Nobody really cares what someone a few thousand miles away has to say, but Hurricane Katrina just overwhelms me. Initially I paid little attention to the news reports. It sounded like another hurricane. Sucks to live in the path of a tropical storm. Made me appreciate the midwest.

Then on Wednesday I started to hear stories about levies breaking and dire situations. On Thursday I finally tuned in for real and it just blew me away. Everything about it just breaks my heart. And pisses me off. And then breaks my heart again.

Like other tragedies, I find myself addicted to the coverage, wanting to know more, wanting to help, wanting to hear the latest.

• For a first hand look, check out the Survival of New Orleans blog. It’s eerily similar to a combat situation. (Get the full story)
• For good news, check out A Small Victory. They keep linking to happy, feel good stories about people doing good stuff. Gives me a bit of hope.
• On a less hopeful note, if you haven’t heard New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his impassioned radio interview, it’s worth checking out. Wonkette has the transcript and a link to audio (I think). Basically the guy’s pretty pissed and has every right to be.
• Donate. There’s about a thousand places to donate, so I won’t bother linking to them. However, a number of places are matching donations (like Best Buy), so you can multiply the power of your gift. Go Fug Yourself has a list.

I just feel restless about the whole thing. I want to do something, but have little idea what. A donation is certainly possible, but I’m not exactly rolling in dough myself. $50, $200, it just seems rather piddly. I guess it all adds up.

I keep thinking about doing some sort of charity relief thing, like selling T-shirts or a PDF book or something and donating the proceeds. But who am I kidding? It’s not like anyone is clamoring to buy that stuff, and whatever I could create in an afternoon is only going to receive a pity donation. And why not just make the donation in the first place then? Why should I be a middleman?

Arg. I’m frustrated. I’m not in a good spirit about the whole thing. Life as normal seems a bit out of whack, but what else can I do?

Prayer comes to mind. The lame-ass Sunday School answer. And that’s probably what I should do. I think I’ll go for a walk.

What annoys me the most about this whole thing is that I’m complaining about the guilt and the frustrations I have. What right do I have to complain? My family isn’t dying or starving or homeless or frightened.