Come Together

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there are hundreds of thousands of people now homeless in America. Millions without power (No refrigerator = rotting food) A lot of these people have nothing left but the shirts on their backs. I just was browsing the MSM news on the TV and saw a woman being informed that her son's grave and hundreds of others were uprooted, and emptied out of their caskets. The time to act is now. No squabbling about where's the money coming from. Imagine what is happening down there. Imagine what is going to happen in the next week or two. In every passing day, hundreds of people will die from dehydration and disease is surely to come. I was quite happy to receive this letter today but it failed to address the money issue, other than to donate. "Ken Mehlman, RNC Chairman" To: frannyward@yahoo.com Subject: Hurricane Katrina Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 22:29:50 -0400 (EDT) Dear Francis, Hurricane Katrina has passed and now the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama must begin the process of rebuilding. Our thoughts are with those who were affected by this powerful storm. During times like these, there is no room for politics and partisanship. This is a time when we all come together to help our neighbors. Due to the size of this storm and the area of impact, the cost for recovery will be staggering. For that reason, we are asking you, our supporters, to make a donation to hurricane relief efforts. The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army provide shelter, food, water, blankets and clothing to those who have lost everything. We appreciate your willingness to help these groups. Your generosity will help the people impacted by the storm begin the process of rising up and recovering from this disaster. Thanks for all you do. Sincerely, Ken MehlmanChairman, RNC And I thought that the GOP didn't care! I was wondering what FEMA is doing to mobilize first responders. As you know, FEMA better known as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is the "people in charge" of both natural and man- made disasters. What I didn't know is this:

"FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003."

FEMA is appealing to the residents of the affected areas who evacuated to stay put, and are as I type this, sending hundreds of personal to coordinate relief efforts. Here is a news statement from FEMA. I actually am thinking of just what I can do to help, other than to send money. Maybe join the CERT program? Has anyone really ever volunteered to go so far away? My sister in law, who works for State Farm, has been to Florida and other states in the past after hurricanes to set up comm posts. And as the price of gasoline skyrocket's "I saw it go up 9 cents today on Oak Ave, in Primos" this is going to affect us all. Your favourite WAWA coffee, Milk, Budweisers, Air Conditioning, Heat, etc, all will be affected by a storm named Katrina. Let's hope this is the last of the season. The Chevron Pascagoula Refinery