It was a Monday morning ten years ago today (actually Aug. 29th) that Hurricane Katrina lashed New Orleans and large swaths of the Gulf Coast. Some 1,000 died in the Crescent City and over 1,800 perished in the region. Many of us have become friends with those who lost loved ones.
We all have images of people clinging to rooftops holding out the hope that they would be rescued. There are stories of those caught in the Super Dome and those who trudged through water/sludge to get to high ground. We have heard plenty about how the levees simply crumpled in the wake of the hurricane. Books have been written about the levees and, for that matter, much about the storm and its effects.
The faces of the storm include President Bush, "Brownie," Mayor Nagin and so many others, too many to include in this short post.
What I will remember are those who stepped forward to help us right here in the Hinsdale/Clarendon Hills/Chicagoland area. From the semi truck drivers to those who loaded trucks to those who donated water, medicine, cleaning supplies and money. you were there when those in the South needed you.
I will always be indebted to those of you who took trips to NOLA to refurbish and gut homes in addition to the ventures to work with RHINO (Rebuilding Hope in New Orleans) and Habitat for Humanity. Your desire to improve the lot and condition of our good friends made a difference
It was an honor for me and for Schools Count to spend six years in New Orleans in order to help children get the supplies they needed so they could get back to class, to find some normalcy in their lives and to have the opportunity to move forward. It was and continues to be a life changing event.
Dick
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