We at CAI may understand community, but we can’t begin to imagine the sense of loss, frustration and desperation created by Katrina along the Gulf Coast. I found myself mesmerized by the pictures on the news last night and this morning, and wondering how well I could manage the stress that the citizens of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are facing.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost the most important parts of their lives—family, neighbors and friends. The loss of homes and other property is beyond the comprehension of those not living this tragic reality, especially on such a horrific and widespread scale, but this is when people can and should come together, not only those directly affected, but also the millions of others who can contribute, financially and otherwise, to the recovery.
The recuperative powers of mutual support, community, volunteerism, sharing, and giving can be truly astounding and powerful. We only need to consider the hurricanes in Florida , the tsunami in Asia, and the fires in California all within the past year. The critical lesson is that as individuals and communities we find a way to survive, rebuild, and most importantly help one another.
Whether in a formal homeowner or condominium association or not, there is no better way to build a sustainable sense of community than by working together – with public and private partners – when everything seems to have fallen apart. We’ve written about recovery from natural disasters in our magazine, Common Ground, and the stories are uplifting and reassuring—a sense or normalcy does eventually return. Such stories may be unfathomable right now in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, but they will be written.
For those in need of help you can contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or by going to www.fema.gov.
If you want to help, you can make a donation to help disaster victims through the American Red Cross at 1-800-HELP NOW (435-7669). Many other charities are also collecting funds to assist victims of this massive storm.
