Katrina

This name will join Andrew and Camille as names that send a chill down the spine of anyone who lives along the gulf coast of this country. My heart and my prayers go out to all of the folks in Katrina’s path, especially those friends of mine who did nothing but happen to have a home in a place that Mother Nature has determined is due for a cleansing.

In 1969, I remember that we were vacationing in upstate New York when the storms that were the remnants of Camille swept through the Lake Champlain region, flooding the boat dock of the house in which we were staying and confining us to the two-bedroom cabin for the better part of three of the seven days we had away from home. I remember Andrew and its winds and rain bearing down on my in-laws, who lived in Port Charlotte, Florida at the time. I remember monitoring the path of the storm, staying in contact with them, and thinking that it was time for them to remove themselves from the hurricane belt and relocate to a place a bit safer, a bit dryer, and a bit closer to us.

Now, Katrina threatens hundreds of thousands of people, some of whom I know and all of whom I wish I could assist in one way or another, beyond saying a simple prayer. I always wish there was more that I could do when I hear of the situations that some folks face through no fault of their own.

It never ceases to amaze me how, with all of our technology, and our abilities to harness nature, we nevertheless still encounter things that are so far beyond our control that our very existence is rendered superfluous. Despite all that mankind has learned and all that it has created, all it takes is a healthy dose of wind and rain to bring the machinery of society to a screeching halt, rendering it utterly useless, like so much deadwood washed up on the beach. From airplanes and cars to generators and sump pumps, all the way down to cell phone chargers, all that man has created is completely useless under a foot of water. It does give one a sense of perspective, doesn’t it?