A moment of Silence - Talking Point

A woman sits and waits with her child
in her lap as hundreds of flood victims
wait for help at the Convention Center in
New Orleans on Thursday

Image Source: KGW
I'd like to dedicate this post to all the victims of the horrendous hurricane Katrina that has caused enormous damage to life and property. So far, there is no clear estimate on the number of lives that have been lost due to this calamity. Warnings of this disaster were sent out in advance, but surprisingly the effort that was put in to the evacuation of the people in the affected regions was very ill-managed to say the least. At the moment, rescuers are not too bothered by the dead bodies as their first task is to reach those that are still alive and stuck amidst the flooding.

The sad part is that when the authorities knew the extent of the damage that such a catastrophe would cause, more action should have been taken. The National Guard's duties include helping protect the hard working people of this nation. Instead, they waited for the hurricane to strike and then go in and help those affected by it. In any case, mistakes do occur and one can never completely prepare onself from nature's might. What can be done now is to help those affected by this enormous disaster that has obliterated approximately 80 pecent of New Orleans and affected the whole of the Gulf coast. At the moment, we should all try to help out the victims of this hurricane in every way possible. The easiest way to help out is by donating to charities that help victims of such catastrophies. We can all blame whoever is responsible for not taking enough measures to prevent such a large scale disaster to human life once these victims have been helped relocate to safer areas and once they have proper sanitation, clean water, food, genral supplies and housing. If you would like to help out, please click on one of the following links:

American Red Cross Foundation

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Islamic Circle of North America

The Salvation Army

Corporation for National and Community Service

Islamic Relief

God Bless all those who help out these innocent people when they need it the most.