Twenty years ago, we drove our first son to Texas A&M to start his college career. We also had Katrina news on the radio all the way back home. At one point, I remember President Bush warning residents to obey their local officials. Well, many didn't, the storm came and then it was time for the usual suspects to call Bush a racist. I guess some things don't change.
Looking back, the American people showed their generous nature. As Haley Barbour wrote:
This month marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated Mississippi, Louisiana, and much of the Gulf Coast. For those of us who lived through it, the memories are still raw: entire towns wiped off the map, families left with nothing but a slab where their homes once stood, businesses and schools destroyed, lives lost.
Mississippi bore the brunt of Katrina’s winds and storm surge, but we also witnessed something remarkable -- neighbors helping neighbors, churches and charities mobilizing, volunteers pouring in from every state, and governments at every level working side by side with the private sector to respond and rebuild. The people of Mississippi showed a resilience and grit that I still believe changed the image of our state forever.
One of the most enduring lessons of Katrina is that the American people are at their very best when others are at their very worst. Within hours of the storm, we began to see an outpouring of generosity and manpower. Forty-six states sent people or resources. Churches from across the country adopted devastated congregations on the Coast. Businesses donated trucks, food, and equipment. More than 960,000 people volunteered to help with recovery in Mississippi -- 600,000 in the first year alone. Many gave money, but countless others gave something even more valuable: their time and sweat, helping clear debris, rebuild homes, and comfort the hurting.
These volunteers didn’t just rebuild structures; they rebuilt hope. I will never forget meeting people from places like Minnesota, Ohio, and California who took vacation time or left their jobs for weeks to come muck out houses or hammer nails for families they had never met.
They rebuilt hope indeed. I recall our church helping some families. I'm sure that you can think of other examples in your world.
Many things went wrong 20 years ago, especially a corrupt mayor and totally incompetent governor. The thing that went well is that Americans are a wonderful and generous people. The family that our church helped never stopped thanking us for what we did. That's what I remember about Katrina.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Image: National Archives