As many of you know, my in-laws, Tom and Donna, went down to Hattiesburg, Mississippi last September as volunteers for the Red Cross to assist with the hurricane relief effort. They took a lot of photographs while they were down there, and Tom has created a website that you should check out. There's some pretty amazing photos on the site, especially of the damage done in Buloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi.
When we think about the hurricane most of us tend to think about New Orleans. What I think too many people don't realize is that the devastation was far worse in parts of Alabama and Mississippi, yet those areas got only a fraction of the news coverage. We see the images on the news of the re-opening of the French Quarter and it's easy to assume that things are much better now in the South than they were in the fall. Unfortunately, there are many, many people who are still living like refugees in our own country, and they fear that America has forgotten about them. Perhaps we can all make a New Year's Resolution to remember one of the worst disasters in our nation's history and to do something to help in the arduous task of rebuilding. It's far from over, and for many people, things are far from fine. I know that we're all broke after the holidays, but it doesn't cost anything to write your congressman and ask that they support giving the South additional aid.
Here are some statistics about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the state of Mississippi:
$125 billion - Estimated dollar amount of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina
231 - Identified dead statewide
5 - Unidentified dead
67 - Missing
65,380 - Houses in South Mississippi destroyed
383,700 - Mississippi insurance claims filed (Katrina and Rita)
$5 billion - Claims paid (as of Nov. 21)
141,000 - Insurance claims filed in South Mississippi
$1.3 billion - Claims paid in South Mississippi
44 million - Estimated cubic yards of debris in South Mississippi
21.8 million - Cubic yards removed as of Dec. 5
20,447 - Red Cross staff and volunteers in Mississippi
5,543,006 - Red Cross meals served
42,768 - People sheltered by Red Cross
229 - Red Cross shelters opened
$185 million -Red Cross money spent in South Mississippi as of Nov. 30
Statistics were taken from the Mississippi Sun Herald.
One of my favorite quotes comes from Mahatma Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see in the world." Kudos to Tom and Donna for doing just that!
When we think about the hurricane most of us tend to think about New Orleans. What I think too many people don't realize is that the devastation was far worse in parts of Alabama and Mississippi, yet those areas got only a fraction of the news coverage. We see the images on the news of the re-opening of the French Quarter and it's easy to assume that things are much better now in the South than they were in the fall. Unfortunately, there are many, many people who are still living like refugees in our own country, and they fear that America has forgotten about them. Perhaps we can all make a New Year's Resolution to remember one of the worst disasters in our nation's history and to do something to help in the arduous task of rebuilding. It's far from over, and for many people, things are far from fine. I know that we're all broke after the holidays, but it doesn't cost anything to write your congressman and ask that they support giving the South additional aid.
Here are some statistics about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the state of Mississippi:
$125 billion - Estimated dollar amount of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina
231 - Identified dead statewide
5 - Unidentified dead
67 - Missing
65,380 - Houses in South Mississippi destroyed
383,700 - Mississippi insurance claims filed (Katrina and Rita)
$5 billion - Claims paid (as of Nov. 21)
141,000 - Insurance claims filed in South Mississippi
$1.3 billion - Claims paid in South Mississippi
44 million - Estimated cubic yards of debris in South Mississippi
21.8 million - Cubic yards removed as of Dec. 5
20,447 - Red Cross staff and volunteers in Mississippi
5,543,006 - Red Cross meals served
42,768 - People sheltered by Red Cross
229 - Red Cross shelters opened
$185 million -Red Cross money spent in South Mississippi as of Nov. 30
Statistics were taken from the Mississippi Sun Herald.
One of my favorite quotes comes from Mahatma Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see in the world." Kudos to Tom and Donna for doing just that!
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