Hurricane Laura will devastate our neighbors. Let’s help like they did after Katrina.
The older I get, the harder it is for me to see people suffering. The young have the enviable ability to disconnect themselves from the terrible things going on around them. I used to be that way - I could know something devastating was happening and still disconnect it from my reality since I wasn’t experiencing it personally.
Now, seeing human suffering weighs heavily on me and breaks my heart. I’m sure many of you feel the same way today as you watch a rapidly intensifying Hurricane Laura aiming for Southwestern Louisiana.
Unfortunately, those of us living in South Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina know too well what the people in Louisiana and Texas are about to go through. Many lives will be changed tonight. They will need our help. They will also need our attention.
After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the eyes of the world were focused on our region. Resources poured in. Helpers were everywhere.
Our world is much different today than it was 15 years ago. Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic and a historic period of national unrest. The quiet, empty streets of America that characterized the early Spring have given way to fiery protests and riots in many American cities.
The busy daily newsfeed will almost certainly distract the nation’s attention from the devastation that will soon occur just to our west. However, I have no doubt the attention of South Mississippi will be focused on the needs of our neighbors.
The people of South Mississippi know the struggle and suffering of a natural disaster. We’ve experienced the trials of loss, both individually and collectively. But we’ve also experienced the hope of recovery. We know what it is to come through the storm to find calm waters on the other side.
This week is the 15th anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. But for the grace of God, Hurricane Laura could be bearing down on us right now. The events that will soon occur in Texas and Louisiana will cast troubling echoes of the suffering we experienced in 2005.
Let’s remember Hurricane Katrina by preparing to help our neighbors. Let’s honor all those who came to help us in our time of need by pitching in to help others during theirs.
In 2005, we showed the world the strength of South Mississippi by demonstrating our resilience, our self-reliance and our commitment to rebuild.
In 2020, let’s show the world our strength and our compassion by lending a hand to all those who will soon find themselves amidst the devastation we once knew.
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Hurricane Laura will devastate our neighbors. Let’s help like they did after Katrina.."