FEATURED ARTICLEHope Takes Flight after the StormWhat do you do when you hear a rural community is out of basic survival supplies and uncertain when a relief agency will be able to help them? If you’re Dianne Lollar, you hop in the pilot’s seat and take to the sky.The call from my sister in Waynesboro, Miss., came on Thursday, September 1, three days after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the state. She and her family had just returned home after evacuating for the storm. Driving back, they saw “No Gasoline” signs at service stations along the way. As they neared Waynesboro, power lines were down, large trees were uprooted and houses were damaged or destroyed. When they reached their drive, fallen 80-foot trees blocked their way. On the phone, my sister said her community needed water, ice, food and gasoline to run power saws. No relief agencies had arrived and families needed help. I knew it was serious; my sister would not ask for help unless she was desperate. I immediately began to buy supplies. I had no formal training in hurricane disaster relief, but I had a lifetime of experience living in a rural area with frequent power outages and tornados. Current subscribersLogin to download this issue as a PDF |