studies have indicated that the housing market for super expensive properties is rebounding and doing fine.  Those with plenty of money are spending it on lavish homes that cost well over a million dollars.  Those homes in foreclosure are also being purchased by people with money and then rented out to desperate people who have lost their homes.

Meanwhile those homes in the $100,000 to $600,000 range just sit there.  No one qualifies for a loan and no one has the money to pay the huge down payment to move up or down.  Most of us live in these kinds of homes and are stuck in them for many years to come.

I cannot do nothing about the weather or the economy so all I can do is pray for wisdom for those deeply impacted by both.  May God grant us all great patience and understanding so as to make the right decisions and have the means to help our neighbor, brother, parent or child in need.

The incredible journey of faith–an introduction

Between August of 1978 and August of 1980 I served as a minister in Mississippi.  Spending two years in one of the poorest states in the Country after spending two years in California was quite an experience.

During my time in Mississippi I learned to respect and love the simple lifestyle of the poor.  I learned that one does not need a lot of money or things to have a deep personal relationship with God.  In fact, I learned that the people who loved God the most are many times those who have the least.

As difficult as those two years were for me, the lessons I learned have stuck with me for more than 30 years.  To this day, my heart is drawn to those who the world considers “losers” and especially to those who must deal with personal tragedies or calamities.

My dad passed away in 1998 and by 2001 I was more or less my 82 year old mom’s caregiver, even though I lived 6 hours away.  Gradually I became her official caregiver and was so until she died in April of 2006.  My heart ached for her state, not just because she was my mom, but because she spent nearly every waking moment held captive by the relentless pain that buffeted her body.  I am deeply moved by anyone in pain, whether physical, mental or spiritual.

When Hurricane Katrina tore into Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005 every part of me wanted to immediately drive down there and help.  I knew how devastating that storm would be to the poor people who get no publicity and who live off the beaten path.  As much as I wanted to go, I could not leave my mom due to her needs.  All I could was pray and that is what I did.

My mom was not a generous person.  The fear of running out of money in her old age drove her to be frugal and miserly.  She would give a small offering at church once in awhile, but the farthest thing from her mind was the idea of giving any of HER money to some poor person.  She grew up dirt poor and no one ever gave her a penny, so in her mind there was no reason to ever give to someone else who was in need.

In the final days before her death, my mom came to realize how wrong it was to have hoarded all her money awaiting a day that never came.  Near the end of my mom’s life, she made me promise that I would use some of that money to go help those poor people in Mississippi I always talked about.  I gladly agreed to honor her wishes.

For the next year I went to more places, met more people and did more interesting things than I had done the previous 20 years combined.   In many respects, I believe that God gave me that year as a personal reward for the many years of taking care of my mom.

I have always felt I needed to share some of what I saw and learned in the year God allowed me to live in service to others.  As time allows, I am going to break my silence and actually talk about what it means to literally walk with God with no safety net, no network of prayer partners and by faith and not sight.

When the caretakers become the ones needing cared for; the collapse of most small charities

When I first started meeting people and looking for supplies to haul to Katrina victims, even though it was 9 months after the disaster, there was still plenty of compassion in the hearts of people who just wanted to “love their neighbor as themselves”. The outpouring of donations of food, furniture, clothing and money was astounding, even to me.

As the summer of 2006 wore on, so did the uniqueness of what I was trying to do. The early offers of help and assistance were replaced with excuses and a building resentment toward those who were still suffering. Somehow their plight was now their fault since it had gone on for so long. By November of 2006, all of 24 months after Katrina; the pipelines of aid were pretty well exhausted and people everywhere were tired of hearing about Katrina, period.

In the two years since, the level of compassion expressed by Americans toward their neighbors who are suffering as dropped dramatically. Calls for volunteers and donations after various disasters were still acceptable a year and half ago, but have dropped in direct proportion to the problems in the economy. The level of spontaneous free will giving now has now reached the point where there is basically nothing in any pipeline for anyone.

This situation has caused me great pain and suffering for I know how one group after another has had to curtail its activities and eliminate programs altogether. When people who used to donate faithfully are contacted, they are told there is nothing left to give. When faithful supply lines are called, those lines are no longer available. What has happened is that most small groups have increased their government dependence and in so doing have lost their autonomy.

As we approach the Holidays, I am alarmed by the downturn in programs which normally provide turkeys to those who normally would have NO Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. I am saddened to hear of the lack of donations for toy drives which are the lifeblood of small independent charities Holiday work.

Those I used to contact have no means to help in any capacity. What money they give, they donate to their church or the United Way or in red kettles in front of Wal Mart. Gone are the days when people had excess money they gladly gave at this time of year. Fundraising drives of all sorts and kinds are running far short of the amounts needed to keep programs afloat another year. There is a true crisis among charities of all sorts and kinds. Except one, that is.

I noticed that the new President’s people are setting up a “non-profit” 501 c4 to handle donations to assist in the transition of Presidents. I frankly do not understand how a group which already collected over 700 million dollars to run its campaign out of the pockets of donors, now has it hand out wanting another couple hundred million to move from Chicago to Washington.

The Federal Government can, has and will bail out banks, insurance companies and automobile manufacturers to the tune of 2 trillion dollars but can’t find a couple hundred million to move the new President and his staff to Washington? Of all the stupid things, this one takes the cake. While hundreds of worthwhile charities cannot find donors because all available money has gone to the Presidential campaign; those same people will gladly cough up hundreds of millions for transition.

Many of these same people will curtail giving during the Holidays due to needing to save their money for the gala at the time of the Inauguration. While these people blame America for not giving more to help the suffering, all their personal money goes to political campaigns, transitions and Inaugurations.

Normally at this time of year I would mellow and talk about the nice aspects of the upcoming Holidays. Not this year, and probably not ever again. As much as I hate to admit it, there is really nothing I can do anymore except pray for the few remaining independent groups trying to “hang on” in their commitment to helping others. All I can do is act as a middleman in trying to match needs with resources.

See, in my zeal to give away everything I owned to help others, I managed to succeed in doing just that. I now am only a couple of months away from joining those I tried to help for so long. The debt incurred in trying to launch a failed charity has finally caught up with me. Since the sum and total of all donations this year to my little group amounted to $100, I cannot do much except do as I have done in giving every penny I didn’t need that instant to others. Even today I gave a guy wondering around begging for money the last $20 I had.

I will never stop giving even if I have nothing to give. I will never stop trying to help even if I can find no one willing to lift a finger. I will continue to do all I can do even if no one in this country sees fit to ask where or how they can help. I pray God has a few others out there who are so committed and whose lives are not their own.

I do thank all who have added comments to the blog which has turned into a resource place for Ike victims. What was done with Ike this year is the greatest tragedy since the civil war. I promise to write more on that in the coming days.

For anyone who reads this, I am in desperate need of selling a 1994 Dodge conversion/camper van which has a little over 100,000 miles on it. I used this van traveling all over the United States in my attempts to find resources for those helping the suffering. I lived in this van and put thousands of dollars into its upkeep and maintenance. Selling that van now would buy me a couple of months more in this house.

Thank you for listening and praying for thousands who are silently hurting and deeply suffering due to the inability of people to give. I ask your prayers and supplication for my friends at Tri Coastal Community Outreach in Grand Bay, Alabama. I ask your prayers for my friends at the Giving Tree Outreach Program in Tucson, Arizona. I ask your prayers for my friends at the Cornerstone Children’s Ranch in Quemado, Texas.

I ask for your prayers for myself and my wife. Times are getting really tough for us just as they are for many of you. Our God is good and our God is great. Into His gracious hands I commit all of us trying to help and serve and all those who are in such desperate need. Thank You.

150 million for a political campaign and $1.50 for Ike/Gustov victims

How is it that Americans had 150 million dollars to contribute in September to the Obama campaign but had nothing but excuses when asked to donate to Hurricane Gustov and Ike victims? How is it that Americans claim they have no time or money to travel to Louisiana or Texas to help hurricane victims, but they willingly drive all over the country to attend rallies for both Obama and McCain?

How is it that to this date, neither Presidential candidate nor their running mates have ventured down to the areas devastated by Katrina, Rita, Gustov or Ike? How is it that even the latest attempt by Bill and George to solicit donations for the hurricane victims has been met with a resounding apathy?

Has America gone totally insane? Have the last elements of rational thinking been thrown out the window along with all the Stock Market gains of years gone by? Where has the will to help, serve and love those in distress gone? Has it really evaporated into vapor due to the financial meltdown?

Car sales are down and so are home sales in many parts of the country. Yet, people still find the money to buy 700 inch plasma televisions to watch football on. People still have the funds to drive 95 miles per hour to pay hundreds of dollars to sit in stadiums and arenas to watch athletes paid a king’s ransom play games. People still have the funds to flock to Las Vegas, Atlantic City and various riverboat casinos all over the country.

Funny, all the people crying about having no money have money to buy tons of lottery tickets twice each week. These same people who plead poverty to their church pastor when asked to give, think nothing of dropping hundreds of dollars on beer, whiskey, junk food and tobacco each week. People who would not give a dime to a starving person think nothing of spending enough for 10 meals on one night on the town.

Isn’t it interesting how the same people who show up at political rallies holding signs condemning the sitting President and his party are many of the same people who a short time ago were reaping the financial gains due in large part to the policies in place for years? Isn’t it interesting how people who claimed the most important issues to them in previous elections were abortion, individual rights and other conservative oriented matters suddenly could care less about them when they lose a few dollars in the Stock Market?

The hypocrisy of average Americans is astounding. They go to church on Sunday and feign to be good Christians and then the rest of week live like and associate with heathens. This is nothing new, but it is more pronounced now than ever.

When I saw the picture of Obama’s rally in St. Louis yesterday with 100,000 adoring fans coupled with the news that his campaign raised 150 million dollars in the month of September I felt physically ill. I know some of the people who attended that rally and have given truckloads of money to the Obama campaign. They USED to be people I could count on to help others in times of disaster. Now they claim they have no money and no time to volunteer.

Charities, non-profits, churches and various service groups are hurting so badly at this time it is unbelievable. The American public has quit giving to causes which help people and are throwing their money in the toilet of American politics. These same people will soon be throwing their money into the rat hole of the IRS in higher taxes to pay for the United States Government to start doing everything the charities, non-profits, churches and various service groups USED TO DO.

My heart aches for I know the pain and suffering going on in America and I know how many thousands of suffering people are buying into the promise made by Obama that the government is going to meet all their needs and take care of them come January. As sheep to the slaughter, these people really do believe Uncle Sam is going to drive to their home and either give them a check for $100,000 or take them to some utopia where they will lounge around all day drinking margaritas and getting suntans. These same people rejoice when they hear that the evil rich white men and women will be taxed more and more to pay for their life of leisure. What a crock this all is.

This all reminds me of why young terrorists are willing to blow themselves up to kill a few innocent victims. They are promised virgins in heaven and eternal rewards for their sacrifice now. Hundreds of thousands of minorities, lower income and other social fringe groups have been fed a bill of goods by the Obama campaign that has led them to believe their “messiah” will somehow be able to turn their life around and at the same time punish those who made their life miserable with pain and suffering.

Politics aside; if the American way of helping the disadvantaged through volunteer charities falls apart and is replaced with numerous governmental programs, this country is doomed. The free will giving on the part of Americans to help their neighbor in need has made America strong for decades. I pray that somehow America does not forget this as it gets all caught up in Obamamania.

No Media Coverage, Very Little Outside Help, FEMA to the Rescue=a bigger disaster-socialism

While all attention is diverted towards debates by candidates and in the Senate and House of Representatives, there is a tragedy of untold proportions brewing in areas devastated by the September hurricanes. There have been NO stories in either the written or broadcast media for many days concerning anything related to Hurricane Ike or Gustov. The unprecedented media blackout together with the mysterious lack of any prominent politicians showing up to supposedly promise aid if elected makes one wonder just what the agenda in this whole mess really is.

Never before has there been a disaster of the proportion of Gustov/Ike hit the United States and there NOT be relentless media coverage for weeks afterward. The media never covered Gustov and hightailed it out of Texas as soon as it was obvious there were not going to be 100,000 dead people and/or 50 billion dollars of damage.

Media coverage alerts Americans to areas of concern, interest and need. Without media coverage ignorance prevails and gives cause to apathy. The response from America as a whole to the September hurricanes has been anemic and has dried up along with the money in this country. As the entire financial aspect of this country constricts, so does the ability of relief and charity groups to do their jobs.

From one end of this country to another, charities are screaming for resources to keep doing what they are here for. From the greatest to the least, groups of all sizes are quickly running out of supplies and money to keep helping others. Of course this is due to deteriorating situation economically, but we cannot allow this to continue. If the safety net vanishes of private charities, then that only leaves the government programs such as FEMA to handle every aspect of disaster relief and recovery.

Is this what we really want in this country? Do we really want everything to turn into socialism? Do we really want the government to handle everything from banking to health care to retirement to disaster relief to providing for the disadvantaged? In our greed and selfishness along with our fear, do we really want to turn over to the government of the new USSA (United Socialistic States of America) the responsibility for everything the private sector used to provide?

By nature of the media neglecting to cover stories such as Gustov and the gasoline shortage in Atlanta together with its sudden departure from Galveston it has thrown the country into the dark regarding what is needed and where it is needed most. We need the media to get off its two track agenda and start doing its job. There is far more going on in this country than just the Presidential campaign and the bailout package in Washington.

Please keep the victims of the Gustov and Ike in your prayers and if there is any way to help them, please be aware the need is great. Please pray that within this great land, there remains a remnant of good hearted people who only want to reach out and help their neighbor in need. Please pray that somehow the word can reach out as to who needs what the most.

The United States has no idea there are still hundreds, if not thousands of missing people after Ike. The United States has no idea there are thousands of people living in temporary housing or evacuation centers out of money and with no home left to go back to. The United States has no idea of the scope and level of destruction and havoc the double barreled hurricane hits of September caused. Why? Because the media was gone with the wind and never looked back.

Everyone knows Texas is a Republican state so why should the liberal media bother to give it any press? Everyone knows that it would not benefit either McCain or Obama to visit the hurricane stricken areas for they are going Republican whether a candidate shows up or not. The selfish and self-serving ways of politics have trumped the critical needs in the areas devastated and thrown the burden of recovery squarely on the shoulders of FEMA. Have we not learned anything since Katrina?

Gustov and Ike victims have been totally forgotten and neglected

Some have told me to “let it go”. Others have told me “it’s a lost cause”. Still others have accused me of being “crazy” and through it all, NO ONE has told me “keep it up”. What is this all about?

One month ago today a major hurricane hit the Louisiana coast near Grand Isle. Hurricane Gustov continued inland and hurricane force winds battered places as far away as Baton Rouge relentlessly. Meanwhile, down the road in New Orleans all the reporters from all the major news outlets were focused on watching a few waves overtop a few levees. With every ounce of their being they were hoping to see the levees break and their cameras provide live footage of the greatest flood of all time.

All the willing of all the media could not force the levees to break. After a day of anticipation, they were bitterly disappointed that there was no huge story coming out of New Orleans. With heavy heart they trudged to either St. Paul to cover the Republican convention they never wanted to attend, or to South Carolina on the off chance Tropical Storm Hanna might turn into a real newsworthy storm.

While Hanna was huffing and puffing and not really doing much of anything, Hurricane Ike was ripping the Bahamas and then Cuba apart like an angry monster let loose on the city. Of course no reporters are allowed in Cuba and no one in their right mind would have stayed in the Bahamas. Thus, the real story of Ike was neglected, just as the real story of Gustov.

For days, the headlines regarding Ike were directed towards Florida. Where and how this became the focus of attention is baffling. Ike was never headed that way. Still, whenever the folks on Key West are told to evacuate, that becomes the almighty big story of any storm. Why do people live there anyway?

Consider these facts. In the twelve days between Hurricane Gustov and Hurricane Ike, there was basically NO media coverage of Gustov’s damage except in the immediate New Orleans/Baton Rouge areas. Even the television outlets in coastal Mississippi did not cover the story. There were far bigger fish to fry than spending resources on covering a little ole storm that hit a section of Louisiana no one in the United States knows or cares about.

FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and a few other charities were on the scene providing a little help; but the response after Gustov was minimal and a disgrace to the heart of disaster relief in this country. If we are going to selectively pick and choose who receives aid, media coverage and prayers; our country has slid down the slope to extinction.

As Ike grew into the sprawling monster he became, of course every news outlet rushed crews to Galveston and Houston in anticipation of a huge story. Dreams of Katrina like footage flooded the minds of reporters looking for the story that would catapult them to the “big time”. As dire warnings were issued for those refusing to evacuate circulated, the army of reporters spread out to find safe areas to weather the storm at, yet be close enough to provide graphic shots of the impending carnage.

Images of reporters being swept off their feet in the rising storm surge made the rounds on the internet along with pictures of fools hanging sideways on light poles as the rising winds came ashore. Stupid interviews with people bragging about not evacuating but staying in their beachfront houses drinking beer and partying were still filling television screens the afternoon before the storm hit.

When the media went to bed that Friday night Ike came ashore, they were like children on Christmas Eve. Surely the next morning would provide days of coverage of a totally wiped out Galveston and a severely crippled Houston. Awards and high ratings danced through their heads as they endured a night of wind and storms.

But, alas, once again the weather gods did not cooperate. With bitter disappointment these loyal foot soldiers of the media giants went out to battle on Saturday only to find huge sections of Galveston still standing and worse yet, Houston was barely touched. With clenched fists they cursed the weather gods for not sending the 20 foot storm surge that would have leveled Galveston and crippled the oil and gas industries in Houston for years. Instead, all they got was a little category 2 hurricane with a storm surge that only destroyed places too far to film and that no one cared about.

As a result of Ike not killing 100,000 people, totally destroying the city of Galveston or flooding half of Houston; the media stayed long enough to give a few reports for a few days and then started the mass exodus to find the next big story that America craved to see. Within a week to ten days after Ike, most of the national media were long gone and by two weeks after the storm, there were no longer ANY stories about Ike, Galveston, Houston, the Texas coast or Louisiana.

What have we come to in this country? Do we simply cast off those who suffer the loss of their homes, jobs and families simply because the carnage was not great enough to warrant continued coverage? The media stayed in New Orleans and to a lesser degree the Mississippi coast for months after Katrina. Through their constant coverage of the devastation came the impetus for America to give of their goods, money and time to help those in need.

Since the media has chosen to forsake those affected by Gustov and Ike, there is but a trickle of help heading their way. The response by America to these hurricanes has been tepid at best and non-existent most of the time. America has quickly forgotten about Ike because of the soap opera playing out in Washington over the “bail out”. While debate continues on giving 700 billion to bail out banks, an obscure bill was passed giving a few billion dollars to help those affected by Gustov and Ike.

I know times are tough and everyone is uptight about money, but that does not give an excuse to forget about those who have lost everything and are only starting on the long journey to normalcy. Even the incredible story out of Atlanta regarding gasoline shortages has only in the past two days made the headlines (near the bottom). Either America does not care anymore about helping her fellow citizens in time of need or they do not know what the need is due to the arrogance and ratings driven media who have shirked their duty by failing to cover Gustov and stick with the Ike stories. Shame on you.

Kyle and Economic Crash averted this time, but the threats are still with us

I will say this for not only the economic sector of the United States, but also the hurricane; I am beginning to believe this country is like the cat with nine lives. Once again, what could have been with Kyle will not be as bad as thought due to it staying east. Maine will certainly have a wet and windy day, but Cape Cod and nearby areas were spared—this time.

With each “near miss”, whether New England, North Carolina, Florida or New Orleans; there builds a mistaken assumption that the “really bad one” will ever hit. This is exactly what led to the whole Katrina debacle and perhaps the Ike disaster in Galveston. When it comes to nature, one must respect that as humans, we do not control it.

If a few meteorological details would have been slightly different, the two storms (Kyle and the unnamed storm) which flirted with the country the past few days could have resulted in a much worse scenario. The headlines would be quite different today if a category 1 hurricane had ripped into Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday and a category 2 hurricane tore across Long Island last night. Just as most people do not have any idea how close we came to total economic meltdown this week, so they don’t know how close we came to two hurricanes hitting the coast within two days of each other.

Congressional action prevented the economic hurricane from crushing the United States economy. Atmospheric changes in winds and pressure prevented the two hurricanes from buffeting the coastline. The economic mess is still there and after the initial hoopla over the accord reached by Congress and the White House, the underlying problems will result in another crisis down the road. Weather conditions still favor the development of tropical systems over the next few weeks.

The moral to the story is simply that we must not become complacent either in regards to the financial mess or the potential for future storms. Perhaps there is cause for rejoicing that the world’s financial markets will not crash tomorrow, but there is no reason to sit back and think “all is well” either. There is good reason to rejoice in that Kyle snubbed Martha and her vineyard and decided to check out the sights in Nova Scotia. But, Laura is bound to pop up somewhere soon and where she goes, at the moment nobody knows.

Perhaps, if we are still around to talk about it, down the road we can look back on the last weekend of September of 2008 as NOT the weekend of devastating economic storms and double hurricanes; but rather as the weekend we were temporarily spared, as a country, from the pain and suffering of three storms hitting at the same time. However great the rejoicing is today, I pray it does not lend itself to apathy in the future.

Hurricane Kyle (?), Ike Relief and Recovery, Lack of Media Attetion and General Needs

Why the storm buffeting North Carolina with hurricane force winds is not named is a mystery known only to the government agency which is responsible for such things. If something walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it probably is a duck. It is quite fascinating to have warnings issued for hurricane force winds (for a coastal area) and there not even be a tropical storm.

The next storm, once it finally gets moving will head due north and probably pay Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine a visit. These areas are prone to minor hurricanes, and that is what this storm (Kyle whenever named) will probably be.

The next three weeks should provide some interesting developmental opportunities for new storms. Where these storms form and hit along with their timing is at the moment pure speculation. The point is that meteorologically, the conditions are very similar to when we saw Fay, Gustov, Hanna and Ike form in rapid fire succession.

The fear among many who look at and study weather is that no matter what might happen, it will be a minor story due to the big “save the economy” news out of Washington. The horrible situation in Texas and Louisiana has already fallen victim to bigger and greater news. Any legitimate threat of an approaching storm would surely suffer the same fate.

The worst time to be struck by a hurricane is the final month of a Presidential campaign that is being hotly contested. Add in the historic events happening with the economy this year and what has happened with post-Ike media coverage will be the norm for future storms.

I was speaking with an associate who continues to help those devastated by Hurricane Katrina the other day. I told this person that if “Katrina #2” did indeed strike the central Gulf Coast this fall, not to expect even 20% of the new coverage, let alone the offers to help that came after Katrina. The will and ability of Americans is just not there to help like they did three years ago.

Isn’t it amazing how those who need help the most receive the least? There are precious few news stories coming out of Ike affected areas, and those that are done are always about Galveston. All the other areas of the coast from Beaumont, Texas to Grand Isle, Louisiana receive ZERO attention. It is these areas where just like after Katrina and Rita three years ago, hundreds and thousands of people will “fall through the cracks” and be left to fend for themselves.

I feel badly for anyone who lost their home or had it badly damaged by Gustov or Ike. But my heart aches for those who lost their home or had it badly damaged and to this date, no one knows about it. Those who somehow fall through the cracks and receive no aid from FEMA, Red Cross, Salvation Army or any other government or private organization are the people I care most about.

Mainly senior citizens or those with disabilities, the people who fall through the cracks after a hurricane are usually the same ones who fall through the cracks every day of the week. These situations present very difficult cases for those who try and help people on a daily basis. Yet, if someone does not at least try to locate and extend to these people the offer of help; they will suffer the most after a storm.

Yes, many of these folks reject the very idea of help out of pride. They take pride in their independence and look at charity as a sign of weakness. Yet, there comes a time, especially when their home is falling down on top of them, that they finally accept offers of help. These cases many times provide caregivers with the most rewarding success stories.

Americans must remember that in rural areas, especially in southern Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, there are many times no organized services made available for seniors, those with disabilities and those too poor to afford public services. Many locations have nothing like a “senior center” to provide daily meals or a service to deliver meals to homebound seniors. Many areas have no form of transportation available to get those who are elderly, disabled or poor to doctor’s visits or even to get to the store.

These are interesting times in which we live and are bound to get even more interesting in the coming month to six weeks. God help us all to stay strong, alert and aware of changing situations and needs.

Ike Fatalities, Gustov Devastation, New York Hurricane Threat; Where is the Media Attention?

To say that I am shocked would be a gross understatement. To say that I am surprised would not be true. To say that I am disgusted would perhaps best describe how I feel about the change in media policy toward covering REAL NEWS.

In a matter of three weeks, this country has been rocked by two major hurricanes along with a powerful tropical storm. Before this month is over, there will be storm lash the Carolina’s which will be as strong as most tropical storms. Before this month is over, there will be a hurricane of undetermined intensity strike either New York or New England. Where is the coverage of any of this in the news? It is not there.

The media has determined that they devoted enough time and space to Hurricane Ike coverage and have moved on to the greener pastures of the Washington economic bail out and the continuing fake news on the political front. Once most of Houston got their power back on and once the citizens of Galveston were allowed to at least see what became of their homes; the media figured their job was done and they were gone. The problem is that unless there remains a media presence, the American people quickly forget about a situation due their collective attention deficit disorder.

It seems the American public cannot focus on anything longer than a few hours. I would venture to say that the overwhelming majority of Americans have totally forgotten about Hurricane Gustov and are quickly forgetting about Ike. A few days removed from the front page and most stories are distant history.

The unfortunate reality when it comes to disaster relief is that the real work comes long after everyone things the work was all done. The tasks of repairing, rebuilding and restoring buildings and lives takes an enormous amount of time, work and money. Recovery from a major disaster entails far more than just pumping water out of a flooded basement or fixing a few shingles on the roof.

When I first visited New Orleans 8 months after Katrina hit one of the things that stood out most to me was the lack of retail businesses needed to repair, rebuild and restore. I made many trips to the one Home Depot that was open and waited in lines for upwards of two hours. There were few Wal-Mart’s and Targets open for months and even fewer grocery stores and restaurants. Part of the problem in New Orleans was the lack of people to work at these places.

If the majority of people in an area have had to leave due to major destruction, there of necessity will be a labor shortage for the few places trying to open. Another issue is where the evacuees are staying. If the area is demolished, they are not going to be staying in the area. They will be anywhere from a few miles to a continent away. Yet another problem is lack of reliable contractors and laborers to do the work.

Once debris removal is complete, the first thing that must be done to damaged homes and buildings is the removal of damaged drywall. The “gutting” out of structures is absolutely necessary to keep mold from taking over the dwelling. After Katrina, crews of volunteers from all over the United States descended on New Orleans and Mississippi just to gut all the structures which received water damage. When it comes to gutting, the need is volunteers and not supplies.

The next thing that must be addressed are the roofs. Immediately after a storm, blue tarps are put on damaged roofs to prevent moisture from getting in and ruining drywall and to prevent mold from growing. Logically, there is great need initially for roofing supplies and roofers. I am sure that there is a growing shortage of both supplies and workers in the roofing industry in Louisiana and Texas.

After roofs are fixed then, and only then, can the rebuilding stage start. It is utter folly to start repairs inside the house before the roof is repaired. Once the roof is finished, then a contractor must determine if the floor is ruined. Usually flooring is the next side of things to need supplies and workers. Notice how with each step of restoration the job becomes more expensive and labor intensive? Along with flooring comes electrical wiring and plumbing issues. Of course before all this are infrastructure needs that must be addressed.

Finally, after the roof, infrastructure, floors, electric and plumbing are done; then the time consuming and very expensive task of putting up new drywall starts. Even when that is done there remains the replacement of furniture, carpeting and drapes. The entire process of restoring a severely damaged building is very expensive and time consuming.

In the months and years after Katrina, there were constant shortages of building supplies that matched the progress being made. Initially there were shortages of lumber and roofing materials. Then there were shortages of flooring materials. Finally, the biggest shortage of all was drywall. Even once the literal shortages were relieved, there remained a dire shortage of qualified workers to do the work.

If the media had not kept the attention of America focused on Katrina for many months, there would not have been the continual outpouring of donated goods and volunteer services that continue unto this day. Yes, it has been three years since Katrina and there are still people either waiting for insurance money to get their home repaired or volunteer agencies to help when there was no money available.

The myths in disaster recovery are as follows:

1. Everyone has insurance and thus have the means to get repairs made

2. The area is flooded with reputable contractors and supplies

3. All the work is done and finished in a few weeks or months

4. Volunteers are only needed at the beginning of the relief effort

5. Donations of goods and money are only needed directly after the disaster

The great secret to success in disaster relief and recovery depends in part upon governmental agencies doing their part, private businesses doing their part and service groups and charities doing their part. It takes a team effort to see prompt and proper disaster relief, repair, rebuilding and restoration. The catalyst for this is constant media attention. It is truly a shame the media has chosen to leave the victims in Louisiana and Texas to fend for themselves.

Advance Warning: Hurricanes Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana May Be Coming SOON

We are, by most experts’ accounts, somewhere between a week to ten days away from another outbreak of tropical weather. Right around the first of October we should be seeing at least three tropical storms or hurricanes in various stages of development in various places in the Atlantic, Caribbean and, unfortunately, the Gulf of Mexico. This season is far from over, and as bad as the Fay, Gustov, Hanna and Ike storm train was; the round might be even worse.

We saw three years ago what happens when the country is struck by a major hurricane soon after another one. The second storm does not receive the attention, supplies or other resources the first storm does. No one could possibly argue that Hurricane Rita victims received anywhere near the attention that Katrina victims did. Certainly this is in part to due to location, but it is also due to how near the two hurricanes were to each other time wise.

Lost in the Katrina disaster is the fact that a hundred fifty miles east of where Katrina made landfall (near Pensacola, Florida), two major hurricanes made landfall within a year of each other. In August 2004, Hurricane Ivan slammed ashore near Gulf Shores, Alabama just to the west of Pensacola. Ivan, lest we forget, was the third most expensive hurricane to hit the United States before Ike. In July of 2005, Hurricane Dennis came ashore near Navarre Beach, Florida just to the east of Pensacola.

Very few people in the United States have any recollection of Dennis and most have forgotten about Ivan. Although the people who lived in Ivan’s path will never forget the fear of a category 5 monster bearing down upon them, people outside of the immediate area long ago forgot about how fortunate we were that Ivan weakened and did not go fifty miles west right into Mobile, Alabama.

I vividly recall driving down Interstate 10 in July of 2006, two years after Ivan and one year after Dennis and being amazed at the number of blue tarps covering roofs. At the time, I could not understand how there could still be so many homes whose roofs had not been repaired in the space of two years. Part of the reason for this was certainly the double whammy of two hurricanes within a year of each other.

In September of 2004, Stuart, Florida had the distinction of being hit by two major hurricanes within three weeks of each other. First Hurricane Francis came ashore as a strong category 2 storm, and then amazingly, three weeks later, Hurricane Jeanne followed the exact same path as a category 3 storm. Together, the two storms caused almost 16 billion dollars in damage. As bad as this was for the immediate area, the scary part is to think what would have happened if both of these storms would have hit fifty miles further south in the densely populated West Palm Beach area.

The current situation in central and southwestern Louisiana is unprecedented in many respects. There are areas which have been impacted by first Katrina and then Rita in 2005 and now Gustov and Ike in 2008. Some would say that three years makes this a non-issue, but one must remember there was no rebuilding or recovery in most of this region from the 2005 storms until late 2006 and into 2007.

No one can say with any degree of confidence where any of the upcoming storms will be headed. But, there is ample evidence to suggest that one or more of the various tropical storms and hurricanes to form in the next few weeks will emerge in the Gulf of Mexico somewhere. Obviously, if any storm starts heading toward the Galveston/Houston area we will have MAJOR problems. There is no assurance that many thousand people currently in shelters won’t still be there.

One of the worst case scenarios would be another major hurricane do as Jeanne did in Florida four years ago and follow the exact same path as Ike. It is beyond the ability to comprehend how disastrous this would be. Of course this same exact fear was prevalent in 2005 when for a season it looked like Rita would hit New Orleans.

As horrible as this scenario would be, there are two that could be worse. The first would be for one of the upcoming hurricanes to follow Gustov’s path into central Louisiana. This area could not handle a third major hurricane in the same season without massive loss of property and life. Since this area is very difficult to reach due to the terrain and lack of roads, a third hurricane would be a calamity.

The worst case scenario would be a major hurricane hit New Orleans, the Mississippi Coast or Mobile/Pensacola. We are not equipped in this country to handle multiple major hurricanes at the same time; not with the economy as it is. Resources are already stretched thin, especially among major charities, due to all the tornadoes and flooding earlier this year.

Here is THE worst case scenario that could play out over the next month. A major hurricane strikes the central Gulf Coast (New Orleans, Mobile) before Galveston/Houston are on their feet. Then, a major hurricane strikes the East Coast either in North Carolina, Miami or New York. If, and this has never happened in our country’s history, we had 3 major hurricanes strike densely populated areas within a month of each other, it could and would cripple the country.

In 2005, there were 3 major hurricanes to strike (Katrina, Rita and Wilma), but Rita did not strike a densely populated area and Wilma’s damage was concentrated in an area well equipped to handle it. The fear of many who study, forecast and track hurricanes is that one of these years a major hurricane would ride the East Coast and hit either Philadelphia or New York. Unlike the Gulf Coast or Florida, or even the Carolinas, the big cities in the Northeast are not used to hurricanes and the potential for chaos and damage is very high.

God forbid any of these scenarios end up happening, but only a fool would sit back and assume none or only one could take place. Preparation is the key to survival. It would do all parties from Galveston to Boston well to start making preparations NOW for the possible hurricane threats coming up in October. With all that is going on economically, it behooves the American public to NOT sit back on their laurels and assume they are safe and secure. Only a true FOOL would be so naïve this year.