Another "Gulf War"

While I can't speak to medical and disease parts of his article (I don't even play a doctor on TV) I suspect Dr Miller has laid out a pretty good summary of what we face in the wake of Katrina. Memphis was practically untouched except for some power outages and downed trees. Reports however indicate that just 90 miles south there are already gas shortages as supplies are being drawn into the damaged parts of the country. Our own Benson left today for a relief mission of his own taking 75 gallons of gas, a generator, window AC unit, water and some roofing supplies to his inlaws in Louisiania not even knowing if he will be allowed to pass into the state. Pray for him on that. (Don't worry we're not in the Air Force Academy so it's okay.)

The damage the Navy suffered in that region was so extreme that some of the commands down there will probably just go away (No word on NSIPS in New Orleans which holds our records). I manned one of the watch desks down here in Memphis to take calls from displaced Sailors who needed to muster with their units but don't know where to go. Painfully though, we also took calls from deployed Sailors whose families were in that region and whose fate is unknown. Unfortunately all we could do was take names and tell them we would call them back when we had more. Our active duty ships in Pascagoula all sortied to Mayport. The PRECOMMS however stayed to ride it out. There was some damage to these units but apparently the shipyard workers were on that like "ants on meatskin". At this point I am led to believe that one of the DDG's and the Amphib are producing power and water for the surrounding area. Every Seabee in that part of the country is mustering in prep to get down there and start doing the good work that they do. Remembering that we are also sending USS BATAAN and company and again I say "Makes you proud."

As always situations like this bring out the best and worst in people. The looters of course come to mind. Incidents of price gouging, though I haven't seen reports of such, are likely prevalant. But I am also not comfortable with some of the rhetoric in the blogosphere surrounding the aid and support given to us by the rest of the world (or lack thereof). What benefit comes to us lamenting how much "Country A" helps us or comparing our response to the tsunami relief and that of our allies now? I say none. We help the rest of the world because that is who we are not because of the perceived benefit we expect in return. Dwelling on such nonsense makes us look petty.

I encourage everyone to give to a charity of your choice. With that and knowing how parochial I am :) , I do recommend Catholic Charities. Not only are they a good charity with low overhead, but they also have a significant distribution network in that part of the country already (a lot of Catholics in Louisiana).

Anyway, here is the article that started this post. Challenges ahead for us all.

Like an Air Force smart bomb, Hurricane Katrina made a direct hit on a hideously vulnerable spot on the nation's underbelly. Overnight, she turned New Orleans, one of America's most charming and seductive cities, into a festering lake of filth.

The aftermath of Katrina could present Louisiana and Mississippi -- which are hardly paragons of health outcomes on their best days -- with monumental public health problems. The nation's public and private rescue workers will cope eventually, but like a military campaign of massive proportions, the effort moves slowly at first.

The topography of New Orleans -- its location below sea level and a "soup bowl" configuration surrounded on three sides by water (the Mississippi River, Lake Ponchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico) -- means that unlike areas usually exposed to hurricanes, the water will not drain readily and will last for weeks, or even months, until it can be pumped out. The wide area of devastation ensures that vast numbers of survivors will suffer prolonged exposure to the water.