Hurricane Katrina

Click here to view a slideshow of the hurricane pictures that I put together.

Click images to enlarge.

I keep watching the TV footage of Hurricane Katrina and I'm seriously just overwhelmed by this horrible tragedy. Of course, Louisiana and Mississippi are pretty close to Tennessee. We had a group of 100 refugees come to Chattanooga yesterday, begging for help basically, and I expect many more to arrive in the near future, both in Chattanooga and Cleveland, where I live.

I can't believe the footage of these people still stuck in their houses and on their rooftops, waving to the helicopters for help. People are walking around town, not knowing where to go because no one is telling them where to get help, and none of the cars stop when they try to flag them down. There are stories of people banging on the sides of cars that drive by, trying to get them to stop, but those people are afraid they'll be over-taken if they stop and try to help or give info. I don't blame them, I guess, I would be scared too. These people are so desperate and some of them have guns.

Ron said he wouldn't be surprised if the terrorists decide to bomb the Astrodome in Houston since so many people are there. I said that surely even terrorists would feel sorry for people who had just been through a hurricane, but this morning, I heard on the news that on the terrorist websites, they are saying that Katrina is on their side, killing Americans for them. That's really sad. What kind of assholes think that way?

IMAGE: CROWDS AROUND BUS AT SUPERDOME You know how you feel when someone who you really love has just left you or died? You go through that phase where you burst into tears every few minutes or so, then you're okay for a little while, but then you think of something sad again and you burst into tears? That's how I'm feeling. You can tell by reading my site that I'm not usually a really soft-hearted person. I don't get affected by things too easily, but this shit is just heartbreaking. The New Orleans police are asking civilians for guns to fight the gangs and looters. What's wrong with those people? What in the hell are you going to do with a big-screen TV when your whole town and home are flooded? Carry it around until you get tired and then ditch it? I reckon that's the idea. They just now said on the news that someone was shooting at the helicopters that were supposed to be coming to help at the Superdome in New Orleans. Maybe they have totally lost their mind. Even gang members aren't stupid enough to shoot down the only help they have, are they? Wow, this is overwhelming. I heard that you shouldn't watch too much of the hurricane footage or you could get depressed. No kidding. I made a donation out of my personal checking account, and I plan to donate more from the account Ron and I share. I don't know how much yet. They say you can donate cases of water, but I know they really need money more than anything. If you donate water, they will have to pay to ship it to Louisiana, and you see what's going on with gas prices, especially in the South, so think about that before you decide to give water instead of money. I'm sure they'd rather have the $10 you would have spent on water, because the Red Cross can probably get twice as much water as you can with that amount of money. You might think $5 isn't much, but if everyone that visited this site donated $5, we, as a pagan community, would be donating a total of $25,000. Imagine that. I get about 5000 hits a day, not counting the message board, which gets about the same amount. I will probably post there too. I know many of the people that visit here are kids and teens. If you don't have $5 (which is the minimum donation at the Red Cross website,) you could mail your $1 or whatever you have to:

American Red Cross
P.O. Box 37243
Washington, D.C. 20013

There is a form you can use on their website here. I'm guessing they would prefer a check over cash too, so ask your parents to write you a check. Believe me, as an adult, it's no big deal. Most working adults can easily give $5 (or $1). Below are links where you can donate online with your credit card or get more info on how to donate by phone or mail. If you think you may work for a company that matches donations, you will want to check the matching donors list to see if your company is on it. If they are, you will want to visit this page to figure out how to get your donation matched.

Here is a long list of various charities and how exactly they help, so if you want to help in a specific way, check this list and donate through one of these charities. And of course, you can simply donate to the Red Cross using the link below:

Red Cross - Donate

There are lists online of people looking for missing people. There are also lists of people who are offering places to stay for free. I saw a listing for a place in Cleveland, TN there on the list. Cleveland is a nice place to live. You never have to worry about severe weather here. We get the occasional tornado, but it's rare and people usually do not die in them. There are literally people all over the U.S. offering their homes or rentals for people to stay in. And you know that has to be scary, knowing that these people are desperate and they have nothing. I'm sure most of them are good people and nothing like the gangs and looters we are hearing about, but they are certainly giving New Orleans a bad reputation right now. My sister has a vacant rental. I wonder if she will offer it up.

If you do not live in the Southeast, you may not really be able to comprehend just how hot and humid it really is here. I've never been to Louisiana, but I know what Tennessee is like in Summer and I know that it's even hotter and more humid (if that's possible) in Louisiana. I can't imagine what that place must smell like right now, and the people haven't been able to shower. If you were to stand outside in the hot TN humidity for about two minutes, you will be sweating. Now, try to imagine being in even worse heat and humidity for DAYS with no water, food, shelter, or AIR CONDITIONER. It's really hard for me to imagine not having an air conditioner. You would actually die here in the summer without air conditioning. The cities around here have charities to collect fans for old folks during the summer, because they really will die in this heat.

Here are some pictures of the downed trees and limbs from our own yard in Tennessee.

I woke up at 4am because of the noise of the wind and things falling on the house and shed, making a racket. Okay, I actually woke up to pee, as usual. But then I couldn't get back to sleep because of the noise and because I was afraid that the dead tree in our backyard would fall on the house. Luckily, it didn't. But I got up and stayed up. Ron got up around 6:30am to go to work, but I talked him into staying home with me and watching the hurricane roll through. I actually dragged him out of bed because a huge branch had just fallen off our tree into the street and it was still dark outside, but people were driving to work, so we had to move that branch off the street so no one would hit it and wreck their car. Then, we sat on the front porch most of the morning and just watched the wind knock stuff over. It was really something. I don't think I've ever seen wind like that in my life. The local news said we had gusts up to 45mph. It hardly rained here though, which was odd. We decided to go to Hardee's for biscuits after watching on the porch for a while. We had to detour around some downed power lines on the road, then when we got to Hardee's, the power was out there and at the McDonald's nearby. So we drove to the other side of town to go to another Hardee's. The power was out in many of the stores and traffic lights as we got close, but Hardee's power was on, so we got some biscuits and headed home and sat on the porch again watching the wind and watching the limbs fall off our trees again. Then we took a nap. The end. :)

Click here to view a slideshow of the hurricane pictures that I put together.

Here are some letters I have received in response to this page:

Not to be cold but with all the Christian organizations out there, shouldn't we consider seeking out fellow Pagans and Wiccans and help them in this time of hardship and suffering? Think about how out of place you'd feel if if you were offered help from someone with food in one hand and a bible in the other, preaching at you while you lower your head and accept the food. It's hard enough finding people with an open mind to talk to, let alone having someone to offer to bring you into their home while you get back on your feet. This is a time for compassion and I truly believe in giving a hand up... though I won't give a hand out. you can post this if you'd like I'd like to hear comments from like minded and even comments from those that disagree.

Thanks, David

I wrote back to David, asking for clarification on some of things he wrote and here is his reply:

I guess I wasn't clear enough in most of my statement:

I wasn't referring to starting an actual organization, just merely taking some things into our own hands. Finding like-minded individuals and actually helping them get back on their feet. Be it with a place to stay or enough money to get by.

Yes, some of the organizations do try to keep religions out of it. It's just how many of the other organizations push their religion on you. How many would help you and take you into their homes after hearing your beliefs ... most just don't understand upon even hearing Pagan and or Wiccan they start thinking Salem Witch trials and Satan worshipping (I know, I was in a lot of the different denominational churches while I was trying to find my calling) ... they think of you as a test for them to convert you or condemn you before God.

Hence the clarity of my Statement about: I'll give a hand up but I won't give a hand out.... it refers to other old adages ... in similar terms as ... give a man a fish and feed him for today, teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime....... I'll carry a cripple man on my back but not one that can walk on his own..... it all goes back to helping people so they can help themselves ..... you hurt them by not getting them busy and back to work back to life so they can move on.

Thanks. David

From Susan....

Dear heather,
I am a female truck driver and I go from Florida to south Texas every week on a dedicated route. I saw firsthand some of the destruction that Katrina left in her wake in Mississippi and Louisiana. It is worse than anything you are likely to see on the news. The destruction was incredible and the loss of life was enormous. Now that hurricane Rita has passed through the other side of Louisiana and Texas, I saw a lot of the same caliber of destruction, though relatively small loss of life, except for the poor elderly evacuees that burned in the bus en route to Dallas. My heart really goes out to the people who are going through all of mother nature's wrath this year. I live in Orlando, fl and last year my state was slammed by 4 hurricanes that did spectacular amounts of damage. My home state has yet to fully recover from the property loss and finish the repairs on the homes that were damaged because of the storms. I, fortunately was prepared last year when the storms hit and didn't lose much more than a few days of sleep. That doesn't compare to what happened in Louisiana though. If you know anything about the roads out there, you know that I-10 curves down to the bottom of Louisiana to go to New Orleans, while I-12 continues in a straight line to get through over to Baton Rouge. I can tell you that the smell of death in the air begins in Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi and goes all the way to Baton Rouge. That's almost 120 miles of rank, putrid air that you can barely breathe. Tt will turn your stomach and make you physically ill. You see dead animals on the side of the road a lot, and the ones you see alive, you wonder if they are really ok. My heart really goes out to the people of the area, because I can understand what its like to go through a natural disaster and try to pick up the pieces again. And yes, it is hotter and more humid in the south. In Tennessee, you have more dry land and while it gets hot up there, its really no comparison to the steamy jungle we have in the South. Just for the record, I have made several small donations to the red cross of cash, and continue to do so every week. I hope that these poor people will be able to make a recovery to somewhat normal life after the hurricane season is over. Thank you for letting me state my opinions. I love your website and am a frequent visitor. Keep up the good work. May the Goddess bless you with everything you need and want in your life.