Sorry, it's taken so long to post anything about Katrina, but it's been pretty hard to come up with anything adequate to say. And I'm certain this won't even come close.
After criticizing the priorities of our current administration and the way they spend our money, all that's left is the reality of the biggest catastrophe our country has ever experienced. The breakdown of a prosperous city into an immense cauldron of floating corpses, murder, rape and destruction was something I never expected to see in our own country. As families in attics, hospitals and churches lose hope, realizing that there will be no rescue, I feel angry and frustrated. You probably feel the same way too, because of our shared profession.
In Spokane, it's been a figurative "open season" on rescuers - due to layoffs and lack of funding from the city. We are severely hampered in doing our job. We all have stories of buildings we would have saved, people that would still be alive, if we had not lost 20% of our staffing.
But in New Orleans, it's a literal "open season" on rescuers. Even the remnants of the National Guard, those not deployed in Iraq, find themselves under fire.
I'm sure we're all going to give something to help, whether it's through the IAFF link above, or through some other avenue. But, when you read the news and hear the stories, giving money almost seems like a meaningless empty gesture. But, sometimes, that's all you've got.
If anyone has news about actually going down there to help in rescue efforts, let me know and I will post it.
Sorry about the morose tone of this letter. And thank you very much for reading it.
John
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