Responding to Suffering

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, so much is exposed and so many are devastated.   We are  overwhelmed the so much suffering.   

I happen to be reading The Saints' Guide to Happiness and what they have to say about suffering.  Over and over, their stories illustrate how suffering can become an instrument of transformation, even a way of grace.

Our challenge in the face of such suffering is to respond with love, with truth and with justice.   We're all in this together.   Partisian attacks and inflammatory charges of racism on no evidence don't serve us as a society, don't help us find out what went wrong and what went right.

We’ve seen failures of government at every level - local, state and federal.

Why was the New Orleans evacuation plan not followed?
Why did the Mayor not commandeer the roughly 2000 municipal and school buses to evacuate those without cars?  
Why did the Louisiana National Guard refuse to allow the Red Cross and the Salvation Army to preposition food, water and medical supplies in the Superdome?
Why did the Governor refuse to give permission  for federal military assistance until Thursday, two days after the levees broke?
Why were hundreds of firefighters, responding to the call for help, held by FEMA in Atlanta for days of sexual harassment and community relations training?
Why did FEMA stop the volunteers who had organized boats to recover people stranded on rooftops?  Why were bodies left on the street for days?  

We need to know all that went wrong so we can incorporate the lessons of the failures and be far better prepared for the next disaster.    

We’ve also seen what’s worked very well.   The volume of the federal response was faster than the response to Hugo, Andrew, Francine and Jeanne.  In less than eight days, more than 32,000 people were rescued, many from rooftops by US Coast Guard helicopters and food, shelter and medical care was provided to more than 180,000.

At the same time, we’ve seen great successes on the private level as people have poured out money and aid,  as the Red Cross and the Salvation army provided food, money and shelter, as utility workers work long hours to restore power, as groups of every sort have used the Web to reunited families, rescue pets, offer housing and jobs.

Doctors and health care workers have emerged as the heroes of Katrina as thousands stayed with their patients as the storm struck and thousands more came in.  Let’s praise too, those heroes like George Lainart, a police officer from Georgia whose crew saved some 800 people.   Let’s not forget  Deamonte Love, the six year old hero who kept his band of toddlers together until they could be reunited with their parents.

Most importantly, we all have learned how important personal preparedness is.   In a disaster, we may be on our own for days, even weeks.   So get ready.   Self reliance, our neighbors and courage is what will save us.