Today's must read

Gracie, posting at Da Goddess's site says somethings that I've been thinking about lately. All the people who are stranded because they had no means to leave or underestimated the storm. They're sitting out there now, waiting to be rescued, or expecting their services to come back because they can't get any news from the areas hardest hit.
Gracie says:

All I could think of was how arrogant those people were to expect that they could ride it out and then expect our public agencies to come and rescue them. Having lived in the south for an extended period of time, I feel comfortable in my "right" to say how things are there. The south is unlike anywhere else. The entitlement mindset is dominant. It's everywhere. The whole "you owe me" lifestyle is alive and well down there and it's as disgusting as you'd think. I saw it first hand everywhere I went. Sure, there are hard working, honest and decent folks, but there are an awful lot of people who go around with a tremendous chip on their shoulder for things that happened long before our grandparents were born and that we cannot undo today. The attitude extends to all people, not just those of a particular race or color. It is one of the biggest reasons I left the south. So with that in mind, as I said, I got angrier and angrier watching those helpless people be plucked one by one from their rooftops. I thought of how much danger the rescuers were in and how if these people had just done what they were ordered to do (LEAVE), they wouldn't be where they are.

I mentioned this last night at dinner to my Mom. She stopped me cold with these words. "Don't you remember what poverty looks like? Don't you remember all those stories you told me about people who were so downtrodden and unable to care for themselves because there are no jobs and no way to get to the cities where there are jobs? Don't you remember how you told me of their lack of what we consider basic essentials such as running water (yes, seriously...there are many without it in the rural areas), transportation and even a sound roof over their heads? Those people did not ignore orders...they could not obey them. They had NO WAY to get out. No money to get out. No car, no gas, nothing. Some may not have known what was coming. They stayed because they had no choice." Ouch. She's right. Not for everyone, but for many...I'd say a majority of those who stayed...they had no choice.

Coming full circle back to my friends who DID have a choice and chose to stay. I didn't sleep Monday night and was unable to eat for most of yesterday until the phone rang and finally, it was them. My relief at hearing her sweet voice was almost trumped by my anger with them for the foolishness that they showed. She assured me that while things are bad..really really bad, they're ok. Their house is untouched...and in fact, every inch of where she prayerwalked is also almost entirely damage free. A stray branch here and there but no catastrophic damage. Less than 10 feet from where she stopped...devastation. They have no water, no food and no power, but they're ok. She told me that from what she could see, Katrina was simply overhyped...so I had to tell her the truth. The stunned silence and sound of weeping confirmed what I already knew of my beautiful friend...she had no idea.

Read the whole thing here.

I remember the ice storm in NC. We had no power, and there were trees and power lines across our street for days. We had no idea whether the road to town was open or closed, what the rest of the area looked like, or even how much would have to be repaired before we got our power back..... I know that people in lesser hit areas are probably patting themselves on the back and just waiting for the power truck because they have no TV or radio, no newspaper, phone, or internet. They have no idea that even though they still have a house, they should probably evacuate....