Dan Washburn's Shanghai Diaries

A letter from Louisiana

I finally heard from one of my good friends from New Orleans. This is such a sad, sad time for millions of Americans:

In one piece — barely. Family escaped to Houston and Atlanta. I’m in Baton Rouge, working as a medic in the downtown refugee shelter. It’s really really bad. There are too many old and sick and injured, and not enough of us to patch them up. I never could have imagined anything like this. Everyone is so deeply sad. I haven’t given myself any chance to fathom how this is going to change what I thought my life would be. I’m focusing instead on doing what I can for each person who asks for medical help.

We’re all alive though, and we all know where everyone is, which is huge. The houses, the possessions, all that stuff is just stuff. New Orleans won’t ever be the same — certainly not in the way that I’ve known it. But I can think about all of that later.

Wikipedia, as ever, has excellent up-to-the-minute coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Yahoo! News has a page dedicated to the disaster. If you’d like help out, here are some options: American Red Cross, Network for Good, Habitat for Humanity, North Shore Animal League, United Way, Humane Society, Salvation Army (many more options here and here).

09.04.2005, 4:47 PM · Diary

4 Comments

1. On Sep 5, 2005 11:35 AM, JamesM said:
   

   http://www.overspun.com/?p=1549

2. On Sep 12, 2005 11:11 AM, Todd Ruth said:
   

   great site. check mine out.

3. On Sep 18, 2005 5:46 AM, DrPat said:
   

   I have cited this post in my Weekly BlogScan on Blogcritics.org, this week titled “Lost Orleans”. To view your citation, or comment on the post, please join us at

   http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/17/163545.php

4. On Sep 30, 2005 12:59 PM, Freddie B said:
   

   We are in Mississippi. This has been an extreamly ruff time for both Mississippi and New Orleans. Thank you guys for prayers and all your concern.