Oh no

The Industrial Canal in New Orleans isn't holding up. Water is flowing back into the 9th Ward, an area that had just gotten dried out from Katrina. The stories of the evacuation in Houston aren't good, and the bus explosion is just heart-wrenching. And Rita hasn't even made landfall yet. Is it too late to ask for Rita's mercy?

I can't even fathom what it must be like for the people of the Gulf region right now. Those who are evacuating for the second time, who are watching their homes under attack a second time, who are stuck on highways because they've run out of gas... Texas officials appeared to be making better efforts in trying to get people out of the Houston area yesterday, but again it seems that we, our industrialized selves, are not adequately prepared for a natural disaster of this magnitude.

The American people have been truly amazing in the last few weeks, with an incredible outpouring of empathy and support for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I hope that is a well that has not yet run dry, for the one-two punch of Katrina and Rita will have a long-term impact the likes of which we have never seen before in this country.