Hurricane Katrina

The photos and news coverage I've been seeing of the wreckage caused by Hurricane Katrina look like the apocalypse. It's being touted as the nation's "deadliest natural disaster since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake."

According to the news reports, 80% of the city of New Orleans is currently underwater. The mayor of New Orleans has called for a total evacuation of the city and they estimate that power won't return to the city for another 3 months.

Wow, an entire city with over half a million people abandoned and all those poor people with out homes who are now refugees.

Uwe and I were watching the news last night and immediately we thought about what it would be like in that situation with a baby. When you have a lack of power, food, clean water, medication, plus a breakdown of law and order going on in the city outside, it's definitely a crisis situation for adults; but when you have a baby you also have to think about what you would do with out formula, diapers, etc. and it really becomes a dire life and death situation.

I found this photo of a one week old baby sleeping in his bassinet surrounded by refugees camped out in a hotel in New Orleans and it broke my heart.

Jordan Barnes, a 1-week-old, sleeps with residents and visitors in an exhibition center at the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown New Orleans, Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. The hotel had a mandatory evacuation of all rooms due to windows breaking because of the hurricane. Barnes staying at the hotel with his parents, Martin and Nektar Barnes, and brother Martin Jr., 2, all from New Orleans. (AP Photo/The Palm Beach Post, Gary Coronado)

How nice of George Bush to cut his vacation short today to finally acknowledge this emergency. So they flew him back to Washington for a press conference to be held later this afternoon. At least in this instance he won't have to use the word "nuclear". Let's see how his speech writers tackle the "global warming" issue and how it relates to the hurricane.