Sep 1, 2005

More Thoughts on NOLA in Katrina's Wake

I got an email from a contact who's very involved in the relief effort being staged in Northern Louisiana at this time. That's where the refugees from NOLA are headed, and she wrote (quickly, I'm sure) of some additional things to keep in mind. I don't want to write endlessly about this subject - just thought that some of the things that I'm seeing via email, especially those that are more personal, are very compelling:

"Some things that do not readily come to mind during a disaster of this magnitude include:

1. the evacuees cannot work at their jobs and earn money for the foreseeable future

2. pay day did not come for these people at the end of this month because there was no one at the office to issue checks or carry out direct deposit instructions

3. Gas is hard to come by for people trying to make their way north

4. People with Oschners Clinic health insurance cannot get certified for medical procedures because Oschners is in New Orleans and not operational

5. State retirement checks and Social Security checks cannot be mailed to the affected areas.

More unanticipated impacts of Katrina continue to unfold. "

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