Blossoms in the Ruins

The largely untold story of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath is that of Americans pulling together--with no prospect of material gain--and helping their fellow citizens. In the coming weeks, I think we'll hear more uplifting anecdotes of despair transformed into hope. The media's fixation on sensationalizing destruction and death aside, charity's face is shining on the Gulf coast.

For example, the Southern Baptist Convention sent over 1,000 volunteers into New Orleans to help give medical aid and hand out food and water, as needed.

From my own state of Tennessee, the sherriff of Knox County sent helicopters to help in search-and-rescue missions, as well as transportation of water to victims of the storm and the nanny-state mentality. My wife's uncle was called up with the rest of his National Guard contingent, and he's now in the thick of things, helping with relief work and the restoration of order. Shelters have opened for evacuees, and the local university hospital has prepared itself for an influx of patients with specific medical problems--such as the need for kidney dialysis--from Louisiana and other states hit by the hurricane. Clayton Homes has 2,000 single-wide trailers ready for delivery into the coastal area, for use as temporary shelters.

All of this doesn't even include aid sent by individuals, or charitable efforts in other states, all around the country. According to a figure I saw on Fox News, a couple of nights ago, donations to the Red Cross already have exceeded their intake of funds after September 11, 2001.

The point of all this is that the people of Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana are getting the help they need. Some deserve it; some do not. But they're getting it, all the same. I think when all is said and done, we'll find that the most significant impact on the victims of this horrific disaster came from the charitable sacrifices of ordinary citizens, not the local, state, or federal governments. If the U.S. is to learn a lesson from this situation, it should be that relying on oneself or one's fellow Americans makes far more sense than leaning on the everlasting beauracracy.