Hurricane Disaster Affects All

Hurricane Katrina will probably be the worst disaster in US history.
The 1900 Galveston hurricane killed between 5,000 to 10,000 people and devastated the city. Katrina will possibly result in a death toll approaching that but the social, political and economic effects of Katrina will be in the order of nothing ever seen in peace time.
Political blame will be assessed but for the time being relief for victims is the most important thing to focus on.
Now is a time for citizens and businesses to bite the bullet and forego profiteering and pull together to overcome this tradgedy. Thus far the governmental response has been an embarrassment. This is no time for smugness.
This illustrates how thin is our veneer of civilization and how quickly all the technology, the law and order and all the things we take for granted can disappear. What's left are the same tools we have used to survive since the Neolithic age.
The world, our friends and enemies, is watching. What they are presently expressing is utter amazement that such misery and helplessness as occurred in the tsunami disaster, floods in Bangla Desh and other world wide disasters can strike here and cripple us too. It is interesting to note the offers of aid that have poured in from around the world, even from enemies.
Storm season is still with us and will be be for some time. It is amazing how soon complacency has crept into our consciousness in the wake of previous hurricanes. Perhaps it will be different this time.