It is a good day for the city of New Orleans. The Louisiana Superdome re-opens tonight for Monday Night Football featuring the Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints, just a year after the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. A remarkable accomplishment in such a short period of time. As I am watching the pre-game festivities, I realized the last time I saw the Superdome on TV was during the days following the hurricane when thousands of people were stranded there. Quite a dichotomy indeed.

Please read this great article from ESPN on the story of the Superdome during Katrina and the story of a family that sought shelter there. It must not be forgotten that it will take years for the city to be rebuilt and most of the devastated areas along the Gulf coast still are just that, devastated.

I’ll never forget last year watching the Saints play soon after Katrina. I’ll never forget it because I watched it with a large number of Katrina evacuees in a Texas shelter. Even though I was just a volunteer from Chicago, I became a Saints fan that day. The game was won by the Saints on a last second field goal and gave the people in that shelter a 3 hour distraction from the reality of losing homes and not knowing the fate of missing family members. They we able to cheer for their team, smile and celebrate for a very brief moment. Tonight they can cheer smile and celebrate that their Saints are home again.

Update: The Saints won 23-3 in a dominating performance. The atmosphere was like a Super Bowl. Congrats New Orleans!

The next couple of days I’ll be writing about the stories of some people I met while working in the Katrina Evacuee shelter in McKinney, TX. While my words will fail to be even close to descriptive enough and I have no pictures to share, my hope is you will pray for these people.

As I was working at the sign in/out desk of the shelter I noticed a middle aged lady named Maggie who had signed out earlier, was still there waiting patiently. I walked over and sat down asking her if she needed us to arrange for a ride for her somewhere. She said no. She was waiting for a friend to come pick her up. Maggie then proceeded to tell me how she was just so thankful and appreciative to everyone for helping her there. Truely overwhelmed by the outpouring of care from so many different people, all strangers. She told me of losing her home in New Orleans and not knowng if she will ever return there. She was very sad to not be there, but was thankful she was alive and the opportunity to start a new life somewhere else. She said she was trusting the Lord for everything. She had found all of her loved ones that were missing in the following 2 week. Despite the uncertainty of her future she was looking forward to better things and a fresh start. As she departed the shelter, I thought to myself would I have the same positive outlook after experiencing what was she has in the past few weeks?

A man I talked to at the shelter was a karate instructor and was there with his family and his brother’s family. His brother was a New Orleans Police Officer who had returned to the city to his job now that his family was in the safe care of his brother. The man talked of losing their home, but their family was safe and that was all that counted to him. He spoke of how bad the situation was that his brother went back to in New Orleans. When he returned it was still chaotic there and the large number of people were still stranded at the Convention Center. One of the police officers providing security at the shelter mentioned as we were talking that she was interested the martial arts and wanted to take lessons from him. Another volunteer had a friend who was former military that taught martial arts and gave the guy their phone number to possibly connect him with a job. In the span of 5 minutes the man had income possibilities from 2 complete strangers.

I talked with a young guy with dred locks in his 20’s a few times there, the first time we talked he had serious look about him as he was looking for a job and not sure what to do next. The next day when I ran into him, he was watching the New Orleans Saints football game versus the Carolina Panthers. He had a big smile on his face in that he was able to watch his beloved Saints for the first time in a long time. Even better they won in the last second! It was a great, brief escape for him. A time to laugh, cheer, be excited and happy. Moments that are few and far between. The Saints provided that for thousands of people that day. The following morning it was all business with him. Signing up for federal assistance and searching for lost family members. Highs and lows come quickly and frequently for him as they do for most affected.

I’ve spent the last 3 days back to the grind at work and trying to catch up on sleep from the long weekend in Texas. Specific stories of the people I met at the shelter are on their way, I just had to take a breather for a few days.

As I arrived to work at the Katrina shelter today, a school bus was out front taking the kids in the shelter to local schools. It was good to see the kids getting in to a routine again, however there is a good chance that some will not be in the schools there for very long. Some families are moving closer to Dallas or may move to another state when they find other family members.

I was to work in the clothing distribution section of the shelter today, but they needed me to create some data spreadsheets in Excel instead. Apparently no one had yet logged the number of volunteers, man hours worked, etc. I spent most of my time gathering and logging this data. This was done in the computer lab of about 15 workstations they had set up for the residents and evacuees to find loved ones, take care of some online services like with FEMA, reporting they are ok, and making sure they can access their bank accounts.

First thing in the morning, a volunteer on the computer workstation next to me helped a nice older lady and her son (who was about 50) look for her other son Gilbert, who was still missing. It took about an hour or so searching various websites before they found him! They called him immediately and confirmed that he was in a shelter in Mississippi safe and sound. It was so exciting to see the relief and joy on their faces to know Gilbert was ok.

The next man that sat down was a young father looking for his 2 yr old daughter. He did not have custody of the child and could not find her or her mother. They searched for the daughter for quite a while and thought they had found the mother or a relative, but upon calling, it was a different person by the same name. In the end they were not successful and he will just keep trying everyday until he finds her. It was heart wrenching to hear him talk about his daughter as he held back tears. His eyes spoke of many sleepless nights and worry.

The volunteer that was helping him told me that she had done this job a couple of days before and had 2 people find out the relative or friend had died. On top everything else they are going through, the pain of losing someone must be unbearable. I am praying that all of these people will reach out the Lord in this time and He will wrap his arms around them and comfort them.

FEMA showed up again today en masse. About 10-12 people came to answer questions the residents had and direct them to the proper areas beyond what they already knew. Many that have already signed up are waiting for there FEMA checks to arrive. The turn around is fairly quick considering the situation. Many checks are cut and mailed within 36 hours of application if all of the info needed is correct. Some people walked in today smiling, with checks in hand.

I wish I could have stayed longer today to finish my project with the volunteer data. I had just started to get on a roll getting it together after they found a really nice girl to help me. We were ploughing through it, but I had to leave to return my rental car and catch a flight home. Fortunately they found a 3rd person to help her as I departed.

It was an all to short stay in Dallas, my college roommate and is wife were great hosts. As write this now on my flight home, I have to say it was an experience I will never forget, and people that I will never forget. As promised, I will tell some of their stories in the coming days as I return home and get back to the grind. Continue to pray for all of the evacuees as they decide what to do next and still are searching for loved ones.

One point I have to get across again is albeit I worked within a small microcosm of this vast disaster, not one resident/evacuee I spoke to cared about pointing fingers of blame or even brought it up. They just wanted to get their families back together, go back to their home if they had one or start a new life somewhere else. That is what the rest of us should be focused on, helping them, with prayer, donations, and action.

Today I was going to work in the social services section of the Katrina shelter helping residents and evacuees get information online, etc. When I arrived there they said a volunteer from yesterday hacked their computer network setup so it was down for a day. It’s very pathetic that a volunteer would do such a thing, hindering the residents from getting the information they need such as finding loved ones! The remainder of the volunteers and staff have been great and committed to the residents, and this won’t deter them for long.

Instead of social services, I worked the exit desk(residents must sign in and out) and directed new residents/visitors to the proper areas. Many of them were in good spirits today. One family was moving out to an apartment. A large number were returning with new Bibles, all dressed up from church services in the area. Most were enjoying watching the New Orleans Saints football game and whole place seemed to cheer when they hit a last second field goal to win! A nice little escape from their difficult situation.

I have more stories about individuals I talked to, but I think I will wait and write about all of them in the next few days. I will be working in clothes distribution at the shelter tomorrow morning before I return to Illinois Monday night.

My first impression of the Katrina evacuee shelter in McKinney, Texas as I walked in the volunteer entrance was one of a well organized operation. Picture the interior of a Wal-Mart (which the building used to be) with no shelving units, checkout counters, etc. Instead replaced with sectioned off sleeping areas, couches and TV’s, a large play area for children, a kitchen, a internet cafe, cubicles for various administrative social services, a warehouse of donated clothes, baby supplies, toys etc, and a well stocked medical clinic. It is very secure, with a metal detector and police as security.

My original job there today was arranging transportation for any of the residents(people staying at the shelter) or evacuees(not sleeping at the shelter) that needed it. Mainly people wanted rides to find apartments, homes or jobs in the area. Every day some residents move into apartments or homes, but they are still allowed to come back to the shelter for all of the services it provides. Many of them found that apartment complexes offer them 3-6 months rent free!!! People in the area were also coming in today to offer a rooms in their home.

As the day progressed I ended up doing a little bit of everything besides arranging rides, working at the sign in desk, taking peoples donations to the warehouse in the back, directing new residents to register with the shelter, etc. In the end, I have to say I the most important thing was being a listening ear to the residents there, letting them tell as much of their story as they wanted and encouraging them as best I could. The Lord really gave me the simple words of encouragement for them. Words that I would not have known what to say to them otherwise. I can’t imagine what they have seen, heard, experienced, lost, but I have sensed in everyone of them a strength and thankfulness for what they have, despite all they have lost. The eyes speak a thousand words. I have seen in their eyes today sadness, exhaustion, frustration, fear, determination, gratefulness, love for their families, and hope for the future.

I have to tell some stories about several people I met today at the shelter but I’m too sleepy now. I’ll be working there for a the next 2 days as well with more stories to tell. Pray for these people and the million other evacuees many of whom are starting over.

Please donate money and/or volunteer with these or other relief organizations:

• Salvation Army

• Samaritan’s Purse

• Red Cross

I arrived in Dallas last evening. Have to thank Travelocity.com for a great last minute airfare here on Midwest Express Airlines. My friends here say that besides the shelters many of the hotels in the Dallas Metroplex area are still full of evacuees from Louisiana and Mississippi. Apparently the Red Cross is helping with the costs of staying at hotels, etc but it remains to be seen how long some will have to be there or allowed to stay there. Many local churches are taking meals on a daily basis to those in hotels.

I have a variety of opportunities to volunteer today, but awaiting confirmation of them. On the other hand, I confirmed I will be working at a Katrina evacuee shelter on Saturday, Sunday and Monday in McKinney, Texas which is a north suburb of Dallas.

Please donate money and/or volunteer with these or other relief organizations:

• Salvation Army

• Samaritan’s Purse

• Red Cross

I’m heading to Dallas tomorrow afternoon to help in the Katrina relief effort. There are some shelters and groups that I might be working with there, but am still working out the details since this has been somewhat quickly put together in the past few days. Thank the Lord for a cheap last minute airfare! I will try to blog from there about my experiences.

In the mean time, I have something to say to those out there who aren’t victims of this tragedy but feel the need (for political reasons or not) to point fingers as to who is to blame about what happened in the aftermath. You will have all the time in the world to point fingers much later on, but it is wasted energy now! Instead, focus on helping the victims, locally or in the affected areas. We cannot have the notorious American short attention span on this. It’s a long term recovery that should not be forgotten. Donations and help will be needed for quite a long time.

Please donate money and/or volunteer with these or other relief organizations:

• Salvation Army

• Samaritan’s Purse

• Red Cross

I am adding as many links and news feeds as I can for information on the Hurricane Katrina disaster in the sidebars of the site.

Please donate money and/or volunteer with these or other relief organizations:

• Salvation Army

• Samaritan’s Purse

• Red Cross

I have to say the more I watch coverage of this disaster the more I want to do something beyond what I have donated already. Like physically go do something. It’s so sad to see what is happening in the affected areas. I can not even begin to fathom what it must be like to be in that situation.

I’ve been watching the coverage on CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC. For the most part they have done a great job covering this story amidst difficult conditions. However, I have to say what in world are the big 3 networks, CBS, ABC, NBC thinking? Even tonight they have re-runs and worthless “reality shows” on. The worst natural disaster in the history of this country and they have that crap on TV with maybe an hour special coverage in prime time? Ugh! Clueless networks!

All of that and what I have to say is an apathy about this tragedy. Some people, including many I have encountered in the past few days seem to only be paying attention to this when it raises gas prices and complain about that. Ugh! Perspective people! Look… We have what could be close to a million homeless people from this! Thousands could be dead! The first complete evacuation of a major city in US history.

God help those people in need. And show us as a nation how to assist them.

Please consider donating money to relief organizations such as:

• Salvation Army

• Samaritan’s Purse

• Red Cross

I have been glued to the TV at home and radio at the office monitoring the coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It clearly is getting worse in New Orleans with the waters still rising and over 80% flooded. The hundreds of people being rescued from rooftops and attics. The mass devastation in Mississippi and Alabama is just heart wrenching. I have been praying for all affected directly by this devastation. Please consider donating money to relief organizations such as:

• Salvation Army

• Samaritan’s Purse

• Red Cross

I will be keeping these links in the sidebar. Besides prayer, the most effective way to help now is to give money, since it will go help people immediately.