Debts of Gratitude

I owe thanks to a lot of people.

Here's to the linemen from North Carolina who turned on my lights.

Thanks to Elliott for sending me a chain saw.

Thanks to my son for his help on Saturday cleaning up the yard.

A huge thank you to the group of men from Houston who brought chain saws and finished off my yard today. They are from the Mormon Church.

Texas is my new favorite state. They are housing 250,000 refugees from Louisiana and they are sending volunteers by the droves to help here.

There are many people from all over the country in Louisiana and other affected states helping. They are manning chain saws, dragging brush, offering cups of cold water to thirsty people. They are angels from God.

Now that I can watch television, I am amazed at all of the coverage. I see a lot of good news from this region and that is accurate from my vantage point. For the most part, people are doing just fine. They are happy, helpful, and working like dogs to clean up and rebuild.

Tonight as I lay down in my comfortable bed cooled by the air conditioning and my bedroom is illuminated by the light of the television set, I will offer one more prayer of thanksgiving. The lifestyle we take for granted is luxurious. We are a fortunate people.

Until the next time
John Strain

I fixed the DirecTV Yeeehaaa!

We have lights!

Moving On

In Covington, things are moving on. Throughout the entire area the work continues. Hoards of linemen and workers of all flavors resemble ants in a colony rebuilding their mound.

My lights are still out, but the water is drinkable. People were given the official word today that it is OK to return to St. Tammany Parish. The heavy traffic testifies to the effectiveness of getting that communiqué out.

Barbara and I had to work until about 9:00 PM tonight. It has been incredibly busy at the hospital. There are many new challenges with patients now. Many of the ones I have talked with have lost touch with their families. We try to reestablish that contact. Every day I learn more about the New Orleans connection and try to figure out another way of doing something without that city.

When someone dies, you are sad, but the impact of their death isn't fully known until you go through the first Christmas, the first anniversary, and their first birthday without them. Each occasion is a knife twisting in a wound. Losing New Orleans will be that way for me. The first Mardi Gras, the first Jazz Fest, and the first desire to go eat a po boy in the French Quarter will be sad reminders that a place once vibrant and full of life is lying in ruin.

I suppose the good news is that this condition is temporary. No, it will never be the same, but the people are the real heartbeat of that city. It is their spirit that causes the lungs to draw breath. Their attitude and love of life is palpable, but if you have ever been to New Orleans, then you already know that.

Barbara and I have applications to work for the Red Cross as mental health professionals. I am anxious to get started. I am sure this experience will give me far more than I will actually give.

You may want to look in on my web cam through out the day on Saturday. John and I will be cleaning up Katrina's mess in our yard.

Here are a few interesting facts about Katrina: In Hurricane Andrew, 1600 utility poles were knocked down. Hurricane Katrina snapped 5,000 utility poles in St. Tammany Parish alone. In St. Tammany Parish, it is estimated that 40% to 60% of the residents cannot return to their home due to the damage, and we were lucky.

It's late and I need some rest before the day of the chain saw.

Until the next time
John Strain

No one is at fault and everyone is to blame

All of the blame is an example of man’s arrogance. An extreme force of nature devastated the entire Gulf Coast and little men rail against each other as if anyone could have done anything about it. Hurricane Katrina was certainly a power greater than our self.

Did anyone know what kind of impact Katrina would have on the Gulf Coast and particularly New Orleans? Yes and No.

The dooms day scenario was part of the annual hurricane lore. Each television station in New Orleans had specials just before hurricane season and this worst case scenario would be discussed. We all knew about it, but we were in denial I suppose. I do not recall any politicians or anyone else standing in Jackson Square like a prophet warning the city to make preparations or else. Yes, we knew what could happen. Yes, we did not demand action. Yes, we were a city and a nation in denial.

In Florida in 2004, supplies were pre positioned prior to the storm and brought in right after the storm. Why did this not happen in New Orleans?

Katrina was a much larger storm and her area of destruction was enormous. From Baton Rouge to Panama City, Florida and 150 to 200 miles inland Katrina reeked havoc. Memphis and Houston were the closest safe cities to New Orleans.

Last night on Channel 6 in New Orleans, Norman Robinson said the state and local officials failed us miserably. In addition, the past administrations failed us miserably. He is right. Since Betsy in 1965, we knew what could happen, but the preparation never took place. Read this article submitted by Cindra: Gone with the water.

The people can assume guilt, because they did not demand the politicians deal with the problem.

It is easy to understand how this could have happened. To protect New Orleans from a theoretical storm would cost a lot of money. Have you ever gone without car, house, or health insurance to save some money? I bet you have. New Orleans has been doing this and got caught with her pants down.

9/11 and Hurricane Katrina:

Both events were off the scale of imagination. On one level we can understand their possibility, but overall, we do not believe they will ever happen.

We were warned in both cases, but did not take steps to contend with their reality.

In both cases there was a ground swell of help and support from the American people.

In the case of 9/11 the country united for a time. Eventually, fingers began to be pointed and we returned to political agendas.

In the case of hurricane Katrina, blame was almost immediate and leveled at the federal government primarily. I believe much of the blame is part of political agendas.

In the case of 9/11 the local leadership was stellar. Mayor Giuliani and the NYPD and NYFD performed admirably.

In the case of Katrina, the Mayor was inept and blaming. The police chief said in response to one of his officers being arrested for a rape, "This shows we are a good department, because we caught him." 200 officers have deserted and 2 have killed themselves. Maybe it is training, maybe it is personal character, but I believe New York's performance was much more professional. Read this article submitted by Thomai: A story about people trying to get out of New Orleans.

The case of the elecric door locks in the psych hospital
One hospital I worked for had a panel of switches that controlled the locks on all of the doors around the unit. It was within arms reach of the nurses station. If it was said once, it was said a million times, "Some day, a patient is going to reach over the counter, unlock a door, and then run away." It was discussed, but no action was ever taken. Other things seemed to have a higher priority at the time. Until one day, a patient reached over the counter, flipped a switch, and high tailed it out the door.

The next day, maintenance was building a wall around the panel of switches to make it impossible for the fiasco of the day before to be repeated.

9/11 was kind of like that and Hurricane Katrina was sort of like that.

So, the milk has been spilled, the barn door is open and the cows have left, let's work to clean up the milk and retrieve the cows in stead of bellowing, "It's not my fault, It's your fault or it's their fault."

You politicians who continue to pontificate your political agenda have not earned the right to protest. Come on down and roll up your sleeves. See the suffering and devistation. See if that does anything to your heart. See if that does anything to your priorities. This is not an election, this is a disaster of biblical proportion. From your comfort you can seek to improve your political lot, but you do so at the expense of the grief stricken. Instead of the bombastic rhetoric, help us. Use your influence to improve the situation. For once in your life worry about what is right and not what action will position you best politically.

On a lighter note, one of my friends called me the other day to brag that he had electricity. Calvin is black. My response was, "What, the brothers have lights while us white folks is sitting up here in the dark? What's up with that?" Calvin said, "I know, when the lights came on I thought, I guess I can't use that one anymore."

The Chinese have one character that stands for both crisis and opportunity. Thomai told me “in West African Spirituality, a storm's purpose is to clean, expose and cause great change allowing for new growth.

On an inspirational note, Covington High School is a special needs shelter. They are staffed with volunteer nurses, MD's, and other medical professionals. They watch out for psych patients, nursing home residents and others who need medical attention. It did my heart good to know these people are from all over the country. One nurse drove from Flagstaff, Arizona. He is donating his time. You may not see him on the news, but he is one of an army of silent soldiers who do their job without fanfare or quest for profit. God bless him and his army.

There is much more good going on than there is bad from where I stand. I believe it is that way most everywhere. The slime balls get the press and dominate the issue debate, but they are a minority of nobodies. We are in good shape here and when I say here I mean the United States of America.

Until the next time
John Strain